Last summer, during the third and final round of the IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championship at Torrey Pines, Martha Kuwahara needed to play well as a bunch of college coaches were in attendance to watch possible recruits perform.
On the 16th hole, she chipped in from the fringe for a much-needed birdie, propelling her to a round of 2-under, shooting her up the leaderboard, where she finished tied for 30th place.
“That was the round of the year, shot of the year,” said the 16-year-old, who hopes to play for a Division I college and aspires to be a professional golfer.
Kuwahara, who recently won the State Class 2A Girls Golf Championship, credited the staff at the Golf Practice and its M360 program with helping her develop the fortitude to pull off such a shot under pressure as well as her overall success as one of the best young players in the area.
“M360 helps me keep up the competitive fuel because we have a really long winter season,” she said. “It is nice to just have people you can practice with and get better with and compete.”
Kuwahara, a high school junior at Glenbrook North, praised the group of fellow players who participate in M360, the Golf Practice’s premiere program, to help her stay sharp.
“It helps me be excited to practice. Golf is kind of boring if you keep practicing alone, but if you have people you can practice with … compete against, it keeps you going,” she said.
Kuwahara added that she looks forward to seeing old friends and making new ones during this year’s M360 program that runs from the fall through the spring.
“I also look forward to learning new ideas, new strategies around the course,” she said.
As the year winds down, Kuwahara said she was most proud of how she grew as a person.
“This year, I drastically got better at managing my anger,” she said.
Despite the great shot over the summer and her success this fall, Kuwahara, who is coached by Chris Oehlerking, hopes to improve her short game this winter.
“I keep learning that no matter how good or how bad your full swing is, if you have an amazing short game, you can shoot around even,” Kuwahara said.
