Competing in one of the biggest international golf tournaments comes with arduous training and determination. But now that student-athletes are stuck at home, they have to balance their training with loads of school work, confusing lockdown guidelines, and the feeling of loneliness from not seeing their friends and teammates. Alexa Rae C. Tan overcomes these hurdles and takes us through her journey of how she did it.
Tan, a grade 9 student of MGC New Life Christian Academy, participated in the IMG Junior World Golf Championship held last July 13-16 in the Country Club of Rancho Bernardo, San Diego, California, USA. She was among the 104 golfers who competed in the Girls 13-14 division. Tan finished the competition with a score of +58, and by performance totaled 1 birdie, 14 pars, and 40 bogeys.
Signing up for the tournament in February left Tan with only four months to train. Summer vacation allowed her to play 18 holes four times a week, and—on top of that—she also did additional exercises and drills at home. However, with the guidelines for lockdown constantly changing, Tan was forced to play in courses that weren’t included in the strict quarantine areas, which were hours away; she even had to stop training for a few weeks. Tan then mentioned that in order to play, she needed certification from the National Golf Association of the Philippines despite being a minor.
The 14-year-old golfer also added that compared to her experience in 2018, this year’s was roughly the same. The only aspect that changed was exchanging an awkward fist or elbow bump at the end of each round instead of a handshake.
When asked about what motivated her throughout the tournament, Tan replied, “Mostly the support of my family—my mom, my dad, and my many relatives that live in the US—and my friends, who put up with my ranting and my sarcastic laughter at my own pain. I also prayed. A lot. Also, I'd simply come too far to give up.”
Regarding her plans for the future, Tan said that she will hopefully be joining the tournament again and is looking forward to performing even better. In the meantime, Tan plans to focus on her academics and continue practicing to further improve her game.
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