STUDENT SPOTLIGHT – CLAIRE YOUNG

Claire Young from Los Angeles started playing golf at the age of 7, and only two years later the competitive bug bit. She started playing in U.S. Kids Golf tournaments on a regular basis. She picks up the story:

“My dad would drive me all over California for the tournaments. When I turned 12, I played in my first AJGA tournament. I joined a country club near the school, where I practiced most of the time after school. Later, I was accepted into Harvard-Westlake School and became the number two player on the team. Golf has given me the opportunity to learn about discipline, patience and hard work.”

The Harvard-Westlake girls golf team won the Mission League championship in 2021 and 2022, with Claire earning All-League honors. She had an 18-hole best of 71 in 2023 at the CIFSS Ford Girls Golf Individual, and regularly shoots in the 70s. She was voted Stanford Player/Camper of the Week in 2022 by members of the Stanford women’s golf team and their coach, quite an honor considering she was one of 125 campers.

USGTF member Astrid Hussenjian is her former coach but keeps in regular contact with Claire. Hussenjian said, “I coached her and her sister for many years, but now they have other coaches, which is pretty normal in golf. We are still friends and I follow their journey, and once in a while I get asked to watch their swings, give them advice and play on the course with them.”