The Creation of a Teenage Golf Superstar

In soccer, eleven players work together as a unit, a well-oiled machine working to create opportunities to take advantage of an opposing team’s weaknesses. In baseball, nine players on the field, with substitutes on the bench, strive to achieve victory. At tennis tournaments, a player faces one opponent (in doubles, two) and often must reach deep inside to win the match.

In golf, each player stands alone to face the world. At any given moment in time in a tournament, the player may face a new surging competitor, coming out of nowhere. It is very lonely on the course, particularly when you are a teenager. It takes a very special kind of individual to compete in golf, someone who can focus totally on excellence, not on a singular opponent. It takes nerves of steel and a will of iron.

On May 10, 2017, Sun Hwang won the Bergen County Girls’ Golf Championship by two strokes at the Overpeck Golf Course in Teaneck. When asked if she was shocked at her victory, Sun firmly responded that her goal in each tournament is to play to win. She stated that she was a bit overwhelmed that three of the top seeds were in the same group, but she refused to let that deter her. She felt she was “in zone” right from the onset. When she almost reached a par 5 in two shots, she knew that both her long and short games were in sync. And she proved it with her victory!

An article in the North Jersey News, poorly written, detracted from Sun’s championship by indicating that the reigning champion was sidelined. What the writer failed to note was that Sun Hwang deserved the championship as a direct result of her stellar play. Sun Hwang is a deserving champion, from whom we can expect great things in the coming years.

Sun’s victory at the Counties inspired her this past summer to record victories at the Junior Event at Knoll, East on June 22, the Junior Challenge at Architects Golf Club on August 31, and the Fall Junior Event at Ashbrook Golf Course on October 7. Sun is clearly a force to be reckoned with!

Sun, 15 years old, is a Fort Lee High School Junior taking an IB (International Business) course and several honors classes. This is a highly demanding curriculum at the school, often with three to four hours of homework per night. Sun knows that she must manage her time well. So while Sun practices daily from three to four hours per day with Coach K from the Bogota Golf Club, she is also a devoted student who prides herself in academic excellence. When she is playing tournaments, Sun has her Fort Lee High School friends, especially Ashley, Perry, Jung, and Natalia, who are totally supportive, cheering her on.

Sun aspires to someday be a professional golfer on the LPGA tour. But she admits that she has a lot of work to do to achieve that goal. In the interim, she aspires to go to a top school, e.g. UCLA, where there is a great golf program combined with top-notch academics.

Sun Hwang was born at Englewood Hospital and lived originally in Old Tappan. The family moved to Fort Lee when Sun was in the fifth grade. Both of Sun’s parents are avid golfers and her sister, Lisa, competed in tournaments. Now Lisa is busy competing to be a parent this coming December, whereupon Sun will become an aunt to add to her resume.

If Sun was not unique enough with her Golf abilities and her academic prowess, Sun blogs on “Foodstagram”, where she critiques restaurants and shares her favorite food choices with readers. Sun is a strong advocate for womens’ rights and hopes to have a second career in photography someday. She loves reading, having just completed “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini.

Sun Hwang is a very special young lady: talented, bright, and extremely personable. It is impossible to imagine how impressive she is without meeting her in person. At fifteen, Sun Hwang is on her way to greatness and it is going to be an amazing ride.