NCAA D1全額獎學金選手湯禾鈞的故事

昨天收到湯禾鈞Justin的來訊，他分享了自己一路奮鬥的歷程，在他的同意下希望能分享給有志往這條路走的孩子們。湯禾鈞與妹妹自小就讀台灣的公立學校，但是從幼稚園開始在爸爸媽媽的堅持下在學注音之前就開始學習ABC😆，閱讀英文故事書與小說，所以語文這件事情在申請美國大學的過程上完全不是障礙，他能用流利的外文與教練溝通並且輕鬆的通過考試，最終爭取到NCAA D1的全額獎學金。以下是Justin的來訊，分享給大家：

Hello, 小潘哥 and Michelle 姐姐,

I wanted to let you know that I have officially committed to Texas Southern University (TSU). I also want to say a big thank you to you and the CT Pan Foundation. Because of the IPS AGJA tournaments that the CT Pan Foundation hosts in Taiwan, I was able to earn my fully exempt card for the 2025–2026 season, which helped me a lot on my journey to playing Division I golf.

Back in 2024, after finishing the second IPS AGJA tournament at 大溪高爾夫球場, I met Dora 姐姐. She asked me who my coach was at the time, and I told her that I didn’t have one. That was when she recommended that I consider finding a coach to guide me.

After that, I received an invitation to play in 小潘哥的 AGJA tournaments in Texas. Although I didn’t perform the way I had hoped, the experience helped me realize the level I needed to reach in order to play D1 golf. After returning to Taiwan, I decided to get a coach in November.

Since then, I have learned a lot more about my game and have seen a lot of improvement, which helped me achieve two top-two finishes in the 2025 AGJA IPS tournaments. These results helped me earn my fully exempt card for the 2025–2026 season.

Going into the summer of 2025, I felt ready to perform at a high level after having two second-place finishes in the IPS AGJA tournaments. However, after arriving in America, I practiced too much without realizing that my body wasn’t ready. As a result, during the third day of my first tournament in the United States, I sustained a back injury.

After that, I had to reschedule my tournaments and take about a month and a half off to recover from my injury. During this time, I was very worried and stressed because I knew this was my last year to hopefully earn a spot on a Division I golf team. I even considered flying back to Taiwan to get treatment so that I could return to the United States to compete again. Thankfully, I was able to recover smoothly and was able to play and take advantage of the final two AGJA tournaments in late August, where I got noticed by coaches and earned a full-ride scholarship.

I share all of this to let you know that without you, I would not have been able to have this opportunity. I will forever be grateful for the work you guys do in supporting and giving back to Taiwanese junior golfers who dream of playing college golf in America.

I’m excited for this new chapter in my life. New challenges will arise and obstacles will need to be conquered, but I know I’m ready to continue working hard and growing as both a person and an athlete.

Thank you again to 小潘哥, Michelle 姐姐, and the CT Pan Foundation for making this possible.