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Kevin Yu gives back to kids with maiden junior golf camp

Published: 10 Dec. 2024, 10:39

Kevin Yu hits his tee shot on the fourth hole in the third round of the PGA Tour Zozo Championship at the Narashino Country Club in Inzai, Japan on Oct. 26. [AP/YONHAP]

When Kevin Yu was a kid, he attended a golf clinic by women’s World No. 1 Yani Tseng and walked away starry-eyed and further inspired to chase his dream of becoming a professional golfer.

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More than a decade on, Yu, who became Taiwan’s newest PGA Tour winner in October, was delighted to play a small part in impacting the next generation when he hosted his first golf camp for 13 junior golfers at home on Monday.

It was a day well spent as Yu shared anecdotes of his golf journey with the curious and talented attendees, participated in a Q&A session which focused on matters inside and outside the ropes, and also showed the kids a thing or two on his shot-making abilities on the golf course.

“I’ve always wanted to give back to golf in general. What I’ve been through in my journey, it’s the same for these kids. If I can offer my time and help them achieve their goals, that would be good. I just wanted to share some of my experiences with them,” he said.

Yu rose to prominence as an amateur when he was part of the Taiwan team which won the gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games. Thanks to the encouragement of close friend C.T. Pan, who is also a PGA Tour champion, he took the U.S. collegiate route and enjoyed a stellar career at Arizona State University, reaching No. 1 on the world amateur golf ranking.

He earned his playing rights on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022 through the advent of PGA Tour University, a program designed to accelerate the careers of top U.S. collegiate golfers, before finding success on the PGA Tour. He won the Sanderson Farms Championship recently to become only the third golfer from Taiwan after T.C. Chen and Pan to triumph in the U.S.

Yu said he has always wanted to give back to the sport by supporting grassroot development back home.

“When I was young, I went to a Yani Tseng clinic a couple of times. It is one of the best memories of my life. You see them win tournaments, and I want to emulate them. I was like maybe 10 or 12 when I attended the clinic with Yani. It was quite an inspiration, as she was World No. 1 for a long time. Just watching her play a bit, it was great. I remember she talked about the mentality of being on the golf course and showing resilience. That was cool,” he said.

Kevin Yu reacts to his birdie putt on the 18th green during the final round of the Sanderson Farms Championship 2024 at the Country Club of Jackson on Oct. 6 in Jackson, Mississippi. [AFP/YONHAP]

The Asian star hopes to see aspiring juniors from Taiwan heading stateside like Pan and himself to advance their careers.

“For me, I think it’s easier to go to college in the U.S., experience living by yourself, doing things by yourself, and figuring out efficient ways to achieve your goals. If PGA Tour is the goal, that’s the best way to get there,” said Yu.

“It’s not the only way to do it but it was a great experience. I was the first class from out of PGA Tour University which offers a PGA Tour card if you finish No. 1, and that’s really good. The Korn Ferry Tour helped me get comfortable and gets you ready for the big stage. You get to experience nerves, and learn from those situations.”

BY CHUAH CHOO CHIANG [[email protected]]