Scott Turner
In Motion Staff Writer
The regular season for the Daytona State Women’s Golf Team is coming to a close and is driving home a very successful run. Laura Brown, Head Coach of the team, and Tiffany Chan, one of the new members of the team gave their perspectives on this past season as well as upcoming events.
The Women’s Golf Team entered this season as the defending champions. The team members: Mary Dawson, So Young Hwang, Jessica Madsen, Tiffany Chan, Whitney Stevenson, Courtney Cobb and Stephanie Rodney have practiced diligently to keep the title. Keeping classes in the morning, the team practiced from 1:30 in the afternoon until finishing the course, spending most days together.
“This has been a really good season. Probably the best team I’ve had on record and since I’ve been coaching for 16 years, I don’t say that lightly,” Brown said.
The team has won several tournaments and is presently ranked number 1 by the National Junior College Athletic Association; with a scoring average nearly 13 points lower than the next closest team. The individual team members are all ranked in the top 10 regionally and all in the top 50 in the division.
On top of all these accomplishments, the team has not let their academics slip either.
“We always finish the semester academically well, this time with a 3.86 average, the highest in the team’s history,” Brown said.
Tiffany Chan, a freshman and new member of the team had nothing but positive things to say about the team.
“This has been a great experience. It’s my first experience with college golf and it’s a lot different from Hong Kong, where I’m from. The whole team is doing really well and we’ve helped each other improve over the year,” Chan said.
With nationals quickly approaching on May 12-15, the team is optimistic about their performance. With Daytona State hosting the nationals for the tenth time, the pressure is on to live up to expectations.
“We’re hoping to set some new records this year since it’s on our home course. We’re looking forward to seeing how it goes,” Chan said. While the team will not be doing any official training over the summer, the members of the team have been seeking out a variety of different invitational and qualifying events to participate in to further their skills and keep in practice. Chan is attempting to qualify for the US open and attending the World University Games. During the fall, she is also hoping to attend the Asian Games and the World Amateur in Japan.
When asked about the secret of the team’s success, Chan responded with a definitive answer.
“There is no real secret to it, just hard work and the desire and motivation to do well.”