THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: Everything earned for Wilson on the course

It hasn’t been easy on the golf course for Coeur d’Alene High sophomore Ella Wilson.

The tournaments, the travel and the days missed from school.

But it’s her approach to the game that has Wilson with eyes on another state 6A individual title next week at RedHawk Golf Course in Nampa.

And maybe that first state title in program history for the Viking girls.

AS A freshman, Wilson found herself ahead of the field by five strokes after the first day of the 2024 state tournament at Highland Golf Course in Pocatello. 

On the second day, Wilson bogeyed five straight holes and ended up in a playoff with Ella Arnzen of Timberline High in Boise. On the first hole of the playoff, Wilson eagled the par-5, 432-yard 18th hole after Arnzen missed her eagle putt to claim the individual title — the first Coeur d'Alene girl to win a state golf title.

“At first, I was kind of shocked,” said Wilson about winning as a freshman. “I didn’t have my best round of golf, especially at the beginning of the second day. I knew she (Arnzen) was a really good player. I was excited for the opportunity to be there.”

Even days after winning last year’s title, Wilson said the win hadn’t quite sunk in.

“It didn’t really feel real for a while,” Wilson said. “Even the bus ride back, some of my teammates were asking how it felt, and I really didn’t know. It really felt surreal for a couple of weeks. Everything after it, and talking to different people about it, it just felt surreal.”

But in that challenge, Wilson has accepted the challenge, and welcomes it.

“I just love the environment and being outside,” Wilson said. “Golf is a process, and I like the process. It’s not easy, but it’s also really rewarding. I really enjoy the challenge it brings.”

Wilson has also been active in Idaho and Washington junior golf, competing in roughly 20 tournaments from last May to September.

“Some might have been smaller than others, but there was a lot of really good golf,” Wilson said. “It’s really gotten me prepared for this week.”

In August, Wilson won the Idaho Junior Amateur Championship at Canyon Springs Golf Course in Twin Falls, finishing with a three-day score of 221, 5 over par. It was the sixth straight year she had won the Idaho Junior Amateur in her age group. In addition, Wilson qualified for the 77th U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship July 13-18, 2026 at Old Chatham Golf Club in Durham, N.C., and earned a full exemption into all American junior golf events for 2026.

“It was a lot of work and not easy,” Wilson said. “It was a grind the entire time. I’m really excited for the junior championship, and everything I’m doing now is working toward long-term is that. It’s been a lot of fun to see some of the best competition in Idaho this summer as well.”

“She’s so humble,” fifth-year Coeur d’Alene girls golf coach Jeff Lake said. “You wouldn’t know she’s a state champion, or all the medals or records she’s won. She just goes out and does her thing. Mind, body and soul, she connects all the dots, there’s no doubt about it.”

WILSON DID not compete for the Vikings in the Pre-State Tournament at RedHawk in August due to playing in another junior golf tournament. Coeur d’Alene finished second on that day, 22 strokes behind Rocky Mountain of Meridian, which has won four straight state titles in Idaho's highest classification.

“I’ve played RedHawk plenty of times this summer,” Wilson said. “That was a good opportunity to let some of the other girls go and get that experience. They had a really big junior golf tournament at RedHawk the week before that I played in. I left there with a good feeling about the course and wanted to leave it at that before state.”

Coeur d’Alene beat Rocky Mountain by six strokes at the Palouse Ridge Invitational in Pullman in September.

Coeur d’Alene will have three sophomores and two freshmen on its state team when the tournament tees off next Thursday and Friday.

“We’re very, very competitive,” Wilson said. “We all work very hard and each of us is really determined. There’s been a lot of fighting for our spots, and it’s been very close in who goes to state with our top five. Everyone has the same goal and puts in the same effort. We’re all so close in age that we all want it for each other as well.”

“What’s really cool is that Ella works with the rest of the group to make them better,” Lake said. “She pulls them up, whether it’s learning about the course or something that she does. She’s an excellent role model, but also leads by example.”

It’s an example that if things go right, could lead to another shade of blue in the Viking trophy case very soon.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1206 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on ‘X’, formerly Twitter @JECdAPress.

    Ella Wilson