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Entering her first collegiate golf tournament at this year’s Yale Invitational, first-year Lauren Wong immediately made a statement on the green. Walking onto the team was already a huge personal victory for Wong, and this weekend was the icing on the cake.

Competing in the individual event, she finished with an impressive score of three-over 75 and posted the second most pars in the event with 15. Wong finished the tournament tied for 15th.

The first-year grew up in Las Vegas, Nev., where she graduated from West Career and Technical Academy. During her high school years, Wong made a name for herself in the golf community. On top of being named a 2022 AJGA Rolex Scholastic Jr. All-American, she won the 2022 Las Vegas City Junior Amateur, 2022-23 Mountain Region Division One Championship, and led her high school girl’s golf team as a four-time captain. She was also ranked 39th in the graduating class of 2023 and No. 130 overall.

Wong is also one of five recipients of The Chevron Changing the Face of Golf Scholarship, a $10,000 prize that aims to increase the opportunities of female high school golf athletes hoping to pursue a STEM education in higher education. She is the champion of the 2022 AJGA GreatLIFE Junior Challenge in South Dakota, as well as a Top 10 finisher in three AJGA tournaments.

Even with all these accomplishments, it’s needless to say that collegiate athletics pose a new challenge that will take time for Wong to get used to. Golf courses in Las Vegas are known for their desert style, where there’s only grass on the tees, fairways, and green. Here in New England, the courses require more strategy and course management. More importantly, practice and tournaments become more demanding, and competition becomes more intense.

“The operations of a college golf team are definitely at a higher level than high school,” Wong remarked. “I had a wonderful high school golf experience, but the dynamic was very different because performance levels and dedication to the sport varied so much. In college, every player earned their spot on the team because of their ability to perform and their desire to compete.”

What more, being a student athlete puts a lot on her plate. At a school known globally for its academic excellence, it can be difficult to juggle sports with academics, self-care, and a social life at Harvard. Wong has found this to be no different as she gradually finds her way.

“I think understanding how to maintain a balance between academics, golf, social life, and sleep is definitely something that I am still trying to learn,” she said. “Ultimately, I think that it comes down to knowing what your priorities are and accepting that there will be sacrifices that you have to make.”

Luckily, Wong isn’t alone in this new journey — she’s found a new family on the golf team.

“Our team has a culture that puts an emphasis on embracing healthy competition, communicating openly and supporting each other,“ Wong said. “Golf is a sport that mirrors so much of life, so our ultimate goal is to educate tomorrow's leaders through the pursuit of competitive golf. I feel incredibly lucky to have amazing mentors and advisors in my teams, Coach Naree, and Director Schernecker.”

This year’s lineup at the Yale Invitational for the team competition was composed of senior captain Meiyi Yan, Bonnie Zhai, Bridget Ma, Isabella Gomez, and Bridget Ma. Zhai had the best individual score, scoring an impressive bogey — just one stroke over par — to finish T6 in the event. In 2022, Harvard won the Invitational and made history by posting the lowest team score with a 279 (-5) and a 36-hole total of 565 (-3). The Crimson finished fifth overall.

As other Harvard students head to the library to prepare for midterms, Harvard will fly westward to Colorado on Friday to compete at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate hosted by the University of Denver Golf Club at Highlands Ranch. This will be the Crimson's first appearance in the tournament.

“I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to play,” said Wong regarding the upcoming tournament schedule. “I play the best when I’m totally immersed in the process rather than focusing on the results,“ she continued. “I just want to absorb everything that [is] coming my way and have a growth mindset when it comes to the adversity I face.”

The Crimson’s last tournament this fall is the Lady Blue Hen Invitational in Delaware. Coming off of a strong weekend, Wong holds her head high as she looks to close out the rest of this season.

“I was excited to have a strong finish in my first collegiate tournament,” she said. “I got some good feedback and am looking forward to improving my game as we head into the final stretch of the fall season.”