Junior Jay Sakagami shines bright in the world of golf, especially with his recent trip to Pebble Beach for a once-in-a-lifetime experience to golf alongside the professionals.
Pebble Beach Golf Links is known as the country’s number one golf course, and Sakagami recently had the chance to play golf with players who play all over the world: CEOs of companies, athletes, people who used to compete with Tiger Woods himself, and even Steve Young, a man who used to be a 49ers quarterback and won the Super Bowl.
“It’s just kind of special because it’s an environment where you get to play at a really prestigious course. There’s a lot of history at Pebble Beach, and whether it’s the US Open or US Amateur, you have a lot of big tournaments played there,” Sakagami said.
Sakagami’s feats in golf all came from hard work and perseverance. Golf coach Jon Kinsley ranks Sakagami and junior Calvin Cakarnis as the top, most consistent players of the team.
He started playing golf for fun when he was six or seven years old and got really into it when he went into FRC (Functional Range Conditioning). FRC is a type of movement designed to improve the mobility of the human body, improve load capacity in the joints, and improve body control.
He’s been with First Tee, a youth golf development organization, for ten years, who played a major part in his trip to Pebble Beach and his pursuit of becoming a professional golfer.
“Ideally, I want to turn professional, so that’s kind of why I spend a lot of time practicing,” Sakagami said.
Yet every star eventually burns out. Sakagami’s strengths became his challenges as he fell into a slump a year ago. He pushed himself hard, but the burns hit him harder.
“It really made me feel like I was falling behind on what other people were doing. And that was kind of a part of my fears as well, to fall behind. So I think that kind of motivated me to push myself more,” Sakagami said.
But the junior rose again despite this, persisting past his slump. He offers great advice to beginners as well.
“Golf is just one of those sports where there’s a way to always enjoy the game. But you can also be competitive in it too. I think you should really value what you’re doing competitively, but also try to have fun,” Sakagami said.
