Amelia Morton of Maple Grove is the Metro Player of the Year in girls golf

Maple Grove senior Amelia Morton has never been, as she put it, “crazy good” at golf. She makes up for that with passion and hard work.

“I want to give everything I do 100 percent,” Morton said. “I am always going to give it my all.”

The No. 1 golfer in Maple Grove’s lineup, Morton was the runner-up in the Class 3A individual state tournament with a 1-under-par 143 in the two-day event at Bunker Hills Golf Club, leading the Crimson to its second consecutive team championship. She is the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year in girls golf.

“I played pretty well,” said Morton, who shot an opening-round 71 and followed it up with a 72. “I had a couple of holes I was disappointed with coming in. I missed a couple of opportunities to score better.”

Morton remained true to form even though she finished only one stroke back of the medalist.

“I didn’t get too worked up about it,” Morton said. “The key for me throughout the years has been patience. My course management and mental game are key for me. I had to keep playing smart and strategically.”

The Minnesota Golf Association’s second-ranked girls golfer in the state entering the state tournament, Morton wasn’t focused on her individual result. She considers the team aspect much more important.

“I always kept reminding myself that I am playing for more than myself,” Morton said. “The team competition was more important to me. There were a couple of other really good teams that could beat us. We were motivated to win as a team.”

The Crimson held a one-stroke lead over Wayzata, 305-306, after the opening round. They wound up beating the Trojans by 15 shots for the team title.

“There were a couple of girls on our team that weren’t on our championship team last year,” Morton said. “I wanted to win for them and show them how much fun it is to win as a team. It’s super cool to have two banners hanging in the gym that represent our team and community.”