For Los Gatos High senior Kylie Chang, golf runs in her family.
The Wildcats’ No. 1 player grew up around the game because her parents and her older brother all play the sport. But it’s Kylie who may have bragging rights when it comes to the links.
“I’d like to say I have my dad beat, but sometimes it switches off,” she said. “It is a big competition between dad and I.”
Chang displayed course awareness and skills in her freshman year, when she earned a spot in the varsity starting lineup. Now in the twilight of her high school career, Chang is cherishing each moment she’s at practice or in a match, knowing this season could be her last.
“I’m getting a little sad especially because it’s senior season,” she said. “I’ve really enjoyed being able to hang out with teammates and build the team dynamic and camaraderie. We’ve had a lot of emerging players this year, and that’s great because it gives the senior players a chance to work on their mentorship skills to help build a strong program for the future.”
Chang is part of a Los Gatos squad that returned all but one starter from the 2022 team that won the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division championship. That got the Wildcats promoted to the upper De Anza Division this season.
The team’s No. 2 player, Sami Hull, along with Emilia Orendain, Monika Snell, Sophia Li, Cadie Ho and Olivia Li, were all either starters or saw varsity action last season. Other notable players on this year’s team include Juliet Bolger, Chloe Fink, Kali Anderson, Olivia Velton, Nika Panagiotopoulos and Capri Parson.
Through the team’s first three matches, the highlight was Chang shooting a 38 to earn medalist honors against Lynbrook. Chang said she’s happy with the improvements she’s made in her game since her freshman season.
“I would say I really improved my short game and consistency overall,” she said.
Chang has also gotten stronger mentally, which has boosted her ability to shoot low on the course. After underperforming in the Central Coast Section Finals at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch in Monterey last year, Chang used the opportunity as a learning experience instead of getting down on herself.
“We fought the elements for sure let’s say,” she said. “We played in torrential rain and even though I didn’t shoot the score I wanted, it made me reflect more on tournament golf and I appreciated the experience. It’s always fun playing a new course and those are always some of my best times.”
During the run of play, Chang uses her positive outlook and experience to rebound from a bad hole or shot.
“I really enjoy bouncing back and fighting through those tough moments,” she said. “They’re the most important and honestly that’s when I truly enjoy golf the most, is coming back from a bad shot and saving par.”
In terms of her shotmaking, Chang receives an absolute thrill when she hits the ball with precision.
“I love hitting iron shots or wedges. Flushing the perfect iron is almost addicting,” she said. “The opportunity to hit the perfect shot, that’s what keeps me coming back.”
As much as she loves being challenged on the golf course, Chang takes the same approach off the course, whether it’s academics or volunteering. She has a 4.3 GPA and taken a total of 14 AP/Honors classes.
Passionate about pediatric cancer research, Chang said she does fundraising work serving on the Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area Youth Board and is part of a new ambassador program where she attends and takes part in speaking events.
Earlier this year, Chang helped organize a Make-A-Wish golf tournament and raffle at La Rinconada which raised close to $14,000. Those funds helped send a cancer patient to Disney World. Chang knows the tremendous and lasting impact of being on the receiving end of a wish.
“The cause is really important to me because I’m a Make-A-Wish recipient myself,” she said.
Chang was diagnosed with cancer at age 5 and ultimately had surgery and later 15 months of chemotherapy treatments. It’s been five years since Chang has been off the treatments and she is now stable with no residual effects. In the way she approaches everyday tasks, Chang doesn’t take things for granted.
For her Make-A-Wish, Chang and her family were granted a trip to New York City in the summer of 2022.
“That was a full circle moment because I first started showing symptoms when I was 5 on a family trip in New York,” she said. “So coming back was such a positive and fantastic experience.”
