Author: Sant Kumar
Though Tori Leon (senior) has been playing golf for about 10 years, her passion for the game has not waned. Three of the last four years, Leon has been Occidental’s sole female golfer. This year, however, Leon is the captain of the five-member women’s golf team. As a new leader, she has been influential in perfecting not only her own game but also her teammates’ skills.
According to Leon, golf runs in the family. “My uncle had just gotten his PGA card [earned his professional status] when he died of colon cancer. My brother had always wanted to take it up after that. Because he was two years younger than me when he started, he needed someone to watch over him on the course,” Leon said.
By babysitting her brother on the golf course, Leon saw that the game was a physically and mentally challenging sport. She began to appreciate the difficulty of the game and fell in love with golf before she even started playing.
Before Occidental began to recruit golfers, Leon interacted with the coaches on a different level. She helped them by giving advice on recruitment, and they in turn helped fine-tune her game.
“[During the] first few years, I was going out with my dad. Last year, I had three coaches who supported me. [The] team was just starting so we were all learning together,” Leon said.
Because more players have joined the women’s team this year, Leon has had to adjust to a different atmosphere.
“When I was the team’s sole member I would go on tournaments alone. But I took pride in Occidental and representing it,” Leon said. Now she can no longer think only of herself; she must now think of others and how to help them improve.
Leon credits her teammates with helping her focus on others rather than herself. She is no longer mainly concerned about how she fares on the golf course, but on how to get the team to win and improve each week. Each week, the team practices a shot that one of the players is struggling with. During practice a few weeks ago, the team focused on improving their chip shots.
Though Leon has grown as a golfer throughout her years at Occidental, she has also developed as a person.
“Playing golf has helped me grow as a human being. It has taught me self-confidence. It has helped me be comfortable in situations that aren’t. In golf, if you hit a bad shot you have to still believe yourself [able] to hit the next one. There’s no let-down,” she said.
Leon especially loves the challenge that golf poses. For her, golf is a constant emotional struggle because she wants to improve herself every time she picks up a golf club. She believes that golf is a constant reminder that one can always be better.
“Wanting to better yourself is something that all golfers face and is tested when you play,” Leon said.
After she graduates Leon hopes to become an optometrist, which will allow her the time and financial security to continue playing golf.
“After all, golf is an expensive sport,” Leon said with a laugh.
Leon and the rest of the women’s golf team may be seen next on April 5 when they play against Brookside.
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