This year, Precilla Tea, a senior at Mark Keppel, competed in the Inaugural LPGA-USGA Girls Golf National Championship, which involved 144 girls between the ages of 12 and 18. This event took place from Monday, June 24 to Thursday, June 27, 2024. Tea is the captain of the varsity golf team, and she’s been on varsity for two years. This year, she competed in the Congaree Global Golf Initiative, the Inaugural LPGA-USGA Girls Golf National Championship, and in the 10th Southern California Golf Association Women’s Amateur. Some of Tea’s upcoming events are The Foundation Cup, the Pure Insurance Open, and Tiger Woods’ Junior Invitational.
Tea started playing golf when she was around five or six years old. She says she started playing golf because of her dad. “It wasn’t really because I wanted to, he [encouraged] me; but as I kept playing, I started liking golf more, liking competition, and meeting new people. That’s why I play golf now,” Tea states. Her first interaction with golfing was in her backyard with her dad when he taught her how to swing a club.
Tea was also asked about some of her most memorable experiences golfing. “One memorable experience I had was competing in the Southern California Women’s Amateur. It was a really big tournament and I got to meet a lot of college players that I look up to. It was especially memorable for me because my dad was caddying and we had a lot of fun.”
Our MKHS senior was also selected to go to the Tiger Woods’ Junior Invitational. In order to get invited, you need to submit an application. This year, there were over 600 applicants and only 60 of those applicants were picked (30 boys and 30 girls.) This event is in October and they get to go to Pebble Beach in Carmel and meet Tiger Woods himself.
Tea gave us some tips for people who might want to start golfing. “Just go out there and do it. Some people get scared because they’re not really sure where to start or how to start, but… my best advice is just to go out there and have fun. Maybe take a friend or someone who’s played before or a friend who knows how to play. It’s super fun; it’s not as hard as everyone thinks.” Congratulations on these astounding accomplishments, Precilla!
