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EPISODE #115
CATHOLIC SPORTS VIEW: GUESTS ARE JILL HEGNA AND TOM TICE

Each week, Bob Gibson interviews coaches and players throughout the various Catholic high schools in Orange County.

Joining us this week on Catholic Sports View is Santa Margarita’s Jill Hegna, the coach of one of the best golf programs in the state. Then, we’ll check in with Tom Tice, the athletic director at Rosary Academy.  We’ll talk about coming out of the pandemic; and, we’ll touch on all the great sports programs at the Trinity League’s only all-girls school.

TEEING OFF, AGAIN

The long road back appears to have finally crested the summit for Patrick Cantlay.

The former Servite High School golf phenom, who carried that success to UCLA and the top spot in the amateur golf rankings for 55 consecutive weeks, is challenging for victories on the PGA Tour again.

He had experienced more than two years of physical setbacks and personal horror after witnessing the death of his friend, caddie and former Servite teammate, Chris Roth, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Newport Beach in February 2016.

Cantlay, 25, returned to the PGA Tour this past February at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Northern California and showed the consistency that made him such a threat during his amateur career, shooting 70-71-71-72 to finish in a tie for 48th.

He returned to competition a month later and finished second in the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Fla., earning $680,400 and securing his PGA Tour card for the rest of the year.

Following a tie for 39th at the Shell Open in Houston, Tex. on April 2, he returned two weeks later and finished in a tie for third at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, S.C. The $338,000 payday put him over $1 million just a third of the way through the season.

Not just that, but his world ranking shot up from 1,424 to 131 and his PGA Tour ranking from 214 to 131.

Six years ago, Cantlay was on a similar path while still just a teenager.

He made the cut in all five of his PGA Tour starts and rose to No. 1 in the world amateur rankings. That season was best remembered for the course-record 60 he shot in the second round at the Travelers Cup, the lowest score ever for an amateur in a PGA Tour event.

He left UCLA the following year and turned pro, but things weren’t the same, starting with the 2012 Travelers Cup, where he missed the cut in his first event as a pro.

A few moments of greatness returned, such as when he finished as the low amateur at the 2012 Masters, but by 2013 he began to experience back problems and the condition became so unbearable that Cantlay was forced to drop out of an event in September of that year.

He attempted to regain his PGA Tour card in 2014, but grew so frustrated at a qualifying event outside Washington, D.C. that he reportedly didn’t turn in his scorecard. He resurfaced for one event late in 2014, but then sat out all of 2015 and 2016.

Last season was especially difficult for Cantlay after witnessing the death of Roth, who was crossing a street just a few feet in front of Cantlay when he was struck by a car that kept on going.

“For a while, I couldn’t care less about everything,” he told the Orange County Register earlier this year. “Not just golf. Everything that happened in my life for a couple months didn’t feel important. Nothing felt like it mattered.”

Cantlay gradually made his way back to the course and begin working with a past swing coach, Jamie Mulligan, who made some adjustments to his swing. Cantlay’s improvement became evident when he shot a course-record 63 at the Mountain Course at the Vintage Club in Palm Springs in January.

Cantlay’s past success had finally found its way back to the present.

TRINITY LEAGUE ATHLETE PROFILE: KIARA BOGGS

Kiara Boggs’ early years living south of the border were instrumental in leading her to the sport of golf.

“Back when I lived in Mexico, my brother and my dad used to play (golf) all the time,” says Boggs. “And I remember when I was four years old, my brother took me out to the golf course. That was the first time I ever held a club.”

As a sophomore at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, Boggs is already a two-time varsity player on the girls golf team and helped lead the Eagles to their second consecutive Trinity League championship. The 16-year-old also earned 1st Team All-League honors last fall and advanced to the CIF-SS playoffs as an individual player. At Santa Margarita, the enjoyment for Boggs is found in the team aspect of a mostly individual sport.

“I think the fact that we’re so united as a team really brings us together,” says Boggs. “It’s such a good bond, and I think that’s so much fun. Outside of the team, it’s really an individual sport. But when you come (together) as a team, it’s so fun. You rely on other people instead of yourself all the time.”

Also named a Varsity Academic Scholar Athlete, Santa Margarita varsity girls golf coach, Jill Hegna, feels the best is ahead for Boggs.

