By Terry Jacoby/weloveannarbor.com
Golf photos by Lon Horwedel

Jennifer Tang has a very busy scorecard. The Huron junior is a member of Academic Games, Ethics Bowl, Huron Choir & A Capella group, Business Professionals of America, and SAT Prep Club (co-president). She also shoots a 4.0 GPA in the classroom.

Jennifer, 16, the daughter of David Tang & Yilei Cui, says she enjoys studying history, specifically American history. “I think the humanities are amazing, and something I’d like to study in the future,” she says. “I’m also in choir and I perform/help in our theater program.”

Tang somehow finds the time to squeeze in a round or two or a dozen of golf into that crazy schedule as a member of Huron’s successful golf team. 

Last weekend, the River Rats finished in 12th place at the Division 1 MHSAA State Finals at Katke Golf Course at Ferris State University. Huron carded a 384 on day one and then dropped 24 strokes with a 360 on day two for a 744.

Tang shot an 85 in round one and an 81 in round two to finish with a team-best 166 at States.

“As it is with golf, I don’t think I’ll ever feel completely satisfied with myself,” she said of her performance at the State Finals. “However, I am mostly happy with my performance! I improved on the second day, almost broke 80 for the first time, and made a few clutch putts. The highlight of my round would definitely be when I chipped in for a birdie on 18, a difficult par 5 on the first day. I couldn’t properly appreciate it because I had a rough hole afterwards, but looking back on it, that was pretty cool.”

Tang said the River Rats were thrilled to qualify for the State Finals – it was a goal they gladly checked off their list despite having a young team (only one senior was on the scorecard at States).

“To be honest, most of it was ‘WE MADE IT,’” she says. “We kind of knew going into it that we weren’t going to win. I thought of it as an opportunity to demonstrate the improvement I’ve made throughout the season. I had my own scoring goals, but I really just wanted to end the season having fun and feeling proud of ourselves.”

It was a great – and fun – ride for the River Rats. 

“We were definitely like a family since our team is small,” Tang said. “This year, there were only 11 girls, and all of them were returning so we knew each other well. It was honestly really nice knowing that everyone had each other’s backs. I would definitely say it’s the best year I’ve had with this team. Before we went off to Regionals and States, our JV girls went around to your houses with surprise good luck gifts and handmade notes. It was incredibly sweet, and really speaks to how close we were as a team.”

Huron Golf Coach Patrick Kelly said Tang had a “great season.”

“Jennifer was one of three on the team that made All-Conference,” Kelly said. “She has a solid all-around game and puts in the work year round. She is an outstanding individual who is focused not only in golf but also many clubs and academically.” 

Tang says her father picked up golf when he came to America. “Working in finance, I can imagine there were a lot of social events centered around the sport,” she said. “He ended up becoming a huge golfer, so I started playing at a young age. There are probably pictures of me in a golf polo at 7 or 8 years old. I first played it mostly for fun and as a way to bond with my dad.”

But when Covid hit, Tang says she began to take it more seriously.

“I really enjoy the slow pace – both physically and mentally,” she says. “I used to joke that I would play golf because I hated running, and it was the only sport I wouldn’t ever have to run in. But really, it’s meditative in a way! I feel like I have become a lot more focused and have better self-control because of it.”

Tang gives a shout out to her “amazing” coach Patrick Wilkes-Krier at Kendall Golf Academy. She takes private lessons at the acclaimed golf school and says working with Wilkes-Krier accelerated her improvement. “Working with a professional like him has helped me fine-tune the nuances of my swing,” she says. “Thanks to him, I think my swing is in the best state that it’s ever been. We also work on my short game and putting. I can’t overstate the importance of having someone ‘in your corner’ – knowing that people are truly invested in and supporting you is so powerful.”

The mental side of golf also is “powerful” but in a much different way.

“It’s tough,” Tang admits. “It’s really tough to stay focused and not get in my head. I think being able to bounce back quickly after a bad shot and recover is one of the hardest and consequently, most important parts of golf. I remember freshman and even sophomore year, after a particularly bad hole, it would just snowball and I would be stuck in a funk for the rest of the round.

“This year, I’m actually pretty proud of myself because I feel like I’ve improved a ton in that regard. I always remind myself that thinking about the last shot I made isn’t going to give me a mulligan – it’s the next one that matters. A trick I’ve been using is one that I saw in a golf magazine last summer. After a bad shot, I count to 100 while I walk to my ball. After those 100 steps, I don’t think about that shot anymore. It’s helpful because it allows me to think those negative thoughts instead of repressing them, as well as giving my mind something else to focus on (counting) and offering a natural transition to the next shot.”

So, what’s her next “shot” after high school? 

“One of my biggest regrets is not taking golf seriously earlier,” she says. “This is the first year that I’ve genuinely really, really enjoyed playing golf. I would credit half of it to my amazing team, and the other part to the fact that I worked hard and improved a lot over the summer. Golf is one of the sports that gets more fun the more you play it. It is kind of a bummer, only realizing how much I like golf now, halfway through my junior year. While I probably won’t play varsity golf in college, wherever I end up going, you might find me on the course playing club golf.”