YORK — Pressure? What pressure?

When Jenna Rinker is on the golf course, she doesn't think of the ramifications of her next shot.

She merely thinks of making it the best one she can.

"I don't handle pressure well," said Rinker, a Slippery Rock High junior. "I don't like to play under pressure, so I just try to stay relaxed out there."

That was easier said than done the last two days.

Rinker was playing at Heritage Hills Golf Resort against 23 of the best female golfers in the state at the PIAA Girls Golf Championships.

Rinker shot an 80 on Monday and an 82 on Tuesday to finish in 16th place.

She was also the first Slippery Rock golfer, male or female, to advance to the state tournament, said Rockets golf coach Merle Whitmer.

"I did some research," Whitmer said. "To my knowledge, I'm not aware of anyone who's made it that far, and we've had a lot of good golfers."

Rinker is no stranger to the golf course.

She played extensively this summer on various regional tours and in area tournaments and fared quite well.

While working in the weight room, she added core strength and distance to her tee shots.

Rinker qualified for the state meet by shooting an 83 at the District 10 tournament.

"It's awesome," Rinker said. "It felt great. I felt very, very fortunate."

Rinker had a quiet high school season, mostly because she was playing on the boys team and playing from the boys tees.

But Rinker saw that as a positive. The challenge, she said, made her a better golfer.

"It helped me so much," she said. "Sometimes it got frustrating because I was always behind the guys and always bumping it up the middle of the fairway. But looking back, I'm glad I went through that."

Once Rinker got to the all-girls events, she found her game had improved because of her experience on the boys team.

Rinker was strong off the tee both days at York, but her short game, usually one of her strengths, deserted her.

She had six three-putts in the first round and three on the second day.

Rinker is determined to get back to the championships next season.

If she does, she will likely find some familiar faces.

Waynesburg's Rachel Rohanna, who finished the two-day event at 5-under par, is a junior. Runner-up Nadia Luttner of Fox Chapel is a freshman, and third-place finisher Christine Shimel of Kennett is a junior.

Going into the tournament,Whitmer said a top-15 finish would be a very good showing for Rinker.

"It's a very strong field," he said. "Eleven of the top 14 were there last year."

Still,Rinker believes she can push those three next season if she continues to improve.

"I want to continue to lift and get stronger,"Rinker said. "I'm going to work on my short game and just try to get better."