“Kiara’s overall consistent play this season was impressive and inspirational to her teammates,” says Hegna. “I’m confident that she will continue to work hard during this upcoming off season and strive to achieve even higher goals she will set for herself.”

One of those goals is to play golf at the collegiate level, something Boggs is continually working towards. Her challenges come from the mental side of the game, and she looks to her family to help her navigate the ups and downs golf can bring.

“I think since golf is such a mental sport, that’s the toughest thing for me,” says Boggs. “My dad really helps me out, my mom as well, to overcome those challenges. And when I’m not playing well, having them…feed me some positive feedback really helps.”

In addition to her parents, Boggs looks up to her brother, saying she wants to, “be like him when I grow up.” And as she approaches her junior and senior years, the Coto de Caza resident is keeping the bigger picture of patience and faith in mind.

“I think golf has taught me a lot of patience, and that’s a very important aspect in life,” says Boggs. “You really need to be patient and very positive. I think it not only helps me on the course, but (in) my outside life as well.”

Adds Boggs, “God has always been there for me, and going to Santa Margarita has really brought my relationship with God a lot closer. I have Santa Margarita to thank for that.”

 

A REVIEW OF TRINITY LEAGUE GIRLS GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS

This years’ Trinity League girls’ golf championships didn’t have the same drama as last season.

Chayse Gomez of Rosary led by a stroke after Day 1 at Los Serranos Country Club in Chino Hills, shooting a one-over par 75 on Oct. 18. She followed that up two days later with a one-over 72 at Dad Miller golf course in Anaheim to claim the individual title by three strokes over teammate Caroline Cantlay and Santa Margarita sophomore Kiara Boggs.

Rylie Edwards of Santa Margarita, the defending league champion, finished seven strokes back in sixth.

Last season, Edwards also started the final round at Dad Miller in fifth place, four strokes behind Cantlay, the co-leader. She then proceeded to shoot a 1-under 70 to pull into a tie for first with Cantlay.

A playoff ensued and both players parred the first hole before Edwards made a long, curling putt from just off the green on the second. Cantlay then stepped up and made a similar 30-footer to continue the playoff. That’s when it finally came to an end as both players faced lengthy putts on the third playoff hole, but only Edwards’ fell, giving her the individual league title.

Adding to the interest this season was the steady improvement of Boggs, who was medalist a team-leading four times last season. She medaled in six of the first nine matches this season and carried a team-high 37.6 scoring average through 12 matches.

Hegna said Boggs was motivated by the desire to win Trinity League team and individual titles, a quest that grew in importance as she watched Edwards get honored at the team banquet after last season.

“I think it really inspired and motivated her in the offseason,” Hegna said.

Boggs played 13 competitive 18-hole rounds between February and August on the PGA California Junior Tour, highlighted by a victory in the 15-18 age division at the El Prado Chino Creek Summer Championship in early June, when she shot a four-over 76.

The junior tour also included 18-hole stops at Los Serranos and Dad Miller, site of the Trinity League championships.

Edwards started slowly this season, then was medalist in back-to-back Trinity League victories against Mater Dei on Sept. 29 and again against Orange Lutheran on Oct. 4.

Cantlay, who has committed to play collegiately at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, was the only Trinity League player to qualify for the Southern State regional out of the CIF-SS individual finals last season. She also played well in offseason junior tournaments and enters her final year of high school determined to play at a high level.

The team competition wasn’t as unpredictable this season.

Santa Margarita won the team title last season, its first since 2009, and then defended its team title by winning all eight head-to-head matches in league play this season. Mater Dei won the previous five league championships, but didn’t have the depth to get past Santa Margarita again this season.

The Eagles beat Mater Dei by 10 strokes on Sept. 29 at Coto de Caza Country Club, and by three strokes Oct. 11 at Rancho San Joaquin Golf Course in Irvine, securing their undefeated league run.

Rosary not only returned Cantlay this season, but Gomez, a sophomore who earned medalist honors at the season-opening Rosary Shotgun tournament in late August, shooting an even-par 35 at Western Hills Country Club.

