Driving Home
By David Dietrich
One of the items displayed in the Idaho Golf Association office is a flag from the 2021 Girls Junior America’s Cup. It features the signatures of 62 athletes who represent 12 states, Mexico and Canada. Inked in the top left corner are the names of two Idaho players: Emily Cadwell and Brooke Patterson.
The Treasure Valley natives led Idaho to a runner-up finish, the highest in state history. Cadwell calls it “the best week of junior golf ever.” Competing on BanBury Golf Course in Patterson’s hometown of Eagle, Idaho, the duo played what they believed was their final tournament as teammates. Cadwell was preparing to play at Washington State in the fall and Patterson was set to enter her senior year at Eagle High School. Their journey together, which began five years earlier, was thought to be coming to an end. Fortunately, their paths led back to the Gem State for a final year together.
Cadwell and Patterson had similar experiences with Boise State as they grew up, fondly recalling the events they attended with their families. “I grew up a mile from campus, so we biked to football games and went to the tailgates,” said Cadwell. “I always went with my dad and grandma. I loved watching the band and everyone perform at halftime.”
“We went to all the football tailgates. My brother and I would get so tired. We couldn't even stay up to watch the game,” Patterson said. “We went to the tailgates, had fun, then watched the game from home. My grandparents had season tickets for basketball, so they would take us to eat hot dogs and watch the games.”
Emily and Brooke had different experiences in the early portions of their golf careers. Cadwell jokes hers started before birth.
“I come from a golfing family. My grandpa grew up golfing, my dad and his siblings grew up golfing. My dad had clubs for me before I was even born,” she said. “Every holiday growing up, we all played at the same course. We always do a family scramble on Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day.”
Patterson admits her trajectory was much different. “I played a bunch of sports growing up. My dad was a Division I baseball player, so sports were a big deal. It was never golf specifically until I was 11. I went to a golf camp for the first time and loved it. From then on, it's been a thing for me.”
What began as a “thing” for Patterson was a passion for Cadwell, who describes the sport as “a fun family activity I fell in love with.” She spent enough time at local courses to interact with the Boise State golfers she considered “celebrities.” She specifically remembers seeing Emma Dahlqvist (2009-13) and Dana Clary (2013-17) and wishing she could golf alongside them.
“I thought they were the coolest people ever,” she said. “We don’t have professional teams in Boise, so student-athletes were all amazing.”
Having established herself as one of the area’s top youth golfers, Emily unknowingly had a similar influence on another younger golfer: Patterson. Before their first encounter on the course, Brooke was starstruck.
“I looked up to Emily a lot when I was younger,” she said. “I remember seeing her on the range and saying, ‘Oh my gosh, there she is.’”
The range Patterson referred to was at RedHawk Golf Course in Nampa, Idaho, home of The Dropping Junior Golf Championship. The pair played the tournament multiple times, one of several events they competed in as teammates and opponents. The final stretch of their junior journey featured a trio of fierce competitions, capped by the memorable week at the America’s Cup.
In their final high school competition, Cadwell and Patterson battled for the Idaho 5A State Championship. Emily bested Brooke by two strokes, winning the individual title. A month later, they played in the 2021 edition of The Dropping, which saw a runner-up finish from Cadwell and a fourth-place finish from Patterson. They also played against future teammates Annie Buffolino (third-place) and Macee Greenwood (seventh-place).
Everything culminated at the Junior America’s Cup, where they once again competed against Greenwood (Montana) and other future Broncos Leia Chung and Teal Matsueda (Hawai’i). Cadwell and Patterson were joined by Kelli Ann Strand and Carly Carter on Team Idaho. The foursome placed second behind Mexico, the best finish in Gem State history. All four golfers were close friends and recognized the magnitude of having a historic performance in their home state.
“We all grew up competing against each other, especially me and Carly,” said Cadwell. “Our dads grew up together, so we've known each other forever, and it was so fun to play with each other. We had a really good week as a team, so it was cool to do that together.”
Patterson saw parallels between those recent competitions and future events.
“It’s a very on-and-off kind of thing. Idaho hosted the America’s Cup two months after Emily and I were going at it for the high school title,” she said. “We had just played The Dropping against each other, so it was really cool to play with each other at the end. It’s a glimpse of college golf.”
By that point, Cadwell knew she was set to play at Washington State in the fall. She had limited Division I offers and official visits were suspended due to Covid-19. Having grown up in the Treasure Valley and attended Nike camps in the Palouse, she narrowed her choices to the Broncos and Cougars, relying on the familiarity of the two options. When it came time to decide, Cadwell opted to move to Pullman.
