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New UC Irvine Golf Program Unfazed

Above (left to right): Hye-Yoon Jung, a transfer from Fullerton College, nationally-ranked player Stella Lee, and freshman Sunny Lee. Photos Coutesy of www.athletics.uci.edu

By Ethen Lieser

This isn’t a cheese-puff ensemble thrown into the dog-eat-dog world of college golf. They are not the incarnation of the Bad News Bears, ready to succumb to Division I opponents like pouty-eyed beagles with their tails between their legs. They do not fold under pressure, but rather, they have emblazoned the inspirational phrase – Carpe Diem!

A confident — almost cocky — contingent, you might say. But they have to be. Otherwise, perennial powerhouses in women’s college golf will sniff, chomp and spit you out like a martini olive. At this point in the UC Irvine golf program, the psychological will to win must override all because, not surprisingly, they are short on talent.

This is the state of the Anteaters, who made its program debut at the Southern California Intercollegiate Tournament on Sept. 17. Though no Anteater has ever officially swung a golf club until this fall, UC Irvine is ranked 32nd nationally by GolfWeek.com. And they lived up to national notoriety with a Rocky Balboa-like persistence and attitude on the golf course, as the Anteaters finished a respectable fourth out of seven teams in the tournament. “I think we put up a pretty good fight,” freshman Sunny Lee says.

But for the UC Irvine program, this is only the beginning, and improving week after week is vital in building a winning foundation. And more importantly, this team isn’t willing to be the punching bag of the Big West Conference.

“I was very pleased with the type of scores we put up,” says UC Irvine head coach Kelly Crawford, who headed the Portland State golf program before becoming an Anteater. “I think we did very well in our first tournament ever. This is a stepping stone for us because we know what we have to work on and build upon.

“Obviously the big picture is that we want to go out and get a championship, and I can’t say that is completely out of reach. We want to win some tournaments and possibly win the Big West Conference championship, and we feel that we have a legitimate shot at doing that.”

To win that championship, the Anteaters will have to rely heavily on three recruits, Stella Lee, Hye-Yoon Jung and Sunny Lee. With three talented players on board, coach Crawford is looking to win now.

“We really feel that it’s not going to take four-to-five years before we can build a reputation,” she says. “We feel that we can come out and make an impact right away.”

The proof is in the numbers. Nationally ranked player Stella Lee is off to a fast start, leading the team with an average of 73 per round. Freshman Lee, a product of Irvine High School, takes a simple approach to golf.

She says, “I just try to do my best every time I hit the ball. And if I make a mistake, I’ll try to calm down and make a par.”

Obviously, all has worked well for Lee, and there is no sign of any slowdown in her performance. The confidence these girls possess could be attributed to their coach, Crawford, who has been the source of comfort for the new recruits. Crawford has taken the role of a shepherd, leading them on the right path to success. All three say Crawford was one of the reasons why they picked UC Irvine.

Junior Hye-Yoon Jung, a transfer from Fullerton College, is expected to shoulder much of the team’s leadership role — a job she relishes. “There is no pressure on me at all,” she says. Jung, the 1999 and 2000 California Junior College State Championship runner-up, finished second behind Stella Lee with a 75.5 average per round at the Southern California Intercollegiate.

Though all the players on the U.C. Irvine golf program are still in the getting-to-know-you phase, team chemistry — two words that can make or break a season, especially for a first-year program — hasn’t yet become an issue. “Even with the older girls and the younger girls, we interact very well,” says Sunny Lee, who shot an 83.5 in her first collegiate tournament.

“We expect to do well, and if you expect that, we will win,” Jung says. “We are all working really hard and working well together. I think the future looks good.”

Reach Ethen Lieser at elieser@asianweek.com.