Before Marianne Li was the top junior girls' golfer in the state of Washington, she was a silhouette.
Newport girls golf coach Frank Nimmo remembers one nasty day six years ago when the Lady Knights had a match canceled at Newcastle, their home course.
"It was cold, rainy, sleet was coming down sideways," he said. "I was the last to leave and it was getting dark, and I see this little silhouette on the range."
That profile belonged to Li, who was busy putting in work when no one else was.
Li was introduced to the game around the age of nine by using plastic clubs and tennis balls, aiming for Velcro targets. Shortly thereafter, she started Washington Junior Golf Association tournaments and her passion began to develop.
"I was trying a bunch of different sports and golf was the one that stuck," Li said. "I just really like golf because every day is different. Every shot is different."
Li's work ethic may have been a surprise to Nimmo six years ago, but now, that's just Marianne.
"When she gets on the course, it's like a switch goes on," he said. "In my opinion, she could play on the weekends [professionally] if she wanted to go that route."
Since that rainy day on the range, Li – now a senior – has won five American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Open tournaments and is currently ranked 38th in the nation in the Polo Golf rankings. She was also a Rolex Junior All-American Honorable Mention pick last year.
One thing that has eluded Li is a high school state championship. She finished third last year at Club Green Meadows in Vancouver and fifth her freshman year – a wrist injury kept her from participating as a sophomore.
But rather than focusing solely on getting that championship this spring, Li has placed importance on team cohesiveness.
As a junior, Li and fellow junior Monica Kent were the captains. This year, all five seniors on Newport's roster are sharing the role.
"It's always nice to share the leadership and just get more girls involved with the team," Li said. "I know with high school golf you have to work to incorporate everyone. I think one of the main goals I've had the past two years as captain is just to make everyone feel welcome."
In November, Li signed her letter of intent to Cal, but she verbally committed last March.
She was courted by lots of colleges, including much of the Pac-12, but her decision to attend Berkeley was about more than just golf.
"I was always looking for a school that was strong academically and athletically and I don't think you can go wrong with any of the Pac-12 schools athletically," Li said. "[But] Berkley is the No. 1 public university in the country. I'm not sure what I'm going to be doing after college so just having that degree and going to that school is just going to be a really great experience."
Having her next step already decided, it would have been easy for Li to make high school golf expendable this season.
She's close with her teammates, though, which makes playing for Newport a fun last step before heading off to Berkeley in a few months.
"I like playing for a team and knowing that if I have a bad day, someone else will pick me up," Li said. "And if I shoot well, it's for the team. It's more of a shared thing, which is nice."
In addition to Li contending for an individual state championship, Newport has other players with the potential to qualify for this year's tournament at Indian Canyon in Spokane.
Three other Lady Knights who made state last year are back for this season in Kent, Lauren Nakamichi, and Krystal Liang.
"Having someone like Marianne who could win it puts you in the conversation [as a team] and we have pretty good support for her," Nimmo said.
Viewed by many as a front-runner if not the favorite to win state, Li is one silhouette turned phenom to keep an eye on in high school golf this year.
