Adecade ago this April, Effie Perakis became a star. She sank a 30-foot putt at Augusta National to win her bracket in the Drive, Chip & Putt competition. Video of that putt was seen nationwide. A photo of the Glenview standout jumping for joy made the cover of this magazine (right) and ran in newspapers from coast to coast.
She was 9 years old.
Today, Effie Perakis, after a successful junior golf career and graduation from Glenbrook South, is in her sophomore year on the golf team at Maryville University in St. Louis, a Division II school. She is as intent as ever at making 30-footers, but at 19, with a different view of the world than the little kid she was.
Competitive golf will soon be in her rear-view mirror, at least for a time.
“I recently got accepted into UIC’s college of pharmacy,” Perakis explained, saying she found a passion for chemistry and biology in high school. “I’ll be transferring there in the fall.”
That means Maryville coach Scott Thomas will lose the services of a talented player.
“It’s a blow to the program but she’s doing what’s best for her,” Thomas said. “She came right in as a freshman, played well and played often.
“She could still be competitive (as an adult) if she keeps a club in her hand the next few years.”
For Perakis, the decision to tackle a difficult major while sacrificing the rest of her college golf career was easy.
“I want to apply my knowledge and help people,” she said. “Pharmacy school, there’s a lot of stuff to do and learn, and I’d be working. That closes the chapter on the competitive golf aspect for me. But I’ll keep playing. It’s been a central part of my life for so long.
“I still love playing the sport,” Perakis said. “You get to enjoy the satisfaction of hitting that perfect shot. And playing on the team, it’s super fun. And in college you get to travel. You build a bond with them. We all have different personalities but mesh together. We’re pretty tight.”
Perakis dominated Illinois Junior Golf Association tournaments she played in, amassing 28 victories, but said, “That was because there weren’t a ton of super-competitive golfing girls in my area. The sport has totally blown up in the last few years. It’s probably double or triple that now. But I was totally dedicated to the sport. I practiced a lot, as did my sister.”
Maria Perakis is a senior on the Bradley University golf team.
As for her appearance at Augusta, Effie Perakis called it “a surreal experience. I was so happy when I qualified. When I think back on it now, it’s a total nostalgia factor. Just an amazing day.”
Her victory was secured by sinking the long putt on 18. She won by a point.
“The morning of, I didn’t feel that great,” she recalled. “I think I had too much junk food the night before. I hit two decent drives, and I was in sixth place. My dad said, ‘You got this.’ My chips, I hit one to a couple of feet and the other to eight or nine feet. I was third in chipping and scored eight points, so I was tied for second, one point behind.
“Anyone could have won. I knocked the 30-footer in, and the 15-footer was an OK putt. I finished second in putting. So, I never won any individual division, but I won overall. I think that speaks to the spirit of the thing.” —Tim Cronin