BENEDICTINE ARCHABBOT WAS AT GOLF LEGEND’S BEDSIDE WHEN HE DIED

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Benedictine Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki of St. Vincent’s Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, was with Arnold Palmer when the golfing great died Sept. 25 in Pittsburgh.

It wasn’t the first time Archabbot Nowicki had visited Palmer that day. Palmer, 87, was in a hospital awaiting a heart operation scheduled for Sept. 26. “I went to say a prayer and give him a blessing. About an hour after I’d departed, I got a call” that Palmer’s health was failing rapidly, the archabbot told Catholic News Service in a Sept. 26 telephone interview.

Even though Palmer was a lifelong Presbyterian, he’d had a relationship with St. Vincent’s spanning more than 50 years, when Archabbot Nowicki himself was in the high school at the archabbey.

Palmer did not let denominational differences deter him. “Arnie sort of appealed to everyone. There were no barriers, race, color, creed — those were things that never entered into” his mind, Archabbot Nowicki said. “He was welcoming to everybody and treated everyone with tremendous warmth and respect.” Palmer came with his wife on occasion to the archabbey’s 7:30 a.m. Sunday Mass.

“I remember him coming here on one occasion after winning several of the golf tournaments early in his career. He was hitting golf balls for the students. By then he had a fairly good reputation,” Archabbot Nowicki recalled. “He would give a little demonstration. I remember when he was doing it they put a little trash pail out in the middle, about 150 yards out, and he was hitting balls out and he got about five in the tanker,” he chuckled.

“The first time he invited me over, I told him I didn’t know how to play, so I sent my prior, Father Albert. But this was after he retired professionally. But he still played golf, every day at Latrobe Country Club.” When the archabbot saw Palmer again, he said Palmer told him, “The next time you send someone, send someone who is as good as your prior. This guy cost me 20 bucks.”

“Arnie, as you know, was competitive and enjoyed playing with good golfers,” Archabbot Nowicki said.

“Fred Rogers (of ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ fame) and Arnie Palmer went to the same school together. I think they were one year apart. They were very good friends during his lifetime,” the archabbot told CNS. “Arnie’s father taught Mr. Rogers how to play golf. … (Rogers) “said that his father taught Arnie better than he taught him.”

In retirement, Palmer lived five months of the year in his native Latrobe. Not only did he and his first wife, Winnie, who died in 1999, lend their name and their presence to various archabbey events, Winnie Palmer was “very helpful at keeping Wal-Mart out of our backyard,” Archabbot Nowicki said. Arnold Palmer also served on the St. Vincent’s College board of directors. In 1996 the college gave Palmer an honorary degree.

Archabbot Nowicki took up Palmer’s invitation to join him when the golfing legend received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2012. Jack Nicklaus was there and he paid tribute to Arnie at the service,” the archabbot recalled. “I know Jack had always been a wonderful friend of Arnie’s, and the two enjoyed each other’s company.”

The archabbot remembered visiting Palmer at his Bay Hill Golf Club near Orlando, Florida. “He had given one of our commencement addresses. He talked about the importance of decorum. He said, ‘That means when you enter a room that you take your hat off.’” At the club, a man “came into the dining room and had his hat on. Arnie said very gently to him, ‘Will you please take off your hat?’ He had that respect for people.”

Palmer learned golf from his father, who was the greenskeeper at the Latrobe Country Club. He attended what was then Wake Forest College on a golf scholarship. He left school and enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard, serving for three years. In 1954, he won the U.S. Amateur golf tournament; a year later he won the Canadian Open, and his golf career was launched.

Palmer won 95 professional championships, including 62 on the PGA Tour, and seven major tournaments. He earned $1.6 million in prize money, and another $50 million in golf-related business off the course. He also was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004.

The archabbey will hold a memorial service for Palmer Oct. 4 at the basilica on the archabbey grounds.

COMMITMENT AND CHARACTER

After the Servite boys’ golf team finished seventh in their season-opening tournament in late February, an event the Friars won six of the previous seven seasons, many were convinced they were in for a rebuilding year.

So much for early results.

Servite came together at the start of Trinity League play and continued to gain confidence and sink putts as the season rolled along, eventually winning their third straight league title with several dominant performances along the way.

