Alberta Golf (Calgary) – Over the winter we will be doing player profiles on our high performance athletes. To kick things off let’s hear from Pincher Creek’s Ethan Choi.

Ethan is a 17-year-old in grade 12 at St. Michael’s School in Pincher Creek and plays out of the Pincher Creek Golf Club. His father Sheldon got him into the game from as young as he can remember.

“Was a very young age, since I started to walk,” Choi said. “He was a big golfer back then and absolutely loved the game and he thought it would be a great game for me to play and tag along with him.”

Choi really started to make strides when he was 12-years-old.

“I went to the U.S. Kids World Championship down in Pinehurst,” Choi said. “I was actually in contention for a couple of days and there were some big named guys there and that’s when I realized I really want to do this.”

A couple years after that when he was 14 he shot an eye popping 59 during the Alberta Bantam Championship at River’s Edge Golf Club in Okotoks.

“It’s been crazy,” Choi admitted. “Even after 3 years I still get questions about it. Going forward I know if I have the ability to do that then anything is possible as long as you put in the work and believe.”

Choi recently signed his letter of intent to play U.S. Division 1 golf at NC State starting in the fall of 2020. Fellow Albertan and friend Carter Graf started on the team this fall.

“I’m blessed to play Division 1 golf down in the States, it’s been a dream of mine since I was in middle school,” Choi beamed after he recently returned from a trip to check out the campus of the NC State Wolfpack in North Carolina.

This fall Ethan is focusing on his grade 12 studies at high school in Pincher Creek where he also plays on the St. Michael’s School volleyball team that compete’s this weekend at provincials. As for golf he says his tee, iron and wedge game are very strong and he’s working hard to tighten up his short game.

Growing up away from the big city in Pincher Creek had it’s challenges but he says it’s been an amazing experience.

“It was tough because we were kinda isolated from the big city but Pincher Creek has meant so much to me, the people there have created such a good environment for me to practice in and grow as a player and as a person and I can’t thank them enough,” Choi said.

Keep an eye out for Ethan Choi at Alberta Golf events in 2020 as he prepares for the next exciting phase in his golf career.

1 on 1 with Ethan Choi.

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