Seeking top-flight competition can be a grind for golfers from New Hampshire. It's a journey that can wind its way throughout the country, packing a lot of golf in a short amount of time.

Lauren Thibodeau of Hampstead found that out this summer when she played three rounds of tournament golf in Florida, three rounds in North Carolina and three more rounds in New Hampshire in a 19-day period that began in July and ended this month.

Thibodeau's journey included one day when she flew from Charlotte to Boston, took a bus from Boston to Salem, drove to her home in Hampstead for a quick bite and a change of clothes and got back in the car for an hour-plus drive to Hanover with a tee time the following morning at 8.

Windham Country Club professional Joanne Flynn, Thibodeau's coach, said it was a tour she would never want to tackle and she's a seasoned pro. Lauren Thibodeau is 12.

And here's the thing: Thibodeau not only survived, she thrived.

Thibodeau posted three top 10 finishes, capped off by a 10th-place finish at the New Hampshire Women's Golf Association State Amateur at the Hanover Country Club. It was just one more accomplishment for one of the state top young players.

The growing list of accolades continue for Thibodeau as she earns the distinction of being the July Athlete of the Month as voted on by the New Hampshire Union Leader Board of Judges.

Thibodeau led a ballot that included Bedford Little League slugger Grant Lavigne, New Hampshire Golf Association Amateur champion Joe Leavitt of Atkinson, amateur golfer Chelso Barrett of Keene and Concord American Legion baseball standout Dillon Emerson.

Other receiving votes were Elon College pitcher Dylan Clark of Manchester and Franklin Pierce University pitcher Ryan Thompson of Amherst, who were each named to the Cape Cod Baseball League all-star game, amateur golfers Connor Greenleaf of Windham and C.J. Konkowski of Spofford, and Bedford Little League pitcher Tim Saltzman.

“It was pretty crazy,” Thibodeau said of her East Coast swing that included a fifth-place finish at the Optimist Junior International Junior Golf Championship at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., a ninth-place finish at the U.S. Kids World Championships at Pinehurst (N.C.) No.3 and her 10th-place finish at the State Am in Hanover.

Thibodeau, the top U.S. finisher at the Optimist tournament, was playing against her peers in the first two events, but was up against golfers of all ages at the State Am.

“Her demeanor doesn't change,” Flynn said. “She looks forward to playing with players who are better than her.”

Thibodeau started July by winning the New Hampshire Junior championship for the second straight year. She became the youngest player to win that event when she topped the field last year as an 11-year-old and said she returned this summer eager to show that she wasn't a “fluke.”

She shot 77 at Intervale to win last year; she shot 73 this time around. That's no fluke.

She also won three events on the New England PGA Junior Tour in July competing in the 14-18 age division. Flynn said Thibodeau is the most accomplished young golfer she has known and points to her determination, work ethic — “she could hit balls and chip and putt for hours,” — and ability to enjoy herself as the keys for her success.

And while most of her classmates at Hampstead Middle School are pointing to the start of seventh grade, this honor student still has a full calendar of golf in the fall that includes tournaments on Cape Cod and in New Jersey.

To submit a nomination for future Athlete of the Month consideration, email the Union Leader Sports Department at sports@unionleader.com and enter “Athlete of the Month” in the subject line.

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Previous 2012 winners: January, Drew Ledwith, Keene (swimming); February, Zach Bridson, Sandown (wrestling); March, Curtis Arsenault, Berlin (basketball); April, Peter Williamson, Hanover (golf); May, Morgan Andrews, Milford (soccer); June, Hillary Holmes, Exeter (track).

jfennell@unionleader.com