The Friars set out to defend their CIF-SS Western Division team title May 16 at Whispering Lakes Golf Course in Ontario.

“This group is really, really tight,” said Servite coach Dane Jako, in his 16th season heading the program. “When it’s time to play, they’re ready to play.”

Many on the outside looking in figured Servite wouldn’t have the talent to contend for another league title.

After all, two-time league champion Matt Wilson graduated, as well as last season’s Servite Invitational winner Brandon Brame and Tanner Gunning, who shot a one-under 69 at Whispering Lakes last spring to help Servite win its fourth section title in the last seven years. Chad Deegan, one of three freshmen in the top seven last season, moved to Georgia in the offseason.

Coming into this season, the Friars knew they’d be anchored by sophomores Kyle Kinnane and Jack Rahon, two solid players, but they’d need five good scores to win. The program received a boost when Blake Hale transferred in to become the lone senior on the roster.

Jako had only received two transfers in all his years at Servite, and the school typically doesn’t accept senior transfers, but Hale’s stepfather, Oscar McBride, was hired as an ‎Associate Dean of Students and the offensive coordinator for the football team.

“Blake came in and fit in perfectly,” Jako said.

Servite seemed to hit its stride the first week of April. The day after an 18-hole one-stroke loss to Long Beach Wilson, the Friars went out and posted a 21-stroke nine-hole win against Santa Margarita on its home course at Coto De Caza.

The top five scores for Servite were a combined eight-under, a school record for a road match, and even its the sixth-best score came in at one-under.

“A light went on there that kind of rejuvenated them,” Jako said.

The Friars wouldn’t lose again during the regular season. Rahon and Kinnane finished second and third, respectively, at the Trinity League finals April 27 at Yorba Linda Country Club and advanced to the CIF-SS individual round beginning May 9 at Skylinks Golf Course in Long Beach.

Jako said one of the reason’s he’s been able to remain so consistent over the years is the quality of his players, not just in their mechanics and knowledge of the game, but their commitment to the program.

He said he’s never had a player miss a match to complete elsewhere, even though he’s had a number of players who were elite amateurs.

This season’s group may not have anyone at that level yet, but they’ve certainly shown the characteristics of past teams, particularly when it comes to attitude and commitment.

“I’m very, very happy for them. They’ve pretty much done it on their own,” Jako said. “I just stay out of their way. I get them to the course, give them their notes, say a prayer and they know what they need to do.”

 

KNIGHTS INVITE YOU TO TEE UP FOR LOCAL CHARITIES

The Annual Michael Doss Charity Golf Tournament will take place April 15 at the Coyote Hills Golf Course in Fullerton, with proceeds supporting a number of local charities and community services projects.

Grand Knight Virgil Smith says organizations including HOPE, Special Olympics, the American Wheelchair Mission, People with Intellectual Disabilities, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, His Nesting Place and the La Habra Life Shelter are beneficiaries of the charity event.

Michael Mercer, tournament organizer, says in addition to the golfing there will be a number of contests and side-events, including up to 12 different opportunities to purchase raffle tickets for a wide array of great prizes. Perhaps the most desired is the raffle for a week’s stay in one of Hawaii’s most popular vacation spots, Maui Schooner Resort, located on Maui’s Gold Coast, with beautiful sand beaches and warm Pacific Ocean water. Raffle tickets are $10 each or six for $50, also sold at other locations and times. Winner need not be present at the April 15th drawing.

The golf tournament entry fee is $125 per person, with an 8:00 a.m. shotgun start, and check-in beginning at 6:30 a.m. Golfers will be provided locker and shower room facilities for men and women, GPS-equipped carts and beverage service on the course.

Golfers and sponsors may participate by contacting the Knights of Columbus/Michael Mercer at (714) 943-3734; mailto:[email protected]; http://www.kofc8599.org; or Virgil Smith Council Grand Knight, at (714) 293-0739. They’ll also provide further information about the raffles.

 

HOME ON THE RANGE

With the basketball season winding down and the warmer weather upon us, it’s once again time for the high school boys’ golf season to showcase its talents.

In January Curtis Robinson was named Mater Dei’s new golf coach, and despite it being his first season at the helm, Robinson has set the bar high for the Monarchs.

He wasn’t shy about establishing lofty aspirations for the team this season.

