From AJGA to Northwestern (本篇文章包含中英文版）
I know saying “I learned a lot” is extremely generic and unoriginal, but if there’s one common theme throughout the different time periods of my AJGA career, it would have to be self-discovery.
I was lucky enough to have earned an exemption to the Inaugural AJGA CT Pan Junior Championship (Big thanks to C.T. and Michelle!) This image is still clear as daylight in my mind, sitting on my bed after finishing 2nd to last, questioning whether I was cut out to compete against those guys. To me then, it was hard to imagine I would ever be as good as them, but I think I can confidently say now that I’ve fared just fine. And I think that’s the beauty of the AJGA system: no matter what level you’re in, there’s always something to strive for; whether that’s PBE stars for Open and JAS tournaments, improving Rolex Rankings to gain entry into Invitationals, or making the All-American Teams, it’s all part of the process. The journey wasn’t all smooth sailing for me though, I tend to overthink when playing in bigger events. It took a while for me to get used to the stress and intensity of Opens, and eventually the Invitationals, and not before receiving and executing all the advice that C.T. And Michelle gave me.
Last October, coming off of a bad finish at the PING Invitational at Karsten Creek, I spoke to them about how I felt like I was always falling short of my goals. C.T. told me that I have to stop letting anxiety and negative thoughts affect my mindset, and I need to let them flow by just like water. Michelle reminded me that it was time to reset my standards, to leave my past achievements at the door and keep climbing the mountain. She told me that the good results I’ve had reflect the potential of my game, and the goal is to constantly improve to push that boundary even further. Soaking up all the lessons and experience, I’ve now developed my own approach to each event I play, and through all the work I’ve put in, feel like I truly belong with the best of them.
If there’s one thing I took away from all my experiences playing in AJGA events, it would be to stay true to who you are. Yes, you’re going to play on really difficult courses with all the top players in the States, but you’re in the field for a reason and playing your own game is the only way to enhance performance and show respect to the opportunity that you’ve been blessed with.
By Jeremy Chen
從AJGA到西北大學
雖然說「我學習到了很多」有點沒創意又籠統，但這似乎是形容我打AJGA賽事心得最貼切的說法。
2019年時，我很幸運的拿到了第一屆潘政琮AJGA錦標賽的外卡資格（謝謝潘哥和Michelle姐姐😊）還記得第二天打完倒數第二我呆坐在床上的情景，我一直在思考為什麼有人可以這麼強。當時的我很難想像自己有朝一日能拿到AJGA全卡，甚至前進邀請賽。但這就是AJGA系統的美妙之處：從PBE星星、到進入公開賽/邀請賽、又或者是Rolex積分名列前矛得到全美明星隊的殊榮，一切都是一個過程。機會真的很多，等著準備好的選手。說到準備，我自己參加AJGA賽事的經歷也不是很順遂，時常會想太多導致發揮不出自己的實力。經過了許多的磨練和哥哥姐姐的開導才漸漸在賽場上找到屬於自己的一片天。去年10月，在PING 邀請賽打得成績不盡理想，後來我和二位聊到感覺自己比賽時發揮的總是不如預期。潘哥告訴我不能讓比賽時的壓力和負面想法影響到我的思路，要把它們當成流水一般，專注在打好眼前的一桿。姐姐提醒我是時候重頭開始，忘掉以前的成就繼續往上爬。她說好的成績證明了我的潛力，但不變的目標是突破自己的極限。吸收了所有的知識和經驗後，現在的我面對每場比賽都有明確的任務，也從自己的準備工作中得到信心，堅信自己已經能和最頂尖的選手競爭。
打了兩年多的AJGA賽事，我覺得最寶貴的收穫是我學到一定要「做自己」。的確，打的球場十分的困難，遇到的對手也都是全美的菁英，但是打出屬於自己的球賽才能有最好的表現並對得起那樣的舞台。
By 陳亮宇
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謝謝西北大學的學生運動員陳亮宇願意花時間分享他的AJGA經驗給我們。亮宇在大家心中一直是品學、球技皆優的選手，但過去三年其實他也經歷了不為人知的掙扎與低潮，從第一次打AJGA倒數第二名到成為能打AJGA邀請賽，總排名名列前矛的選手。本以為打好了應該很容易找學校，但才發現除了打球、考試考好，自己更必需主動出擊與教練爭取，好事多磨最後如願進入 私立名門高爾夫校隊頂尖的西北大學，他用流利中英文有條有理簡潔清晰分享的經驗很值得選手與家長閱讀，我們也期待亮宇能在大學有更豐富與閃耀的歷程。 #ctpanjr