Cancer Survivor Jacqueline Setas of East Lansing Medals at USGA
By Tom Lang
Jacqueline Setas had some deep personal memories resurface in early-September when the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur was played just outside Boston, where she earned T1 before heading into match play and reaching this year’s quarterfinals for the second time (2022 prior).
Setas, a Lansing Catholic grad, state champion and MSU grad who played college golf there, has found her niche playing high-level amateur golf balanced with a working career at Allstate. Now a resident of Nashville, Setas said the tournament in Boston was the first time she returned there after getting her cancer diagnosis second opinion in Beantown in 2017.
Thankfully, Setas got the all clear in July 2018 that she beat cancer after being forced to drop out of classes at MSU for the entire 2017-18 school year to fight the disease. Setas went through 6 months of chemotherapy in the fall and winter, followed by pin-point radiation in the spring, and rejoined the Spartans’ team for her 2018-19 senior season.
“There was a lot of perspective for me in Boston this year,” Setas told me. “So, I think locationally speaking, Boston holds a lot of significance to my life story. I hadn’t been back there since getting that second opinion so as this course (Brae Burn CC in West Newton) was playing so difficult, there was a pretty good perspective for me.
“The year going into my senior year (at MSU) was definitely the most difficult thing I’ve ever been through. So, I think I appreciate the little things, my friendships; really just everything. I still hold a lot of that perspective.”
Setas cited her daily visits from MSU teammates and others for getting her through. Even Tom Izzo and basketball player Miles Bridges wore ‘Setas Strong’ wrist bands showing support.
Now in 2024, it doesn’t hurt that every part of her golf game was on point for the national event, her fourth straight, despite having almost zero prep time.
“I was super proud; I didn’t have a traditional warm up for this event,” she said about taking time off to heal her left wrist, then getting COVID that allowed only one week left to practice for the Mid-Am. She’s also busy coaching a private school girls’ golf team.
“So mentally, I really didn’t know where my game was at. I didn’t have a bunch of reps. And I think that helped me as there weren’t any real expectations for me coming in. So, staying in it mentally for 36 holes that didn’t involve any big numbers I was proud of that.”
Setas was one of five Michigan women who made the cut for the field of 64 match play. They included defending national champion Kimberly Dinh of Midland, Laura Bavaird of Trenton, Elayna Bowser of Dearborn and Mary Janiga Kartes of Kentwood.
“Kim is a great friend,” Setas said. “We play Thursday practice rounds together each year at the Mid- Am. Kim and her husband, Tony, came out to follow when my round of 16 match got tough. I think they both may have been my good luck charms.”
Setas said she doesn’t touch a golf club October through March each year, saying that it’s healthy for her to step back from the game.
“Having found this mid-Am circuit, it’s nice that you can have a career yet still be super competitive as well,” she said about opportunities for many mid-Am tournaments in regions across the country. “It’s been great playing in them the last few years and it’s great seeing a lot of the same people, so I’ve made some great friends through it all.”
Setas is already exempt into next year’s USGA Women’s Mid-Am, her fifth consecutive.
“One of these year’s we’re going to get past the quarters.”