“I knew the coaches and I was familiar with the campus and the facilities,” she explained. “The opportunity to play in the Pac-12 was something that I couldn't pass up.”
While Cadwell was opening her college career with a 14th-place finish at the Badger Invitational, Patterson was weighing her next steps. Although she had an official visit at Boise State, she knew she was ready to branch out.
“I always wanted to go away. I was talking to a bunch of schools on the other side of the country,” she said. “I wanted to play in the Big 12. I wanted that Power 5 atmosphere, which I absolutely loved.”
After initially committing to Tulsa, Patterson flipped to Cincinnati, which had recently announced its plan to join the Big 12 in 2023. Like Cadwell, she had a successful freshman campaign, notching three top-20 finishes.
The success was not the only similarity shared between the two athletes. Both experienced coaching changes after their first season, leading to thoughts about transferring to different institutions. Patterson knew a change in scenery was necessary, even if it cost her a semester of competition.
“It wasn't working out. I wasn't playing my best golf. I felt like I wasn't getting better. I wanted to be closer to home. I needed to figure out how I could leave and be closer to home.” she said. “In September, I told my parents I wanted to find other options. I didn’t know if I should stay that whole year and risk continuing to decline in golf and have the stress of that or transfer mid-semester and give up my spring eligibility. It was a gamble.”
The risk paid off, as Patterson heard from Bronco head coach Kailin Downs shortly after entering the transfer portal.
“I was in serious talks with Coach Kailin about coming to Boise State. I had gone on my official visit at that point and knew what the program was like. I wanted to be a part of something like that,” she said. “I entered the portal and a week later, I was committed to Boise State to come home.”
During the winter break, Cadwell and Patterson reconnected and discussed the transfer. Unbeknownst to Brooke, Emily was contemplating the same decision.
“After that semester I was thinking about transferring,” said Cadwell. “Brooke and I went to dinner with a friend. I was picking Brooke's brain. When you think about the transfer portal, it’s like a majestic world you don't quite understand. No one knows what goes on. She had no idea I was asking her all these questions because I wanted to transfer.”
After putting her transfer thoughts on hold, Cadwell wrapped up her season at Washington State with a career-best round at the Pac-12 Championship. Ineligible to compete during the spring semester, Patterson spent that time practicing and embracing her “new” home. She had plenty of experience with her new teammates, sharing a swing coach with Greenwood, playing on an official visit with Lim and competing against Buffolino, Chung and Matsueda. She also continued building her social media presence, eventually earning NIL opportunities with Idaho businesses, including Lithia Ford and Simmons Fine Jewelry.
Facing the tough choice of finishing her career at Washington State or entering the portal, Cadwell decided it was time to move on.
“I wanted to stay loyal to my commitment to Washington State and be there for four years, but it got to a point where everything I committed to was no longer there,” she said. “It was a different coach, different conference, different situation.”
Like Patterson, she wanted to bet on herself and come home.
“I had always wanted to play for Boise State. It was a cool opportunity but I had to take a risk. The potential option of playing for my hometown my senior year was something I wanted,” Cadwell said. “In my mind, I was coming to Boise State, whether I was going to be on the golf team or not.”
The gamble worked, as Downs reached out while Cadwell was driving home from her final exam at Washington State. Cadwell was ecstatic and knew she had to call Patterson. After taking a few minutes to catch up, Cadwell was ready to break the news. Seconds later, she lost service, a typical inconvenience on her trek to the City of Trees. She didn’t regain it for another 90 minutes.
“I was so excited to call her that I didn’t think it through,” said Cadwell. “I called her as soon as I got service back.”
All Patterson could say was “What?!”
Downs was elated to have both players on the team, having known about them since she was a head coach at Portland State. She kept an eye on them throughout their careers, reaching out immediately when the opportunity arose for them to come home.
“Both of them knew they wanted to come back here, but didn't know how it would happen,” said Downs. “They were open to other things, but this is what they wanted to do when they knew they were transferring.”
She also knew the pair would have no trouble representing the program once they reunited.
“We're a very community-based, fan-facing sport. When we show up to practice or play, there are people there. When sports like basketball or soccer show up to practice, the public isn't there,” she said. “Having people recognize these players that they've seen grow up playing golf, there's a little bit more comfort and a reason to support us.”
As the team came together for the 2024-25 season, Emily counted on Brooke, not knowing how close she would become with the other seven players.
