Karen Stupples. Alison Lee. Julie Inkster. Natalie Gulbis. Laura Davies. Angela Stanford. Shanshang Feng. Stacy Lewis. Caroline Hedwall. Catriona Matthew.
These names – who have among them won more than $70 million on the women’s professional tour – represent just a sampling of the professional golfers that San Marino High School sophomore Elizabeth Wang finished ahead of at last weekend’s ShopRite LPGA Classic in Galloway, NJ.
Now in it’s 28th year, the tournament is 12 years older than Elizabeth herself. But age is just a number to the member of the Lady Titan’s Pacific League and CIF championship team. Speaking of numbers, Elizabeth fired a 73-66-69 = 208 to finish in a tie for 31st place, 12 strokes behind tournament winner Anna Nordqvist and well ahead of some of the sport’s biggest names.
The next column, however, isn’t quite as inspiring. Under ‘prize money’ is a big, fat, zero. As an amateur (there were two in the field of 142), Elizabeth isn’t allowed to cash a check. If she were a professional, Elizabeth would have pocketed approximately $9,000 for the 54-hole tournament.
Elizabeth earned an exemption into the ShopRite by winning the Junior P.G.A. championship last August at Miramont Country Club in Bryan, Texas. She is currently in the process of qualifying for the United States Women’s Amateur, which will be held at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pa. from Aug. 1-7.
“It was an amazing experience,” Elizabeth said while in transit to Rochester, NY, where she will play in the Rolex Girls Junior Championship this weekend. “I was playing with some of the veterans and there were so many people watching. I was extremely nervous. I really wanted to do well.”
One would never be able to tell by her performance. Elizabeth birdied the first two holes she played, one of which was shown on the Golf Channel’s coverage of the event.
“My hands were shaking,” she said. “On the second one, I hit the ball so hard it would have gone off the green had it not gone in the hole.”
On the third and final day of the tournament, Elizabeth was paired with LPGA vets Charley Hull and Sandra Gal. At one point, Elizabeth had a one-stroke lead over two of her playing partners, who eventually finished a stroke ahead of our amateur,
“It was really nice,” Elizabeth said. “I got to learn a lot from the professionals. It was a great experience to see what a calm, accepting attitude they have on the golf course. Eventually, I was able to calm down. But that is something I want to strive towards, having a calmer reaction.”
“Elizabeth is such a nice kid,” said San Marino High School golf Coach Wyeth Collo, who spent last weekend monitoring her status. “She is smart, witty and also a very solid student. The fact that she can play golf at that level and still take all the challenging classes that she takes is remarkable. I like her balance, being able to handle her academics and golf. She has a great attitude and also has very good friends.”
Was Collo surprised by Elizabeth’s exceptional finish?
“No,” he said without hesitation. “Golf is a matter of being able to focus. What separates the pro from the amateur from the hack is how many good seconds of concentration you can put together. To be able to maintain composure and focus for 54 holes, I have seen Elizabeth do this day in and day out. I am not surprised at all. In fact, I think it’s only a matter of time before she breaks out big.”
Elizabeth recently finished her sophomore year at San Marino High School – a week early, with administrative permission, so she could play in the ShopRite – and is being recruited by just about every college that has a women’s golf program. Her parents, Patricia and Peter Wang, accompany her on her golf journeys. Dad even serves as Elizabeth’s caddy.
