Junior golfer is among best in state
July 30, 2008
By J.B. Wogan
Li Wang, 13, is a quiet and accommodating teenager.
He won the Washington Junior Golf Association’s District 2 championship in the 12-13 age group last week, but you wouldn’t know it.
District 2 encompasses the most of the greater Seattle area, including Shoreline, Bothell, Snoqualmie, Issaquah and Sammamish.
In the midst of practicing his driving, Wang moves five feet to his left for a better newspaper photo. The brim of his hat blocks his eyes in the pictures, so he removes the cap, too.
On first glance, Wang might not appear intense about his golfing. But he is.
“He would play and practice as long as there’s daylight, to be honest,” said Jim Pike, Wang’s coach and the golf director at Sahalee Country Club. Pike works with Wang three times each week. On the other days, Wang treks the course alone.
“I’d say he’s much better than most kids in his age bracket,” Pike said.
Wang, a Timberline resident, doesn’t brag about winning the Washington Junior Golf Association’s District 2 and state championships twice already – as a 10 and 11-year-old – but he knows what the success could mean and he has long-term goals:
“Go to the PGA Tour and play some majors,” Wang said. What would it take to be at that level? “A lot of work and practice.”
At 6 years old, Wang learned the game from his father, Ben; they worked on Li’s short game, improving his ability to putt and finish a hole. Today, it’s one of his strengths, according to Pike.
At the District 2 championship July 21-22, Wang shot a 75 on the first day and a 72 on the second day. He beat the second-place finisher in his age group by nine strokes.
In the oldest age division, 16-17, the top two finishers posted combined scores of 147 on the same Broadmoor Golf and Country Club course. Not only did Wang tie that score, but his 72 on the second day was better than any score by any player at the tournament.
The holes were shortened by about 200 yards for Wang’s age group, but he would be at the top of the district’s 16-17 age division, too, according to Stephanie Malone, assistant pro at the Broadmore Golf Club.
“I believe Li can compete with older boys quite well. He’s very disciplined,” said Malone, who still remembers playing nine holes with Wang a few years ago. “You could just see it in him. He’s very disciplined young man with a lot of talent. He’ll drive it farther as he gets older.”
Wang will attempt to win a third state championship July 30 at Spokane Country Club, but he has his eye on another tournament in August: the American Junior Golf Association’s national open in Wenatchee.
Unlike the state tournament, the AJGA’s national events feature golfers as old as 17 and draw from a much larger pool.
“That’s going to be a great test for him,” Pike said.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.
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Wow this kid is one heck of a golfer and student. He goes to my school and is by far the smartest one there. Even smarter than GSG. Chicks dig him and people are always asking for autographs. Boy is he funny. He is also good at basketball. Last year he almosted dunked it in PE (not really).