It’s not enough for Lauren Doughtie to be one of the best golfers at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. It’s not enough for the senior Lady Saint to be one of the best golfers in the TCIS. It’s not even enough for her to be one of the finest linksters in the country.

Nope. This summer, Doughtie proved herself to be one of the premier female golfers on the globe. Competing against 143 of the rest of the world’s finest at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship at the Golden Horseshoe Green Course in Williamsburg, Doughtie made it all the way down to the field of 32.

That, coupled with her laundry list of other accomplishments over the past eight months, convinced the Virginia State Golf Association to award her the Female Junior (under 18) Golfer of the Year honor, which will be presented on Dec. 11 at the Independence Golf Club in Richmond.

&uot;Its great to know that my practice is paying off,&uot; said Doughtie, who called the Public Links event her personal highlight for the year. &uot;Colleges don’t even look at school ratings.&uot;

To make it to the Williamsburg event, Doughtie had to qualify at the Bull Run course in Springfield in late May. Up against 30 other golfers, all of whom were older than her, she took second place with a 74.

&uot;There were plenty of people who didn’t think I could go to nationals, even though I’ve won national tournaments,&uot; she said. &uot;They didn’t realize that I travel a lot, and that I have proven myself in the past few years.&uot;

Aside from the Public Links, she took fifth at the VSGA Junior Girls’ Championship, helped Virginia to a fourth straight triumph at the Virginia-Maryland Junior Girls’ Team Matches, took a singles victory at the Mid-Atlantic Girls’ Challenge, shot a 69 on the final day to take third at the North-South Junior Championship in Pinehurst, N.C., and tied for 11th place at the American Junior Golf Association Richmond Junior.

She also won a golf scholarship to North Carolina State, where she’ll major in (what else?) pro golf management.

&uot;I love the Raleigh area,&uot; she said, &uot;and the coaches are great. I plan on pursuing golf after college, and I felt that that was the best fit for me.&uot;

jason.norman@suffolknewsherald.com