When Lincoln-Way East’s Bella Versetto was 8 years old, she made some money playing golf.
The cash wasn’t for her, though.
It was for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, which is involved with pediatric cancer research. She took donations for any birdies she would make during tournaments. She also ran her own lemonade stand in the warm months, seeking donations in winter from drivers at a local Dunkin’.
“When I was younger, my dad (Nick) and I did some research and found that not a lot of people donate to childhood cancer awareness,” she said. “We researched and found Alex’s Lemonade Stand. That was a way for me to help people while I was doing something that I loved.”
All told, she raised $5,000 in a two-year span.
“Even though it wasn’t a bunch of money, I see how I helped research and I’m helping to find a cure,” she said.
Versetto, now a freshman golfer for the Griffins, is proving to be a money player. She’s off to a hot start to her high school career.
She fired a 71 to win the Homewood-Flossmoor Co-Ed Classic at the Lincoln Oaks Golf Course in Crete. She followed it up by finishing second at the Lincoln-Way Central Invitational at the Sanctuary Golf Course in New Lenox.
Versetto carded a 35, second only to Sandburg star Brooke Adams, who had a 34 in the nine-hole event.
Lincoln-Way East coach Brian Shannon has a lot to look forward to this season and beyond. His team won the nine-team meet hosted by the Knights and had Versetto, freshman Grace Zhang and sophomore Maggie Fagan join senior Sarina Nayden in the top 10.
Versetto has been a top youth golfer in recent years, and Shannon was happy when she finally arrived at Lincoln-Way East.
“Bella has been fitting right in with us,” Shannon said. “There is some pressure in these tournaments, and she has shown a lot of composure.”
Versetto said she’s feeling comfortable on and off the course in her first year.
“It’s very exciting,” she said. “At first, it was very nerve-wracking, but after my first practice with my amazing teammates, they were really welcoming. That helped me a lot, and not even just the golf side. They helped me with the regular high school side.”
Versetto’s golf career did not start with eagles and birdies. She started taking an interest at age 3, and her first experience was pretty rough.
“I remember the first lesson, and I could not hit the ball,” she said. “But I kept going to lessons, and my first nine holes, it was terrible, but I had so much fun.
“That helped me decide that this is what I wanted to do.”
Versetto learned at an early age how fickle golf can be. She said she played a youth tournament where she was shot 2-under one day and 14-over the next.
“Golf is a very mental game,” she said. “It can be mentally tiring, and you have to remember that every day is different.
“I’ve been reading books about the mental game of golf — one talks about how even professional golfers can screw up one day and shoot a 62 the next.”
Even on the bad days, she said she loves the sport.
“I’ve made so many memories and so many friends,” Versetto said.
One of her best memories involved one of her friends, Lemont’s Sarah Scott.
The two were playing in a tournament, with Versetto coming close to her first hole-in-one. Scott was ready to tee off.
“Our moms were there and joking and saying to Sarah, ‘Hit her ball into the hole,’” Versetto recalled. “And she actually did hit my ball, but it went into the water.
“It was amazing it could happen like that. It was just fun times.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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