Jada Lin ’29 Named Golf State Champion!

Over fall break, Freshman Jada Lin ’29 captured the TSSAA Division II-AA individual championship! After helping the Turkeys finish as Regional runners-up, Jada led the St. Mary's team, composed of Sophia Wilson ’26 and Anika Kharbanda ’29, to the State tournament in Sevierville. There, she posted a two-under par 138 over 36 holes to clinch the title and emerge in the number one position. Jada opened with a blistering 4-under 66 to build an early lead, recorded the tournament’s lone eagle, and closed with a steady 72 to hold off a talented field by two strokes. 

The victory, coming a week after she competed at the Tennessee Junior Cup, highlights Jada’s competitive poise, disciplined work ethic, and careful balance of school, practice, and outside interests. Read on for a quick Q&A where she walks through her approach, schedule, and what’s next.

How did you approach the state tournament?
I went in, setting a low bar for myself with low pressure, especially for the first day. I tried to keep that mindset the second day, but I started off rough, and the low bar became a high bar quickly. Playing state as an eighth-grader helped take pressure off, as well, since I'd played the course before and knew what to expect. I also know some of the girls who were playing at State from the tournaments I played in the summer, and I've beaten them before and they've beaten me, so it really just felt like another tournament.

How did you get into golf? 
I did a program called SNAG (Starting New At Golf) when I was four, which is with giant plastic golf clubs and colorful tennis balls, but I started using real clubs when I was around five and began playing tournaments when I was seven. 

Who inspired you to pursue golf as a sport? 
I would say St. Mary’s alumna Megan Tang '19. I got to know her when I was in first and second grade, since we practiced at the same place, and she was amazing (and still is) at golf. I was her flower girl when I was in second grade, and I got to know her pretty well and learned a lot about both golf and (what to expect from) St. Mary's from her.

What’s next after winning state as a freshman?
You can always get better – there's no "end" to how good you can be. For me, more practice and higher-level tournaments are what's up next. I find that setting smaller goals helps me to achieve bigger ones, so I don't really have a vision for myself by senior year. I have to figure out high school and how to qualify for certain tournaments first in order to be able to achieve anything else in school and golf. 

How do you balance high school and competing at a championship level?
I wouldn't say it's especially hard juggling high school and golf except on tournament weekends. I have to make up work for the day I miss school, because the practice rounds are always on Fridays. Then I have to do the weekend homework after my tournament rounds, which are typically around 5 hours, and then you add my warm-up, which is usually an hour and a half; so in total, during one tournament day, I'm on the golf course/practice area around 6 and half hours on Saturdays and Sundays when I have a tournament.

When you’re not on the golf course, what are you doing?
I love reading, mainly fantasies and mysteries, but I'll read other books as well. Along with my love of reading is talking about books, and I enjoy watching movies (whether they're adaptations of books or originals, I like them both). I also love writing--I'm a reporter on Tatler--as well as crafting and editing my own short stories if and when I have time. I play the piano as well.