Westview’s Melinee Udom had the 6A girls golf title square in her sights last year in the state tournament at Trysting Tree Golf Club in Corvallis.

The freshman had the lead with four holes left, but after two bogeys and having a birdie putt lip out on No. 18, she tied for second place, one stroke behind Jesuit’s Kate Lee.

“Sometimes things just don’t work out your way,” Udom said. “It’s OK. After state, it prepped me mentally and it kind of motivated me to work even harder for my summer schedule, and for this season.”

After a successful summer that included a victory in the Girls Junior America’s Cup — her first national win — and a top-20 finish in the IMG Academy Junior World Championship, Udom is back with a new outlook as a sophomore.

“I definitely think I’ve improved, especially mentally,” she said. “I put a lot of high expectations on last year. Expectations are great, but sometimes when you don’t reach them, it’s kind of draining to yourself. I’m just trying to have more fun this year, and I have.”

Udom has played in two Metro League matches this season, winning both. Last week, she shot a 2-over 73 at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club to win by three strokes over Sunset senior Erica Kobayashi. Monday, she fired a 4-over 75 at Langdon Farms Golf Club to beat Kobayashi by one stroke.

Udom said it’s nice to win, but her game “isn’t 100 percent there” so far this season.

“I’ve kind of been in a slump lately,” she said. “I’m trying to get out of that slump. I do believe that my game is definitely trending. My iron game hasn’t been real solid. I’ve been making some swing changes with my coach. I’m trying to be more consistent with that.

“The conditions haven’t been really good the past two matches. Just trying to play with the weather rather than against the weather helps me mentally to score better.”

The 5-foot-3 Udom, a former competitive weightlifter, is one of the state’s biggest hitters, pushing 300 yards off the tee. The next step in the evolution in her game is improving her approach shots.

“The power aspect of her game is what puts her in position to be able to create shots,” Westview coach Paul Gouldsbrough said. “Having consistent power and distance and accuracy is paying off. Now it’s the finesse, the nuances of the game, to get her into scoring position, to just blow people away. That’s where we’re at.”

Fine-tuning her approach shots can elevate her to another level.

“I think it was costing me strokes last year,” she said. “I wasn’t really able to convert a lot of birdies. I’ve been working a lot on putting and my approach shots lately.”

She will need steady play around the green to reel in a state title.

“She knew that her short game let her down last year,” Gouldsbrough said. “She shot par, which normally would be good enough. She knows she’s got to focus on closing tournaments out when she gets the chance.”