PAST: St. John’s Eagles
PRESENT: Marine Drive Golf Club
FUTURE: NCAA Div. 1 Oregon State Beavers
In competition, Trevor Yu shot his best round at 16 years of age when he recorded a 65 at Pitt Meadows Golf Club to finish 15-under and win a two-day Canadian Junior Golf Association fall series tournament. On the first day, he shot 29 on the back nine to finish with 66.
“I had another really good round at the Canadian juniors in 2012,” he said. After he won the national U16 juvenile championship, he shot 64 in the final round of the junior championship to tie for eighth and also tie the competitive course record at Osprey Ridge Golf Club in Nova Scotia.
“That was the first time I could say I was in the zone,” said Yu, a slender six-footer who also contributed to several winning basketball season as the Eagles’ sixth-man.
When he shot a near-mortal 85 earlier this season, however, Yu’s performance concerned his coaches.
“He has to be constantly hungry to improve,” said Kendal Yonomoto, who’s trained with Yu for six years. “He’s a great kid, but in no uncertain terms, he’s got a lot of work to do. How much better can you get in the future if you put the work in?”
The other question is how the future Oregon State Beaver can tighten his game though the right kind of focused hard work.
“He’s shown an ability to win tournaments, which is a huge deal, and shoot a lot of really low scores,” said Oregon State’s men’s golf coach Jon Reehoorn. “We’ll see if he can turn his 77s and 78s into 73s and 74s.”
In the Pac 12 Conference, Yu will be competing against some of the most accomplished and skilled collegiate golfers in the country. Continuing to improve means deliberate practice, analysis and careful statistical assessments. “You need to know what your strengths and weaknesses are, and develop plans to improve your weaknesses while also maintaining strength. You’re not going to do that by just hitting a bunch of balls,” said Reehoorn, who is assisted by B.C.’s Jonnie Motomochi who coached Yu for a year with Yonomoto.
In his soft-spoken way, Yu says he understands his coaches will push under his skin and prod his mind in order to elevate him to greater heights.
“In golf, you’re always trying to improve,” said the International Baccalaureate student with the quiet but on-point sense of humour. “You have ownership over everything you do. There’s a lot of satisfaction when things go your way. It punishes you more than it rewards you, but when it rewards you, there is no other feeling like it.”