“We want to win the Trinity League first and then we want to win a state championship,” says Robinson, who noted that he expects Servite to be one of his team’s top opponents this season. “At every practice we talk about striving for a state championship.”

Robinson, who replaced Derek Uyesaka, will also serve as the girls’ coach next fall. He is excited about his new coaching challenge.

Robinson, 44, brings an abundance of experience to the program. Robinson, an Irvine resident, has been a golf teaching professional for the past 17 years. He is the club pro at Irvine’s Rancho San Joaquin Golf Club.

“I’m so excited to get started with the team,” he says. “The administration has been so helpful getting me up to speed.”

Robinson was impressed with his initial assessment of the team.

“I am spoiled with talent,” Robinson says. “I think my biggest hurdle is going to be setting the lineup for each match. We have so much talent. I feel blessed to be able to share my golf experiences with these high school players.”

Robinson says the varsity squad is made up of nine golfers (Isaiah Aguirre, Braxton Andry, Sahil Bhagat, Robert Campean, Robert Drobka, Chandler Fanticola, Jack LeBeau, Bill Rosenthal and Issei Tanabe).

“Each of these young men are outstanding golfers and I feel that Issei Tanabe is a name you’re going to have to pay close attention to,” Robinson says. “He is going to be a standout, but honestly each of the guys will do well for us.”

Robinson, an excellent athlete and a scratch golfer himself, graduated from Pomona High School and played quarterback at Chapman University where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.

“I picked up playing golf later in life,” says Robinson. “I didn’t start playing until I was almost out of college. My girlfriend, Juliet, who is now my wife, introduced me to the game and, thinking that I was a good athlete, I figured I would pick it up easy but I found out that it drove me crazy that I couldn’t hit a little white ball with consistency.

“It became an obsession with me to get better, so I practiced and studied it until I improved into a good golfer.”

Robinson noted that he’ll make academics the student athletes’ first priority, but golf will be a close second.

“We emphasize how important it is for the kids to go to college and earn a degree,” Robinson says. “An education is something that can never be taken away from them and we pride ourselves that our athletes are also excellent students.”

The Monarchs will play their home matches at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley and Rancho San Joaquin Golf Course in Irvine this season.

Robinson named Colin Montgomery, Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Nick Faldo are his favorite golfers and sited Spyglass and Pebble Beach as two of his favorite courses. Robinson’s dream is to have an opportunity to play at Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters. “It’s the ultimate course where I would love to play,” he says.

Mater Dei has transformed a portion of its campus into a golfing practice facility, complete with putting greens, bunkers and hitting bays. Robinson plans to use a ‘flight scope’ mechanism tool to help analyze his players’ skills such as swing, speed, spin and curve of the ball and projected distances.

“We’ll practice at David L. Baker Golf Course in Fountain Valley and I’m really happy that we’ll be able to train right on campus, so it will keep the students closely associated with the school,” says Robinson.

The Monarchs finished second among 16 teams to kick off the season at the Servite Invitational in February and begin Trinity League play on March 17 against Orange Lutheran.

Following the boys’ season, Robinson will immediately focus his attention get to the girls’ golf team. He plans to dedicate a great deal of time over the summer training and preparing the Monarchs for their fall season.

Robinson and his wife’s two children attend Mater Dei and are already making waves in their respective sports. Curtis Jr. has been an outstanding outside linebacker on the Monarchs football team for four years and accepted a scholarship to play at Stanford next season, while Ciera, a sophomore, is in her second year as a long jumper and a triple jumper on the Mater Dei Track Team.

 

UP AND COMING, AND COMING BACK

As the golf world waits and wonders if former Servite High School standout Patrick Cantlay can regain the form that made him the top-ranked amateur in the world four years ago, another Trinity League graduate continues to build his resume.

Beau Hossler, who graduated from Santa Margarita Catholic High School and is now a 20-year-old junior at the University of Texas, won the prestigious Nike Collegiate Invitational earlier this month at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club outside Portland, Ore.

He shot a career-best 18-under par 197 in the three-round event, the most impressive performance by a Texas player in years. His weekend was highlighted by a career-low 64 during the final round Oct. 6, helping Hossler earn medalist honors by a whopping six strokes. He shot rounds of 68 and 65 the other two days and didn’t produce a bogey or higher over the final 49 holes.

