It’s been a season to savour for the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) women’s golf team and there was a strong Malaysian flavour to the Buccaneers’ taste of success.
Not only did the 2020-2021 ETSU women’s golf roster have two Malaysians in senior Warda Amira Rawof and freshman Grace Chin, but helping out behind the scenes was another Malaysian in former Bucs standout Loy Hee Ying as graduate assistant coach.
The Buccaneers won three tournaments in the 2020-2021 season including their maiden Southern Conference (SoCon) Championship title at Kiawah Island last month, making it to the NCAA Division 1 Regionals for the first time since 2014. Although the Baton Rouge Regional was controversially cancelled earlier this week due to heavy rain, with the seeded teams and players progressing to the NCAA National Championship without hitting a shot – and leaving the non-seeded ETSU girls without a chance to play their way through – it was a superb season overall for the team.
ETSU claimed six SoCon post-season honours including Player of the Year for senior Tereza Melecka and Coach of the Year for head coach Stefanie Shelton. Joining Melecka on the all-conference team were Warda and Julia Goodson, while Grace earned all-freshman team honours.
“The depth of the team is great this year. Most of them have a scoring average of below 75 and, most importantly, they care about each other and work hard to do well for the team. Coach Shelton has done a great job building this team,” said Hee Ying, who enjoyed a stellar playing career with the Buccaneers from 2015 to 2019 and was SoCon Player of the Year in 2017.
“We had a great run all season and winning the SoCon Championship for the first time ever was really special. We were ready to give our best shot at the NCAA Nationals before the opportunity was taken away from us.
“Regardless of what happened, coach Shelton told the girls that what they have achieved as a team this year will always be remembered. They are all special ladies and they came together as a team to have the tremendous season that they had,” added the 24-year-old from Kulai, Johor.
Hee Ying noted that this was the first time that there were two players and a coach from the same country outside the United States on the ETSU team. “Having Malaysians on the team is always nice and makes it feel a little more like home. I am proud to be Malaysian and proud to be given the chance to offer my two cents to my countrywomen.
“As graduate assistant coach, I had to learn to adapt to different players’ playing styles and offer advice accordingly. I learned to put myself in their shoes and see how they responded to me. I love playing but it was nice to learn the art of coaching as well,” she shared.
Having finished her MBA earlier this month, Hee Ying will be gearing up a second bite at LPGA Qualifying School this August, having made it to second stage last year before bowing out. “I’m looking forward to getting back to playing some competitive golf. I’m working on going back to Q-School this August and excited to see where it takes me.”
Warda, who will stay on at ETSU to do her Masters, amassed a career low 74.54 stroke average which ranked seventh among SoCon players. She picked up her first individual medallist honours at the Terrier Intercollegiate last October, spearheading ETSU to the team title.
This year, Warda registered six straight top-25 finishes including an impressive T2 performance at the prestigious Kiawah Island Classic which had a strong 210-player field.
“It was a great season, especially winning the conference championship and my runner-up finish in Kiawah,” said Warda, who also recorded her best SoCon Championship finish with a T9 performance.
“It’s really nice to have other Malaysians on the team. I did not feel like a ‘kakak’ to Grace since she’s very mature for her age! We get along really well,” added the 22-year-old.
Warda noted that she did not get to celebrate Hari Raya as they had a long journey back from Baton Rouge in Louisiana to ETSU in Johnson City, Tennessee. “I celebrated Hari Raya by resting … Grace and I had Asian food for dinner, so that could count as my Raya!”
Fellow KL-lite Grace enjoyed a fabulous rookie campaign with three top-10 finishes including sixth place at the SoCon Championship, the best performance by a true freshman. Still only 16 years old, she made her Buccaneers debut at the Terrier Intercollegiate where she finished T10 and was eighth at the Chattanooga Classic. Her 75.83 stroke average was the second-lowest among SoCon freshman and 14th overall.
“I’m quite happy with my freshman season! I definitely enjoyed it and had fun being on the team. I’m so grateful to have coach Shelton, who guided and taught me to be a better and smarter golfer,” said Grace, who turns 17 this June.
“I really enjoy and appreciate the dynamics within this team and we help each other improve every day,” she added.
Grace noted that having Warda and Hee Ying around helped her adapt to US college life. “They helped me adjust to the culture here and the process that goes on within the team. It also really helped having Warda on the team. It was nice having someone who I know and who speaks the same language, which made my transition to living here easier and more comfortable.”
Story by Jonathan Ponniah
Photos courtesy of Loy Hee Ying
