Ellie Koo ’24 stood on a apply inexperienced subsequent to her dad at Tregnan golf course in Griffith park when she was seven years previous and swung her putter for the primary time. Ten years later, Koo walked throughout the grass at Bel-Air golf course the place she was competing within the 2023 USGA Ladies’s Novice.
Koo is the primary Wolverine to make it to this stage of competitors, {golfing} alongside prime school and worldwide athletes. She was one among six qualifiers from the Victoria Membership in Riverside and one among 156 newbie girls’s golfers worldwide to qualify. Koo stated that qualifying was a second she’ll always remember.
“I used to be actually excited as a result of that is my first USGA occasion and I’d by no means competed in something like this earlier than,” Koo stated. “On the similar time I used to be a little bit burdened at first as a result of I knew I wanted to work laborious in coaching as a result of I actually wished to play properly.”
Koo performed the primary two days of the event and made the lower, advancing to Wednesday’s match. She stated that enjoying towards girls of all ages was daunting at first, however she tailored over the course of the event.
“A majority of the sphere was school ladies,” Koo stated. “It was a little bit scary as a result of the entire ladies have been enjoying golf their entire life and school golf is at a unique stage, in order that was a little bit bit nerve wracking. I attempted to not take into consideration that an excessive amount of and simply concentrate on the sport.”
Koo has been enjoying golf for a lot of her life, however didn’t begin to play competitively till way more not too long ago. She stated that having the ability to compete at this stage so early in her aggressive golf profession could be very thrilling.
“I didn’t begin enjoying junior tournaments till I used to be 13, so I haven’t been enjoying the aggressive newbie occasions constantly for very lengthy,” Koo stated. “I used to be actually enthusiastic about this as a result of I really feel like I’ve come actually far in that sense.”
Koo not too long ago introduced her dedication to (she hasn’t introduced but so she says embody if she does earlier than and take out if not) and says she is wanting ahead to the remainder of her highschool profession and her time within the NCAA.
“I believe our crew could make all of it the way in which to CIF and past that as a result of now we have a extremely good group of individuals,” Koo stated. “I can’t wait to hopefully go to the NCAA Championships and play on the highest stage of golf you may get to.”
