By Angelica Acevedo
As Linda Wang begins her second year in St. John’s University as one of six players on the women’s golf team, she can’t help but look forward to a new academic year while reminiscing about what brought her there.
Wang has played golf since she was 14 years old. She credits her father and godfather, Jerry Lee, for inspiring her to become a golf player.
“My godfather really got me started on my fundamentals and my father introduced me to the game.” Wang said.
Family is noticeably important for the 19-year-old standout. One of the main reasons she chose St. John’s is because it is near her home in Bayside.
“I like being able to commute back to my family and visit my little sister,” she said.
Wang admits she got into golf a little later than most, but she was always an athlete and she dabbled in a little bit of everything from basketball to volleyball as well as ballet. But once she participated in her first tournament as a junior golf player, she knew golf was the sport for her.
“It was in Montauk and I came in last place, but I played with the girl who won the tournament, which really sparked my passion,” Wang said. “I realized that other girls who loved the sport are working very hard, too, so I took off of that experience and started to get really serious.”
Wang said golf has taught her self-discipline more so than some of the other team games she used to play.
“At first it was hard, but I started hanging out with older kids and got more mature because of it,” Wang said. “I think that’s one of the beauties of the game, you get to really focus on yourself.”
In addition, she believes one of the best aspects about the game is the networking.
“You can meet a lot of people you don’t expect to, like a company’s CEO, just by randomly being paired up with him,” Wang said. “You learn a lot from playing with people who are successful.”
When it comes to her role as a player at St. John’s, Wang has already found it rewarding. Aside from traveling and learning important skills, such as time management, she is also reminded of what it is like to work with a team again.
“Growing up as a junior player, you always played for yourself but in my college transition, I’ve learned that a team has to be on the same track,” Wang said. “Bonding with the girls has been a great experience.”
Last year, she competed in all nine of the university’s tournaments, posted a season low of 71 in the third round of the Kiawah Island Invitational and tallied four top-10 finishes, including a first place finish at the St. John’s Women’s Invitational.
This year, Wang hopes to win the Big East with her team and continue improving her game.
“My goal is to bring down my scoring average, too,” she said.
To this point, Wang believes her biggest accomplishment was winning her first collegiate tournament in St. Andrew’s last year.
“It was really harsh conditions and very windy, but I managed to come in with the win,” Wang said. “I made a birdie on the last hole and it was very exciting because had I not made it, I would have tied for second place.”
Wang hopes to share her experiences with others who may be interested in playing gold, though she cautions it’s not easy to learn. For beginners and juniors who want to play this sport, Wang advises them to “stay patient.”
“Practice makes perfect, it sounds cliché but it’s so true, and always go back to the basics,” she said. “Don’t get too complicated. Just keep it simple and have a goal.”
Moving forward, Wang and her team will be playing in the Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. Intercollegiate Oct. 23 and Oct. 24, an event they finished first in last season.
“Our team won last year so we’re looking to defend,” Wang said. “Go Johnnies!”
