Positioned at the tee box of the 18th hole at Torrey Pines golf course on the morning of Nov. 1, Samantha Song (12) grasped her driver tight in her hands as she tweaked its position ever so slightly behind her golf ball. It was the second round of CIFs, the furthest she had ever made it in her four years on the girls golf team. Regardless of how she did, this would be her last season.
‘Just keep your eye on the ball,’ she told herself.
Taking a deep breath, she took her shot.
Little did Song know, that would be the last ever drive she would take for the Westview girls’ golf team, this last shot, marking the end of her high school golf career.
Scoring 12 over par on her second round, Song said that it wasn’t her most impressive performance of this year’s girls golf season.
“It was a bit rough for me,” Song said. “I didn’t shoot as well as I wanted because the course was a lot harder as they purposefully make the holes a lot longer. It was very different from what we usually practice, so it was unexpected.”
Song, overall, however, said that she was proud of her individual performance in the season as a whole and how she has improved since her first year in golf.
“I think this is the best season I’ve done in my high-school career, including both CIFs and league games,” she said. “I’ve been working my way up since my freshman year and it’s been very rewarding.”
From the Westview team, Song was the only qualifying individual who played in the second round of CIFs.
Westview as a team did not make it past the cut of round one.
Song said the team was proud of how they did, as their season had been shaky due to missing players.
“We went into CIFs with the expectation that we were just going to see how far we would get,” she said. “We didn’t think we were going to win because we had a lot of people injured, and a good amount of our team was out doing other extracurriculars.”
Because of this, the team’s success came as an exciting shock to Song.
“When we won the team CIF playoffs and were able to go to the first round of CIFs as a team, we were very surprised,” Song said. “Even though we didn’t qualify as a team for round two, we were still happy.”
Looking back on the season, Song remembers it fondly.
However, she said she feels that it felt too ephemeral.
“It was really fun practicing with my teammates and going through wins and losses together,” Song said. “Golf is a really small, tight-knit team, so those were the times we would really bond. I just felt like [the season] was really short because we didn’t have as many matches as last year, and it cut our time together short.”
Being in her senior year, Song said she will miss playing on the Westview team.
Song finds reassurance in the close friendships she has formed with her fellow teammates and coaches.
“I’ll really miss being with my team so often and competing together,” Song said. “But, playing golf, getting dinner after, and hanging out with each other, our team is close enough to continue doing that, outside of the golf team and Westview. So, it’s relieving to know I can still go out and play with them not in a competitive environment, but just for fun.”
In her four years in Westview golf, throughout every triumph and turmoil, Song said that she has learned the meaning of perseverance and dedication.
These lessons apply to her not just in golf, but overall in the rest of her life as well.
“Practice makes perfect,” Song said. “If you practice hard, you will get better. For me to catch up with other girls who have been playing much longer than me, it took a lot of hard work and time. And, though it’s difficult, your hard work will eventually lead to the fruition of success and improvement.”
As Song ventures forth, she says that her season with Westview girls’ golf will not be the last of her golf career.
“Despite all the stress, it’s been a really good experience,” Song said. “Moving on will be hard, as the Westview team has been such a big part of my life. But, I’m looking forward to seeing how far this sport takes me.”
