Pressure of defending state title no match for resolve of St. James’ Knaffle

Pressure has been known to burst more than its share of pipes through the years.

The same circumstances have also shown the capability to create diamonds — and everyone knows the precious gem is a girl’s best friend.

While most shy away from moments filled with tension, St. James golfer Smith Knaffle tends to embrace them.

“Typically, I’m very concentrated,” she said. “It takes a lot for me to become distracted or feel pressure. I’m normally able to block everything out and go play my game.”

Already renowned for her prowess on the links, the sophomore standout did nothing to diminish her reputation this past season.

The weight of high expectations did nothing to slow Knaffle during the 2016 golf campaign, shooting 9-hole average of 37, with an 18-hole mean of 70.

Still, she saved her best performance for last at the Class 4A girls golf state tournament, making child’s play of The Hackler Course at Coastal Carolina University. During the two-day event, she shot a total of 138, earning medalist honors in addition to leading St. James to a second consecutive state championship.

While it isn’t a diamond, Knaffle is again the recipient of the next best thing, earning recognition as this year’s Toast of the Coast girls golf Player of the Year. It is her fourth consecutive year she has won the award.

“It’s an honor to see your hard work pay off,” she said. “When I go out there, I want to play my game and go out and have fun.”

Unlike previous seasons, the St. James girls golf squad was considered young by most accounts, void of a senior presence on the roster. Though their youth was a certainty, the Sharks’ savvy on a golf course was unquestioned, breezing past most competition with relative ease.

Knaffle was at the center of that, her stability also giving some of the squad’s younger members confidence. According to the sophomore phenom, the importance of such cannot be understated, in part because she was once the young pup seeking a place among veteran players.

“Honestly, we were confident in our younger girls and what they could do,” Knaffle said. “All of us climb the same ladder on the team. It felt good to see them succeed and help us achieve our team goal, which was a state championship.”

Though for state competition it is the offseason, the work goes on for Knaffle as a host of tournaments and training sessions remain on the docket. Visits to a host of schools are also on her priority list, with a commitment coming potentially in the next few months.

“At a tournament in Augusta (Ga.), there were between six and eight coaches looking at me in a few days, some of which were from ACC and SEC schools,” Knaffle said. “Over the years, I’ve created some great contacts and hopefully it will help me make a decision. There isn’t one yet, though, that maybe coming in a few months or end of the year.”

Certainly, her work on the links speaks for itself. But academics continues to take top priority for Knaffle, putting the title “student-athlete” on a pedestal.

“It comes first … obviously you want your grades to be high,” she said. “If you can’t get into school athletically, there are plenty scholarships out there. It’s always in the back of my mind, that I don’t want my only channel to a college education to be because of athletics.”

This story was originally published February 1, 2017 at 8:39 PM with the headline "Pressure of defending state title no match for resolve of St. James’ Knaffle."