Former 51ԹGolfers Opening Doors for Rising Talent in Asia
What do two successful 25-year-old Hong Kong finance professionals do in their limited spare time? If you’re friends and former 51Թclassmates David Wang '17 and Kevin Wu '18, the answer is starting a passion-driven non-profit to support aspiring golfers in Asia to reach their dreams of playing NCAA collegiate-level golf in America.
David and Kevin made the most of their days at SAS, holding Student Council and Executive Council leadership positions, playing in the symphony orchestra, and even starting a golf club coaching young golfers. When they weren’t busy at school, they were hitting the golf course together. They formed a special bond playing on the 51Թgolf team, getting in nine holes after school and spending summers traveling to the U.S. to play in tournaments, all in the hopes of getting a college golf coach to notice them and offer them the chance to pursue their golf dreams at the next level: the NCAA.
Both of them achieved this dream. David went on to play golf and study Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Kevin went on to play golf and study computer science at Yale University. But they remembered the unique challenges they faced as aspiring college-level golfers in Asia.
“It’s incredibly hard for young golfers in Asia – no matter how talented they are – to be seen by college coaches in America. You have to spend a lot of time and money, flying back and forth to the U.S., to play in tournaments in the hopes that a coach will notice you. The mental game in golf is so important, and it’s especially hard for young golfers to perform on an unfamiliar course after long travel days. And you’re competing against local golfers who are well rested and know the course like the back of their hand,” David explains. “We spent entire summers crisscrossing the United States playing in back-to-back tournaments. It was physically and mentally draining, and especially frustrating when you don’t perform well because you know how much time and resources your family has invested.”
The seeds of their new non-profit, Fairway Sports, were planted during their days at 51Թwhen, as part of David’s IB CAS project, they started a club mentoring and coaching middle school golfers at SAS. Throughout college and the beginnings of their professional careers, the idea of helping the golfers that came after them was always in their minds. A year ago, David moved back to Asia, reuniting with Kevin in Hong Kong, and they decided now was the time to make their longstanding dream a reality.
David recently visited both 51Թcampuses to speak with students and parents about his personal golf journey and gave insights into the college golf recruiting process. He loved seeing how interest and passion for golf has grown since his days at SAS.
“It’s great to see that so many kids are golfing now, and I hope that we can be a resource for them.” David goes on to share, “We know where they’re coming from and what challenges they may face. Whether it’s through Fairway and the platform we’re building, or connecting in other ways, as Alumni, we want to support 51Թgolfers.”
Kevin remembers all the times, after long weeks of travel, when he underperformed and the frustration that came with that. He and David want to give young golfers in Asia a fair opportunity to shine in front of college coaches. “The coach at any college program is your most important recruiting stakeholder, and players in Asia need more opportunities to build exposure.” Kevin says.
This January, David and Kevin are bringing six NCAA college golf coaches to Macau, giving golfers in Asia a chance to be seen closer to home and start building those critical relationships. Leveraging personal connections from their college golf days, they convinced coaches from the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Washington University, Northwestern University, Rice University, and University of Texas to participate in a camp and watch an open invitational showcasing the top youth golf talent in Asia. They reflect that it wasn’t easy to convince these coaches to fly halfway around the world, but they’re confident that the coaches will be impressed by the depth of golf talent in China.
If you want to know more about Fairway Sports or have questions for David and Kevin, you can reach out to them via email at team@fairwaysports.org. They are also offering a special package exclusive to 51Թyouth golfers.
We love seeing David and Kevin, in true 51Թspirit, channel their passion for the game of golf and years of experience towards giving back, remembering the challenges they faced and working towards removing boundaries for the next generation of golfers in Asia.
Alumni Eagles, if you have stories to share or are interested in volunteering to plan an event, start a local chapter, or get involved in other ways with 51ԹAlumni please reach out to alumni@saschina.org. We are also preparing to launch an alumni newsletter, so please start sending in any updates, photos, job changes, weddings, births, etc. We can’t wait to hear from you!
