From the moment she spoke to coach Nick Hovden on the phone, Emma Sabbagh was pretty much sold on the University of South Dakota.

One of valley害羞草研究所檚 top young female golfers of the past three seasons, the 17-year-old from Kelowna this fall committed to for the 2018-19 NCAA season.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檝e never hit it off so well just talking to someone, we had a great conversation and that really swayed me,害羞草研究所� said Sabbagh, a Grade 12 student at Kelowna Christian School. 害羞草研究所淚 like the way Nick runs the program there.

害羞草研究所淭he campus and the school are really nice, and the team is so cool. It ended up just being a no-brainer for me, you could say.害羞草研究所�

Sabbagh also considered an offer from a small Div. 1 school in New York but opted for USD, a liberal arts school in the southeast corner of the state with an enrollment of more than 10,000 students.

That the Kelowna teenager is pursuing a golf career and education south of the border may have been unthinkable to the Sabbagh family even a few years ago. Living in Cranbrook at the time, Sabbagh admits there wasn害羞草研究所檛 really anything she liked about the sport.

害羞草研究所淢y dad had to drag me to the driving range when I was in middle school, and I remember hating it,害羞草研究所� Sabbargh said with a laugh. 害羞草研究所淣o one my age played golf in Cranbrook, so that was probably a big reason. It all changed when we moved to Kelowna in Grade 8. There were a lot of other kids playing, I started playing and competing and really started to enjoy it.害羞草研究所�

Sabbagh developed her game on the Okanagan害羞草研究所檚 Zone 2 Junior Tour, reaching a turning point in 2015 when she won the season-ending tournament at Gallagher害羞草研究所檚 Canyon.

She credits much of her growth as a player to the junior tour, including the efforts and support of coordinator Erich Breitkreuz.

In a of ups and downs, one of Sabbagh害羞草研究所檚 better efforts came at the Future Links event in Fernie where she finished in seventh place. At the B.C. women害羞草研究所檚 amateur in Vernon, she made the cut and finished 25th in a field of the top players in B.C.

After one more spring and summer of fine tuning her game in the Okanagan, the Kelowna teen looks forward to making the step up to NCAA golf next fall.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 excited in tournaments at that level,害羞草研究所� said Sabbagh. 害羞草研究所淣ot a lot of people get the chance to play NCAA, so it害羞草研究所檚 a pretty cool opportunity.

害羞草研究所�(Coach) Nick said 害羞草研究所榳e know you害羞草研究所檝e been struggling with scores a bit in the summer, but once we get pushing you, the sky is the limit.害羞草研究所� I害羞草研究所檓 excited to see what I害羞草研究所檓 capable of.害羞草研究所�

While Sabbagh has yet to decide on her courses at USD, she is leaning toward a biology-related program.

She will head to Vermillion, SD late next summer, with the academic year to begin Aug. 20.

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whenderson@kelownacapnews.com
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