Competing at the highest levels of junior golf isn’t easy. The time, work and dedication necessary don’t come naturally to teenagers (or anyone else for that matter) and that’s before raw talent is factored into the equation.

While that combination of traits is rare, a rising young star in Myrtle Beach possesses all of them, and they are paying dividends. Madison Messimer, who will turn 16 in May, is the 30th-ranked junior girl in America, according to Golfweek, and she is on the rise.

She has earned her way into the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, youth golf’s most prestigious event, the ANNIKA Invitational, and the Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship in the opening months of 2023.

Best of all, Messimer has enjoyed her ascent while maintaining a sense of normalcy in her daily schedule, still attending Myrtle Beach High School. The winner of the 2022 Carolinas Golf Association Women’s Amateur Championship has emerged as one of the nation’s elite young players, and her talent was obvious from a young age.

Her parents had her play multiple sports and that included summer camps at Ted Frick’s Classic Swing Golf School. After the second of those camps, a Classic Swing instructor told Messimer’s parents their daughter had a gift for the game.

“I enjoyed golf so I started playing,” Messimer said of how she began to take the game more seriously.

She started playing in local tournaments when she was 9 years old and piling up victories in regional U.S. Kids tournaments a year later. Messimer became a member of the American Junior Golf Association when she was 12, igniting her rise as a national prospect. (For those not familiar, the AJGA is the equivalent of the PGA Tour for kids)

She has played across the country, including California and an event in Arizona where she got to take a Pink Jeep Tour, an off-road adventure that spotlights the state’s rugged beauty. She has met Annika Sorenstam, hit balls next to Dustin Johnson, and enjoyed the abundance of perks that come with playing at Sage Valley, including a pair of complementary Air Jordan golf shoes.

Messimer’s best score is a 7-under 65 at Traces Golf Club in Florence, S.C., and her favorite course is TPC Sawgrass, a track she has played once (yes, she hit the green on No. 17). A third-place finish at the DJ World Junior – she was the first-round leader – demonstrated Messimer is ready to compete for titles in the game’s biggest events.

Messimer, who continues to work with Frick at Classic Swing, is at her best with the driver in her hands, carrying the ball 235 yards with the ability to split the narrowest of fairways. She is focused on tuning up her short game and putting as she heads into summer, the busiest part of her year.

While she puts in a lot of hours – going to the gym and practicing – golf continues to be a joy for Messimer, who can officially be contacted by college coaches beginning this summer.

“You meet so many new people from around the world,” Messimer said of what she most enjoys about the game. “It’s really fun, especially if you play with your friends and get to travel the country.”

It’s not easy to be ranked No. 30 in America at anything, but Madison Messimer has enjoyed the journey and even better days appear to be on the way.

(Tournament action shots captured by Golf Tourism Solutions from the 2023 Dustin Johnson World Junior Championship)