Golf has a reputation for being a quiet, serious sport, but for Valencia’s Ashley Song, it’s the fun side of the game that has kept her with the sport and has helped her excel this season.
“Definitely more goofy than you think,” Song said of Foothill League golf. “We get to mess around a lot even though we take the games themselves seriously. It’s kind of like we switch between this really fun, goofy group of girls to actually getting it done and being professional on the course, which is really cool to see.”
Song’s ability to balance both the serious and fun aspects of golf helped her secure the Foothill League individual title this season as well as the All-SCV Girls Golfer of the Year award.
She first started playing golf with her grandparents as a child, but got more serious about the sport when her sister Eunice, currently a senior on the Claremont-McKenna College team, joined Valencia’s varsity team.
“From early on when I was playing with her, she took it a lot more serious than I did because I was so young,” Song said. “She taught me to appreciate the sport a little more than if I did it independently.”
Song and her sister still get rounds in whenever they can. Golf has served as a way to bond the two sisters and for Song, sometimes it offers an escape.
As a senior, Song has dedicated a lot of time to academics and college applications, often leaving practices or games earlier to take care of school-related work. But at some point in her day, there was always golf.
“I had a lot on my plate this year with senior year and getting ready for college,” Song said, “but golf kind of took a back seat and I didn’t get to put as much into it as I would’ve liked. Because I was able to take it more lightheartedly, there was less pressure on myself.”
“It was definitely nice to take a break from school, leave early, get on the van rides and focus on something else for a few hours. It was very therapeutic.”
Song was medalist in three Foothill League meets and tied for the honor in another. She said that her short game helped her shave strokes off her score for wins.
Right now, Song is finishing up college applications and is unsure of where she will go to school. She may golf in college, but even if she doesn’t the sport will still be involved in her life.
“I would like to play it for as long as I can,” she said. “It’s really something that’s become such a huge part of me and just even if it’s just going to practice every once in a while, I would definitely love to do that.”
All-SCV Girls Golf Team
Emma Allen, Hart, senior
Allen had her best league meet of the season in Foothill League meet No. 4 where she tied with Ashley Song and Brielle Sorenson for medalist. Her league-low score in that meet was a major factor in her sixth-place individual finish.
Allison Hwang, West Ranch, sophomore
Despite being an underclassman, Hwang helped anchor the Wildcats and get them to a Foothill League team title. Her scores were consistently in the low 40s, but she saved her best performance for the last league meet of the season, where she carded 2-over 38.
Sung Park, Valencia, junior
Park improved on her fourth-place finish in the 2018 individual rankings by claiming the runner-up spot this season. She tied for medalist in the second league meet of the year at 1-over 34 and was runner-up in the fourth league meet.
Jasmine Reblando, Golden Valley, junior
Reblando was the only Grizzlies golfer to qualify for the postseason, finishing fifth in the overall individual standings. She finished third in the third and fifth league meets and moved up one spot from her sixth-place finish last season.
Eunice Yi, West Ranch, freshman
Every season, the Wildcats seem to have a freshman on the team who has a breakout season. This year, it happened to be Yi. A runner-up finish in every Foothill League meet but one helped her to the third-place spot in the overall individual standings at the end of the season.
Honorable Mention
Golden Valley — Sam McCray, senior
Hart — Sophia Yi, sophomore
Saugus — Brooke Maxwell, sophomore
Valencia — Jackie Rendall, senior
West Ranch — Brielle Sorenson, freshman
