Golf family helps Justin Northwest clinch a spot at UIL girls golf state tournament

When the Justin Northwest girls golf team competes for the UIL Class 5A state championship Monday and Tuesday at White Wing Golf Club in Georgetown, the Texans will have three from the same family there.

Jeffery Fields is the Northwest coach.

His two daughters, Jacee and Avree, are the team’s two top golfers.

“Hard to think about being at state and they’re not there,” Jeff Fields said. “Very proud of what they’ve become and accomplished. Being able to work not only with kids, but your own kids every day, it’s a proud moment. I’m proud of the entire program and what they’ve been able to do this season.”

Northwest is at the state golf tournament for the second straight season (not including 2020) after it finished third at the regional tournament. Jacee, a senior who is committed to Southern Miss, was regional runner-up.

Jacee shot a 69 on Day 1 and 74 on Day 2 (143 total).

“It’s so much more special that I get to go with people who have been with me from the very start of my golf career and seen how far I have come,’ Jacee said. “From shooting in the 110s to hopefully winning the state tournament. It just makes it all the more special because they know and understand what we went through and how much work has gone into getting to state.”

State Bound

The Texans will take two other golfers to state, junior Libby Hall and sophomore Sadie Poe.

“Those two have worked extremely hard,” Fields said. “They’ve come far since beginning two years ago and they’ve been the key to our team success. We shot a 375 during our first tournament of the season and we just got better shooting 323 at district. The amount of improvement has been key for us.”

It will be Hall and Poe’s first trip to state while the Fields are going for the second time as a trio. It’s the fourth time for Jeffery, who went twice with Canyon Randall, where he spent nine seasons.

His first season with Northwest was 2019, taking the program to state for the first time ever. The Texans won the regional tournament that year, setting nearly every scoring record.

“Main difference is the team dynamic and how far this year’s team has come. We’ve had to work extremely hard to become cohesive,” Jacee said. “Libby and Sadie shot 87-88 and 96-93 at the regional tournament to get us to state. It’s been more satisfying because we saw the benefits of all the hard work we put into this.”

“If we want to medal at state, our team will have to continue to do what we’ve done all season, work hard and learn from our mistakes,” added Avree, who helped Northwest to fifth place in 2019. “We have grown so much since the fall and have gotten better every tournament.”

Golf Family

Jacee and Avree, a junior, have been around the game since they were 5.

They’ve played competitively since they were 8.

“I’ve always called the golf course my second home and often times in the summers it’s my first,” said Avree, who finished eighth at the regional tournament.”

Jeffery Fields is in his 23rd year of education, but started coaching in football and basketball. Then the golf team at Randall needed a coach and Fields applied.

He never played in high school or college, but enjoys golf as a hobby.

“I’ve always been around it. I always play in the summer,” Fields said.

During the summers, Jacee and Avree would spend time at the course, where they fell in love with the game. They grew up playing all sorts of sports, but golf was the right fit.

“I fell in love with golf at my first actual tournament,” Jacee said.

Fields has another daughter, Stalee, who could be the best of all. She’s an eighth-grader at Pike Middle School and Fields said she’s doing things Jacee and Avree didn’t do at that age.

“Growing up around the course and the competitive atmosphere in my house, it’s easy to see why we love it so much. Golf has always been our family,” Avree said. “The fact that we can take that and pair it with competition and qualify for state is just amazing.”