The Golfer Who Could

BY MAYA WUNDER AND CHARLES LUST

If you had to stick to a sport which sport would you choose? For Mason Fernandez, it would be golf. 

A current 7th grader at Coonley, Mason is going to be competing in the Under Armour National Golf Championship in February 2021 in Florida. It is a 2 day long tournament with 18 holes, and the best young golfers in the nation will be competing.
 
We got a chance to talk to Mason (over a Google Meet) and we asked him some questions about his life as one of the top junior golfers in the region. Mason started playing golf at the age of 5, and his dad got him into it because he also played golf. “I started going to the driving range with him and eventually he took me out to a couple of courses and then I started playing and that’s how I got into golf,” he recalls. He also says that his favorite thing about golf is that he is challenged and “every shot I hit is different from the last.” But will this amazing golfer play in high school and college? He told us that he wants to continue his golfing career in high school and beyond. When asked about any of his favorites for high school, he said he is aiming to go to Lane Tech.
 
In order to work or play at a high level at something, you have to practice. A lot. Mason practices 3 to 4 times a week and when he is not competing or in school he likes to set up a net in his backyard and hit golf balls. Considering how busy he is, you would think he would not have any time for clubs and activities but Mason still finds time to play saxophone in the Coonley Band. He also used to do cross-country. If there’s a sport you love, you probably have an idol in the pros that you look up to. “There’s so many great golfers out there, but I really look up to Tiger Woods because he changed the game so much by bringing athleticism and mental toughness.”
 
Mason has come a long way to get where he is today, and he doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon. Mason has worked so hard, and he definitely deserves to be in the championship. We’re wishing Mason luck in February, and we hope that with the new year, a new champion arises!

​Go Mason!!!

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