Countless mornings dedicated to the golf course, struggles with fluctuating performance and balancing heavy coursework in the classroom all pays off for senior Zoe Wynn as she commits to play Division III golf at Williams College.
Wynn’s father introduced her to golf when she was six years old as a fun pastime and bonding activity for their family. He would often give her small incentives like a slurpy or money for doing well in family or local competitions, according to Wynn.
“When my dad put me in my first tournament, I just remember it was a big struggle for me in the beginning, but he would always take me out to go get a treat after no matter how I played,” Wynn said. “Basically [golf] just became a big part of my dad and I’s relationship, and I think that having that competition in my life early from my dad’s bribing helped me when I started tournaments.”
Motivated by her competitiveness, Wynn began playing at bigger tournaments around the country like junior World Championships in Pinehurst, North Carolina when she turned eight years old. Her skills improved rapidly, placing her seventh in the 2022 IMG Junior World Championships in San Diego.
“This was definitely a core memory for me and something I’ll always remember because I was able to travel at such a young age and meet so many people from around the world,” Wynn said. “They would have parades, and I’d get to march with America, and I met so many people from everywhere like Europe and the Philippines and Taiwan. I think seeing how good these other girls were helped me want to keep on playing competitively.”
Wynn said she was initially drawn to Williams College due to its renovated, beautiful golf course, indoor golf simulator and ski-resort-like facilities. This interest grew as she began speaking to Williams’ golf coaches about the academic and athletic balance at the school, which consisted of a flexible schedule and major selection — perfect for Wynn who aims to pursue a career in biology.
Wynn has been Portola High’s varsity golf team captain for the last three years. Despite her involvement in numerous other school activities, Wynn never neglects her position on the golf team, according to girls’ golf coach and history teacher Wind Ralston.
“I’ve definitely seen her evolve and grow as a player, as a person,” Ralston said. “She spent a lot of time doing other things at school, clubs, ASB, just watching her be able to balance all these things for the last four years and still be consistent, still help out with the team, still help out with players. I can always depend on her when I need something done.”
Practicing for 25 to 30 hours a week — similar to a collegiate Division I athlete, according to the NCAA — Wynn experienced many challenges; she often struggled with maintaining confidence in her abilities. She faced mental blocks during high school, as golf is a sport where spending more time practicing does not always equate to improved performances, according to Wynn.
“Especially during junior year, when I had really hard classes, this got really draining because I felt like I was just constantly working, but I wouldn’t see improvement, even though I was doing so much,” Wynn said. “So I think the mental side is really hard also, because a lot of golf is confidence. If you’re not confident in yourself, it’s really hard to play good, and that’s something that I really had to overcome and understand, and it really helped me learn to just trust myself.”