“The hardest part about leaving Washington State was that I was so close to my teammates there. I was not expecting to have relationships like that again, especially only coming in for one year,” admitted Cadwell. “I really only knew Brooke and definitely relied on her, especially those first few months, because I knew her better than anyone.”
The transition was seamless, something Patterson credits to the people in the program.
“They’re the best teammates I’ve ever had. I love every single one of them,” Patterson said. “I’ve had three college coaches and Coach Kailin is definitely the one that has believed in me the most. She wants me to get better as a golfer and a person.”
“It was a very smooth transition. Everyone was so kind, supportive and welcoming,” said Cadwell. “It genuinely could not have gone better.”
As Boise State prepared to open the season in South Carolina, Cadwell was moved by her new reality.
“When I first put the Bronco uniform on, I got emotional,” she said. “I grew up watching this and it was so crazy to have it be me. It meant so much.”
To share the experience with her childhood friend made it even sweeter.
“It meant a lot to be here with Brooke,” said Cadwell.
The final season together provided countless memorable moments, both on and off the course. In the Broncos’ second tournament, the team tied for second and set the school record for lowest three-round score. A month later, Cadwell and Patterson both matched their career-low rounds to help the team break the 54-hole record again, this time by 10 strokes.
Because they travel fewer people than most sports, the team also has the ability to stay in Airbnbs, which offers extra chances for the team to bond. On a recent spring trip, Patterson made a startling discovery about the house they were at.
“It’s 5 a.m. and we’re getting ready to leave. As we’re walking out, we see all these raccoons that live in a tree in the middle of our backyard,” explained Patterson. “Then at the same time, we see a peacock fly out of another tree. I’ve never seen one before and didn’t even know they could fly.”
From finding a zoo in the yard to laughing at the antics of sophomore Jillian Hui, who Cadwell calls “the funniest person I’ve ever met,” the team makes the most of their long trips. Activities in downtime range from exploring Las Vegas to watching the Masters. Both players credit Downs for creating such a strong culture.
“I admire the work she puts into the team culture, especially when we’re traveling,” said Cadwell. “Brooke likes to say Coach Kailin cultivated this group of us to become friends,” Cadwell said. It’s very obvious how good of friends we all are. She makes sure it’s a very healthy environment.”
The group finished the 2024-25 campaign with the second-best scoring average in school history. Downs speaks highly of the local products, especially their ability to lead by example.
“They practice the right way. They do the right things. They get their stuff done. They do well in the classroom,” said Downs. “They're good at engaging with people, having conversations with donors and golfers and supporters.”
Despite having a shorter amount of time with both players, Downs knows they had an incredible impact on the team this season.
“If I could go back and have it my way, I would have them as Broncos from the very beginning. That's not how it worked out, but everything happens for a reason,” she said. “That's a testament to their presence here, their role as Broncos, their coachability, who they are as teammates.”
“They both fit and bought into the team culture, which is very important to me. They bring in different layers and are a part of how close the team is,” Downs continued. “They support each other, push each other, hold each other accountable and buy into being a Bronco. The team dynamic wouldn’t be the same without either one of them this year.”
As Cadwell prepares for life after college golf and Patterson trains for her senior year, both have the same goal of staying involved in the game. For Cadwell, the top priority will be traveling the world.
“I’m going to Europe for about six weeks. I’ve only lived in Boise and Pullman, so I need to go to another part of the world,” she said. “I’d love to move to Southern California. There are so many avenues within the golf world and you can stay involved in some capacity.”
Patterson has over 10,000 social media followers, largely posting Instagram reels about her life as a college golfer. She was one of 100 female student-athletes to participate in the NCAA x Meta Empowerment Program, a collaboration that maximizes NIL opportunities. She wants to use those experiences to continue building a social media presence while growing the game.
“I want to enter the PGA of America and go through their schooling to become a teaching pro. I've come out of my shell with social media in the last year, so I think I'll continue to do that with teaching and giving advice,” she said. “I want to educate young girls on how they can get into college golf. I want to make an impact through social media and working in golf.”
The playing portion is done, but Cadwell and Patterson appreciate the long-winded journey that added extra chapters to their story.
“To have Emily as my teammate for her last year is really cool. It just seems like a full-circle moment, because I experienced all of Emily's lasts in high school golf,” said Patterson. “I watched her graduate, I watched her win state, I watched her play her last Dropping. Now I get to watch her graduate from the same school as me.”
“My last round of high school golf, we were playing together. It definitely is full-circle. It's so cool,” said Cadwell. “It means a lot to be here with Brooke. Not only that, but to be on a team that's breaking records with two local girls, that means a lot to me.”