By Alex Riley
Special to SMUMustangs.com
 
DALLAS – Mackenzie Lee's mind was a bit jumbled and understandably so.

The last few weeks had been nothing short of a whirlwind for the SMU freshman. The combination of moving from Arkansas to Dallas, starting college classes and learning what it means to be a student-athlete with the women's golf program would be enough to make anyone's head spin. That's why, after the first two rounds of the Dick McGuire Invitational in Albuquerque, Lee felt a bit frazzled.

After an opening round at even par, Lee shot 4-over during the second round. In her college debut, things weren't going horribly wrong, but they certainly could have been better.

Just before teeing off for the final round, Lee remembered that her teammate, senior Lauren Miller, had ribbed her a bit about not reading a note she had given to her prior to the start of the event. Lee dug around in her bag and pulled out the envelope. Miller had written every Mustang playing that weekend a personalized message the night before the tournament.

"It said things like, 'Hey, I know you're a great player. We all know it. We've seen it before. Just go out there and do what you do all of the time,'" Lee said.

Over the next 18 holes, Lee shot 4-under, quickly rising through the ranks to finish tied for 13th individually, SMU's best scorer for the weekend. A week later at the "Mo"Morial Invitational, she went 4-under for the tournament, tying for seventh overall and leading the Mustangs. Last weekend, Lee was one of three SMU players to finish among the top 10 individually (eighth), helping the team take second in a field featuring four SEC programs. She'll look for her fourth straight top 15 individual finish to open the season at the Jim West Challenge in San Marcos on Sunday and Monday.

"I was like, 'OK, this like my lucky charm.' I carry that note around in my yardage book all the time since then," Lee said with a laugh.

Words of encouragement certainly helped Lee find her focus that opening weekend, but it's her skill set that drew attention as a prized recruit.

Fellow freshman Michelle Zhang knew Lee through junior golf in the Southwest and mentioned what SMU had to offer. Lee looked into the facilities and learned about the program's reputation, both of which lined up with what she was looking for. Former coach Jeanne Sutherland saw the potential and Lee committed shortly after being offered.

But between COVID reshaping her high school experience and Sutherland leaving in 2021, Lee was wondering what her future might hold. New coach Lauren Mason was a bit unsure as well. She inherited Lee's commitment and while the paper results looked good she didn't know anything about Lee's personality. Phone conversations, emails and social media snippets weren't the best way to truly see who Lee was, so Mason drove to Arkansas to watch Lee in match play at her home course. 

Mason arrived in the middle of the competition and Lee made her way over. She talked through shots and mistakes. Her passion was evident immediately. Over lunch, they discussed her journey from being born in Atlanta to moving back to Korea before returning to the United States two years later. Lee's love of golf stemmed from following her older brother around the course when she was barely old enough to walk. She started swinging a kid-sized club almost as soon as she could stand. 

That first interaction cemented everything – Mason wanted Lee at SMU and vice versa.

"That's where I learned she came from this place of just, 'Hey, I love the game,'" Mason said. "She's a hard worker and her family has brought her up just to be such a great young lady and I'm just so happy to be a part of her journey. She embodies everything I want a player to be at SMU."

From North Little Rock, a town of barely 66,000, to Dallas, a city of 1.3 million plus, Lee's transition has been a wild ride in a short period of time. At North Little Rock High, the girls golf team is competitive but Lee was one of the only athletes whose primary focus was golf and had aspirations beyond prep-level competition. Now, she is surrounded by women eager to be among the nation's best.

Because of its smaller class sizes, the classroom experience hasn't been overwhelming thus far. Academic help from tutors has also helped Lee make sure she keeps track of everything.

Make no mistake, there have been bumps. During team qualifying round, Lee wasn't at her best, finishing middle of the pack once all was said done.

Her comfort level has increased with each week as she learns more about her teammates, program expectations and being a college student more than 300 miles from home.

And, of course, there's that lucky note.

"Whenever I came here, it was just totally different. There were so many people around me and there were just so many resources around me that I could use to develop my game," Lee said. "That was great, but at the same time I was kind of overwhelmed by everything. I've just kind of kept on trying to get used to it and just familiarize myself with everyone and everything."

As the jitters work themselves out, Lee has her focus, both individually and for the team. There are more top 10 finishes to grab, a conference championship to win and a postseason to play in. 

It's been a great start thus far, one which she has no intention of stopping. And for SMU women's golf, that's a good thing.

"Mack's the real deal. She's someone who comes with a lot of game, a lot of poise. I feel like she's someone who isn't afraid. She embraces who she is as a person, as a player and it's just been really cool to kind of see her game and confidence grow," Miller said. "I'll watch her play and she might not have her best stuff, but she'll still turn in a really good round. I think that's the signs of someone who is now and is going to continue to be a really great player."