“Beau played outstanding golf on days two and three,” Texas Coach John Fields said afterward. “Scores of 65 and 64 at the historic Witch Course at Pumpkin Ridge is simply outstanding.”

Hossler, some might remember, first gained notoriety when he briefly took the lead during the second round of the 2012 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, eventually finishing 29th. He was only 17 years old and had just wrapped up his junior year at Santa Margarita. That performance motivated him to graduate early from high school and enroll at Texas in January of 2013.

He led the Longhorns with a 71.80 scoring average his first season in 2013-14 and was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. He lowered his team-leading scoring average to 70.58 last season, earning conference player of the year. He qualified for the U.S. Open for a third time last summer, made the cut and finished tied for 58th.

There was a time when Cantlay’s career was on a similar trajectory.

His dream year took place in 2011, when he made the cut in all five of his PGA Tour starts while still a teenager and became the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world. His best finish was a tie for ninth at the RBC Canadian Open, though 2011 is probably best remembered for the course-record 60 he shot in the second round at the Travelers Cup, the lowest score ever for an amateur in a PGA Tour event.

Cantlay left UCLA the following year and turned pro, but things haven’t been the same, starting with the 2012 Travelers Cup, where he missed the cut in his first event as a professional.

There were a few moments of greatness, such as when he finished as the low amateur at the 2012 Masters, but by 2013 back problems began to surface and the condition became so unbearable that Cantlay was forced to drop out of an event in September of that year.

He attempted to regain his PGA Tour card in 2014, but grew so frustrated at a qualifying event outside Washington, D.C. that he reportedly didn’t turn in his scorecard. He resurfaced for one event last November and hasn’t played a PGA event since.

His father, Steve Cantlay, and instructor, Jamie Mulligan, say Cantlay is continuing his rehabilitation this fall and is hopeful of a comeback during the upcoming golf season.

If all goes well, he could be sharing the course with Hossler in 2016.

 

 

 

MEET ROSARY ACADEMY’S GWEN BATES

Following the lead of her grandfather, who is an avid golfer, Gwen Bates got her start in the sport when she was in seventh grade and hasn’t put the clubs down since.

“I asked [my grandfather] if he would take me out and hit a few balls, and I fell in love with it,” says Bates. “It’s a fun sport. I’m happy that I chose it.”

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The Rosary Academy senior is in her fourth year on the Royals’ varsity golf team, and it’s the game’s unpredictability that keeps her coming back to the links.

“The sport is pretty addicting. You can play really bad one day and play really well the next,” says the 18-year-old Bates. “You want to continually play better than your previous round. That’s why I keep playing.”

Bates has watched her fellow Rosary golfers steadily improve and grow together as a team since she arrived in her freshman year. In a game as serious as golf, the Royals’ co-captain uses her humorous side to lead her teammates.

“We try to be so serious in the game, you just need a moment to take that tension out,” says Bates.

And her leadership has gained Bates the respect of both her team and her coach.

“Gwen is not a showy person. She is simply down to earth, all about the team and a great mentor to our younger players,” says Rosary’s head golf coach, Steve Hiskey. “Her game and her leadership have developed along the same lines over the last four years, and we are looking for her to finish her golf career at Rosary as one of our top players.”

While it was her grandfather who introduced her to the sport, Bates looks to her mother as her most influential role model.

“Out of all the people in my life, I think the person who motivates me most is my mom,” says Bates. “As a single mom, she’s been able to get four girls through private school and send them all off to college, while maintaining a tough job and going back to school herself. She’s so inspirational to me.”

When she’s not on the golf course, you can find Bates capturing moments of campus life at Rosary as staff photographer for the school’s yearbook. The Fullerton resident would like the opportunity to play golf in college, but her main focus will be to study her passion, film and production.

Whether she continues to golf competitively or not, the humbling nature of the game has provided Bates with a glimpse into the unpredictability of life.

“Golf is a sport you can’t master. It’s a hard sport to play,” says Bates. “It’s definitely all about a certain mindset. You never know what life is going to throw at you. Just be patient…you never know what’s going to happen.”