Siblings Hanna Yi, 17, and Sean Yi, 15, started playing golf together as soon as they could walk.
“Our parents played together before they had us and then when we were able, they took us to the range and taught us how to play,” Hanna recalled. “Golf is just a part of us.”
The siblings’ lifelong work paid off as Hanna took first place and Sean tied for second at the recent South Puget Sound League district golf tournament. Hanna shot a 74 the first day and a 75 the second day, while Sean shot a 70 the first day and a 72 the second day.
“I have been trying to win first for a while and since I am a senior this year, I knew it was my last chance,” Hanna said. “It felt so good to finish off my high school golf career with a win.”
As a sophomore, this was Sean’s second year at district.
“The first day we were both in the lead and were pretty solid,” he said. “The second day I could tell it wasn’t my day, things just weren’t going my way. It was a little frustrating, but I am grateful to get second because this will motivate me to practice hard during the off season so I can come back and win it next year.”
Their coaches and teammates were not surprised by their success.
“They are really good kids, great students and just humble people,” said Paul Lagerstedt, athletic director at Thomas Jefferson High School. “They work hard during practices and are always willing to help other kids.”
Sean played in his first tournament at age 5 and played competitively ever since for U.S. Golf Kids in New Jersey and the Washington Junior Golf Association.
“He was always more competitive than me,” Hanna said. “I didn’t start playing competitively until about 9 when I started playing for the Washington Junior Golf Association as well.”
The two moved around from state to state because of their father’s job. Besides Washington, they have lived in Oregon, California, Texas and New Jersey. It was enrolling in golf clubs that kept them sane.
“We got to experience playing at many different kinds of greens, many different kids of tournaments and we’ve met all kinds of people,” Hanna said. “Golf was our outlet, our way to make friends when we moved to a new state.”
The siblings say they enjoy many things about playing gold.
“I like the competitive aspect of playing golf against other kids,” Sean said. “I like to see how I can improve by practicing hard.”
Hanna pointed out golf is a mental sport.
“When you play you have to remain calm and keep control,” she said. “You have to pay attention to details and those are things that you can apply to other areas of your life, such as school work.”
In addition to golf, the two are also good students. Hanna has a 3.7 GPA and Sean has a 4.0.
“It’s all about taking the focus you get from golf and putting it into your studies,” Sean said.
The siblings practice golf every day in the summer and as much as they can during school.
“Our dad comes out and plays with us a lot, he is like our second coach,” Sean said.
But they are truly each others’ biggest cheerleader and critic.
“We motivate each other and help each other out,” Hanna said. “We both have different strengths and weaknesses we can use to give each other tips. We are the first to say, ‘You’re not quite doing that right and you should maybe try it this way.’”
