Rising golf star, Jennifer Seo, reflects on tournament win and plans for the future

A little more than six years ago, Jennifer Seo’s parents told her she needed to participate in a sport. After seeing a PGA golf tournament on TV, she decided to pick up golf. Six years later, Seo, a junior from Chandler Hamilton High School, was crowned the winner of the 2022 Girls High School Golf National Invitational at Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Attending the tournament was a last-minute decision for Seo and she was surprised at how well she performed.

Prior to leaving for North Carolina, Seo worked tirelessly with her coach to prepare for the three difficult unknown courses she would encounter.

Seo travelled to Pinehurst with her family but no coach. She participated as an individual and it was up to her to make the right decisions and stay in the right mindset throughout the three days.

“When I got there (Pinehurst Resort), I just told myself to shoot as best as I can and try to play well,” Seo said. “On the first round I tried to keep myself calm and make sure not to make big mistakes — tried to keep everything on solid ground.”

After the first day, she was tied for 12th and understood if she wanted to keep advancing, she needed to compete at a higher level and remain calm throughout any difficulty.

“The second course I liked a lot more than other courses,” Seo said. “I liked how it was straight forward but it was also hard at the same time. Not a lot of people did good and shot under...I tried to be more aggressive, make more birdies and (move) myself to the top 10.”

Seo quickly understood this course was the perfect opportunity to receive a lower score that would help her move through the ranks.

Day two she totaled 70, but day three was where she really shined.

With five holes left in the final day, there was a 30-to-40-minute rain delay that forced everyone to stop playing. However, playing in the rain was nothing new to Seo.

Before Seo and her family lived in Arizona, they lived in Hawaii. In Hawaii, she would practice while it rained so she did not panic when the tournament was delayed.

Playing in Hawaii taught her to always keep her rain gloves and other rain apparel in her golf bag just in case a situation arose and she needed the tools to help her perform at her very best.

“Playing in the rain in Hawaii helped me get used to playing in those kinds of conditions,” Seo said. “(Again) I just told myself to make more birdies.”

Over the three days, Seo accumulated 14 birdies, which was the most out of the 215 girls who competed.

While she was waiting for the delay to end, Seo was curious where she stood on the leaderboard. She waited anxiously as the results page was loading. She realized she was tied for first with fellow Arizonian Mattison Frick, a senior from Liberty High School.

“I did not know I would even be in the top,” Seo said. “(Frick) and I keep going back-and-forth in tournaments and it is really challenging.”

Challenging is what Seo enjoys and it is the main reason she loves to play golf. She loves that it can be anyone’s game, despite how you may have performed prior.

She totaled a 67 the final day, for a 211 total, 3-under-par for the tournament — securing the first-place spot.

“I was very surprised,” Seo said. “I did not think I would actually win the tournament; I was just hoping to place in the top 10. I learned that I can play well in big tournaments, to keep calm, stay steady through difficult times and work hard.”

Seo will be a senior this year at Hamilton and her goal is to help lead her team to a state championship in her final season and travel with her whole team to Pinehurst Resort next year.

While she waits for the new season to start, she continues to hit the golf course and practices every morning and night to fine tune her game.

Seo plans to attend college and has multiple programs hoping to add her talent to their roster. Planning for college is a high priority for her but after college her dream is to turn pro and play on the PGA women’s tour.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Chandler golfer recounts Pinehurst win, talks plans for future