Former Edge School golfer claims Pac-12 victory with Washington State University
With his father watching him compete in post-secondary athletics for the first time, Calgarian Sang Lee had one of the best games of his life in Pullman, Wash. earlier this fall.
The Washington State University (WSU) redshirt senior scored a 6 under par across three rounds to tie for the individual title at his college’s home course, Palouse Ridge.
Sang’s father, Chan, who had never watched his son play golf in his college career, was persuaded by 22-year-old Sang to come down and watch.
“I kind of asked him, ‘You know, this is my senior year, if you can come down to this one it would be great,’” the younger Lee said. “It was pretty cool to get that first one in front of him.”
Lee’s team, the Cougars, finished fourth in the tournament, which attracted some of the conference’s top competitors. September 29 and 30, Lee shot rounds of 68, 65 and 71, matched exactly by the co-winner, Cameron Shaw of the University of California, Berkley.
Lee’s coach, Garrett Clegg, said while he prefers the team winning a tournament as opposed to an individual win, positives still arise out of a singles victory.
“I think it helps players believe,” Clegg said. “If my guys are at home and some of them beat Sang, and Sang just won a tournament, they’ll say, ‘OK, I can compete at the level I need to win a tournament’ – It can help build confidence in the whole group.”
Lee echoed those sentiments.
Sang Lee’s short game helps him claim the individual’s title at the Itani Quality Homes Collegiate on Sept. 30th. His coach, Garrett Clegg, says Lee is “really good around the greens, a really good putter, and really good with his wedges”.
Photo courtesy of WSU Athletic Communications
“I think it’s definitely motivating for the other players, because we’re always practicing together, working out together, they know that I’m not doing anything out of the ordinary to get this win,” Sang said. “They have the same abilities. I think it is really good to get the win for myself, but I think it was good for the team as well, because they know they can do it, too.”
In his fifth year of sport management while minoring in business at WSU, Lee started on a 50 per cent athletic scholarship that rose as his play improved while also receiving academic scholarships.
Lee’s talents were bred at the Edge School for athletes, located on the outskirts of Calgary near Springbank. He spoke admirably of the high school and said it’s a big reason why he was so prepared for college golf.
“They practice after class just like we do. They workout before or after, just like we do in college. They really teach you how to manage school and golf and I think it really does prepare you,” Lee said.
Washington State plays in three more tournaments before a winter hiatus. For an in-depth profile of Sang Lee, pick up the November issue of the Calgary Journal located in newsstands around the city.