On May 1, the Issaquah High School Girls’ Golf Team won against Woodinville 208-296. Issaquah senior Olivia Jang took first place by a long shot, scoring five under par on nine holes, while junior Haley Lu-Nguyen took second with a three over par.

Jake Crowley, the head coach of the Girls’ Golf Team, said that the best overall match this season was “against Newport, with the best score for Issaquah but we didn’t beat them.” Crowley initially got into golf by watching Jack Nicklaus, who was a popular golfer at the time. Later, in his college career, Crowley volunteered his services, which led him to be an assistant head coach, then a head coach and, he explains, “I have been teaching here ever since.”

Even though the Issaquah players generally agreed that the match went relatively poorly, David Roll, one of the assistant coaches, says that “every once in a while you hit a good shot, and that keeps you in it.”

Merica Hue-Weller, a mother of the golfer Eden Hue-Weller on the team, said that she keeps supporting her daughter and the golf team because “it teaches mental toughness and lots of patience.” One of the best matches, in her eyes, was “at the Plateau Golf Course. It was pouring rain, with many hazards. But the girls did not get bothered and played really well.” This goes to show their resilience and how hard they will play in any weather condition.

Both during the match and after the match, all of the Issaquah players really hyped each other up and kept the morale high. Since it was the Senior Night for the golf team, after the match a celebration of the seniors and the win was held in the clubhouse. During this senior night celebration, everyone highlighted and supported each other, and the seniors even got princess crowns.

Haley Lu-Nguyen said that “some matches, you are gonna have good days and bad days. Today was mediocre.… You have to keep your head in the game.” Matching with the theme the girls’ golf team embraces, Lu-Nguyen hits the mark.

One interesting rule about golf is that other than coaches, spectators are not supposed to interact with the players until the match is over. This rule encourages a near–silent atmosphere. So silent in fact, that the top three loudest noises are, a Lawn mower, humming in the distance; the twittering of the birds; and the whispers of the spectators. Memorable moments about the golf match were when the silence would overtake the birds, and then the crack of the driver clubs hitting the golf ball to launch it 400 yards is memorable.