Athlete of the Month: Bethany Wu
September 10, 2014
Being one of the top young golfers in the nation and the co-captain of the Diamond Bar varsity golf team, senior Bethany Wu strives for success in both golf and academics. Wu has been on the varsity golf team since her freshman year and has helped the Brahmas to stardom ever since.
Wu was introduced to golf when she was six. Her inspiration derived from watching her father play golf at the DB golf course. Golf is never a burden for Wu because it was her own decision to start and was not forced by her parents.
I like playing golf because of the competition and I get to meet so many people from around the country and even around the world,” Wu said.
Last year, Wu won a CIF playoff match to become a CIF individuals runner up. She also became the Hacienda League MVP for the third consecutive year. During the season, she shot a school record of 63.
The 13th ranked golfer’s favorite moment in her golfing career was when she was named medalist at the 2014 US Women’s Amateur. This event took place in Glen Cove, New York at the Nassau Country Club. The toughest obstacle she had to face was generating self-motivation for herself every time she played poorly. Her favorite achievement while playing for DB was when she won the CIF individuals in 2012.
Wu will be attending UCLA next fall on an athletic scholarship. Her first choice was USC, but when she realized that the coaches there were not well suited for her, she decided to switch to UCLA to maximize her experience.
“My other friend was looking at UCLA too, so we were kind of like competing for that scholarship spot. Because if one of us got the scholarship, the other one would go to USC, so I tried to get there as quickly as I can,” Wu said.
One thing that Wu is looking forward to this year is participating in the Junior Ryder Cup, a team golf competition between the United States and Europe, that is held in Perthshire, Scotland. There are six boys and six girls on each team. The tournament consists of three girls’ foursomes matches, six mixed fourball matches, and 12 singles matches.
Foursomes are matches when teams of two take alternate shots until the hole is finished. Fourball is similar to foursomes but the only thing different is that they hit their own balls instead of taking alternate shots.
The talented golfer has to manage her time precisely because of her schedule. Wu’s secret to maintaining a 3.8 GPA is by prioritizing school first, golf second, and her friends third.
As a senior in her last season, Wu and her teammates hope to end the year with a state title.
“We have gotten second two years in a row now, so I think a win will be pretty great for us and to end senior year like that, it will be pretty cool,” Wu said.
As for her future, Wu first wants to see if golfing will work out for her, and if it does, she wants to be the best player she can become. Her main goal is to receive a PhD in psychology because she believes that education always comes first.
“My motivation is just to play better each year. The ultimate goal is to be the best, so that is what I am striving for,” Wu says.
