In a sport that demands so much mental strength from its players to perform at the highest possible level, Golf Co-Captain Heyon Choi helps her teammates stay positive and focused during matches. By keeping team spirits high and embodying a role model persona, Choi allows her fellow players to unlock their full potential.
Choi shared that while the mental aspect of golf is one of the most challenging parts, it is also one of the most important parts to her. The mental strength, clarity and focus required to play golf are not only limited to the sport, but essential and applicable to other aspects of her life as well.
“[In golf,] you have to be consistently good and keep your cool from hole one till you finish hole eighteen… I really enjoy the mental aspect and I find a lot of the time that endurance and maybe the concentration that I’ve been able to build up through golf, I can channel into other things that I’m doing.” said Choi.
Sebastian Montemayor ’27 also highlighted the mental aspect of golf, sharing his admiration for how Choi uplifts the entire team with her optimism and lively energy.
“She brings positivity to the team when we need it right before a match. We need her energy to beat our opponents, and she brings that to the table and that makes her a good captain. Heyon’s attitude rubs off on everybody else. If you’re in a bad mood, or you’re having a bad day, she’ll definitely cheer you up. She’s that type of person who can emotionally support you throughout the whole match. With golf being a very mental sport and her being able to uplift the team’s mental state, she helps us win matches,” said Montemayor.
Choi discussed how she has modeled her leadership after a past captain of the team, Trey Wolfe ’23. She uses the phrase “positive mindset attitude” to encourage her teammates and remind them of what they are capable of.
Choi said, “I actually look up to our past captain, Trey Wolfe. He was in the class of ’23, and he always had this thing, it was called a ‘positive mindset attitude.’ And whenever you’re playing with him and you seem a little down and you’re like, ‘Oh, I just can’t do this,’ he looks at you and he’s like, ‘Positive mindset attitude.’ And as a captain, I’ve tried to carry that along. It’s obvious that you have to stay neutral and not be too sad when you’re playing a round of golf, and keep yourself, and keep your composure. I’ve tried to do that whenever I see someone, maybe a little upset in their round of golf. [I] just try to pat them on the shoulder and be like, ‘You know what, we have a couple holes to go. It’s totally fine, and you’re doing your best, so just bring out what you’ve been practicing on the range and your other practice rounds and see the best you can do.’”
Sean Niu ’25 emphasized Choi’s abilities on the golf green, but also off, serving as a mentor for the team. He emphasized the effectiveness of Choi’s pre-match motivational speeches.
“Outside of golf matches, I would say Heyon is definitely a really good role model. She’s a really nice person, and she makes an effort to get to know everybody and have them get excited about Andover golf, even if they don’t play. Before a match she will give us words of encouragement and pep talks so we are as ready as we can be before a game,” said Niu.
Though she does not intend on playing golf competitively in college, Choi remains assured that the sport will stay a significant aspect of her life for the foreseeable future. She mentioned the uniqueness of it, noting that golf is something that she can play all throughout her life, even as a hobby.
“Starting off, golf was pretty challenging because you really need to build up your mental strength and keep yourself going on the course because sometimes you feel hopeless and you need to go. But, I’m at the point where I’ve found how to get back to my enjoyment. And I genuinely love playing golf so much… I’m really passionate about golf, and I definitely will continue playing. I don’t really have specific plans to pursue it competitively in college, but I think it will be a pretty important part of my life, like a lifelong hobby. Golf is one of those sports that you play until you die, so that’s one of the reasons why I’m so glad I started earlier than maybe other people. It offers both challenge and relaxation, so I definitely see myself playing golf for a long, long time,” said Choi.
