HEIDI CHUA–Her Way On The Fairway

There is a certain air of inimitability once the topic of golf is brought up. Businessmen and corporate giants are usually photographed in their crisp white shirts standing in the middle of the sprawling golf course for Forbes magazines. One could just imagine these "big bosses" talking about stocks, their newly acquired yacht, or buying a million worth of shares. Members of what we often call the "elite" are often spotted by the paparazzi taking a swing at that little white ball with their Big Bertha clubs. "Lunch at Hong Kong after the game?" they would probably say. It is almost as if golf is a birthright considering the very select number of people who can actually afford the luxury of expensive memberships, golf clubs, and caddies. Of course, I could be stereotyping, as the closest I have ever gotten to a golf course is its snack bar, and the only time I held a club did not exactly turn out to be a picture perfect episode.

Very fortunately, not everyone is as disastrous on the golf course as I am. Definitely not 26-year old Heidi Chua whose shelves have ran out of space from the myriad of trophies she has bagged over the years. Determination, focus, practice, hard-work, and a knee injury has turned US Juniors Badminton Team member for the 1996 Olympics Heidi into the best amateur golfer in the country. "Since I got injured, I began to play golf instead. Actually, I started because of a bet I had with my dad in college. He said that if I reached a certain handicap, he’d buy me a car," she recalls. Sure enough, Heidi soon found herself driving around town, from one tournament to another, golf clubs safely tucked in her trunk, in her very own set of wheels. Injured she may have been, but her zero handicap has taken her to the California Women’s Championships, Asian and Southeast Asian Games, Southern Ladies Tournament, and the Philippine Open just to name a few. However, Heidi reveals, "I’ve also lost many tournaments. It is from losing that I learn more. But of course the main thing the drives me is wanting to win." Very simply put, you win some, you lose some–and that would include Heidi. "I’ve have always believed in taking it easy on the game, enjoy it. Don’t waste too many hour beating yourself up just because you had a bad game."

It’s rather difficult to image how chasing a little white ball around acres of a perfectly lawned fairway could even be the slightest bit of interesting or exciting. In fact, to describe golf as serious would be an understatement to people like me. Well, Heidi has this to say: "I try to get the fun out of the game. I know the fundamentals of the game, but I would say that I’m the creative type of golfer. I try to be inventive with my techniques." As the tag line for NBA would say, " I LOVE THIS GAME". And although this is no showdown of rebounds and three-pointers on the fairway, Heidi would say the same, a Titleist club at hand, ready to make that hole-in-one shot. "It takes a lot of practice and heart. Golf really takes a whole lot of time. Almost everything I do has something to do with the sport like working out at the gym and pilates, " she shares, as proud friends, aunts, and titos teased her now and then.

The golf course may not exactly be the war front, but it’s a battle anyhow–one where ultimately, you are your own opponent. But then again, this could be a presumptuous statement on my part. Heidi’s avowal would most certainly be more reliable as she shares that, " Before a tournament, I usually pray and try to relax myself so that I don’t wake up in the middle of the night thinking about tomorrow’s game." Now, there’s a revelation–even champs get a dose of cold feet after all! So on that big day, I wonder, how strange does she get before tee-off? "Well, I write ‘game na’ on my golf balls" And game is obviously is. And as if all her accomplishments were not enough, she enthusiastically shares, "I’m turning pro for the US LPGA in August."

She has gone beyond what is called "the extra mile." Bringing pride to the country, Heidi has hit enough golf balls, making her a world-class Filipino. She will get on that fairway, get a hold of that much-coveted title, get her photos taken, sign a few autographs and an break into a million-dollar smile. All that, Heidi Chua will do her way.