INPERSON
Making History
He began playing on courses around the
age of five, and became interested in playing
competitively in eighth grade, after he saw his
brother competing on the high school team.
“I saw how much fun it was, so I want ed to
do it too,” he says.
Chris joined the high school team as
a freshman and then, in 2014, claimed
the WPIAL AA Golf Championship as a
sophomore. Despite that success, he felt he
still had plenty of room for improvement.
“I’d say I’ve matured a lot over the past two
years. When I was younger, it was harder for
me to let bad shots go. I’d get frustrated and it
would affect the rest of my game,” he explains.
“Now, once the shot’s over, I don’t worry about
it. I move on.”
His mother has witnessed the progression.
“I am so proud of the hard work, dedication
and perseverance that Chris has displayed
over the last few years to attain his goals in
golf,” Jennifer Tanabe says. “Winning the state
championship was a great finish to his high
school golf career. I have enjoyed traveling
with him and watching him compete, and look
forward to cheering him on as he continues
competitive golf at the college level.” n
Quaker Valley senior Chris
Tanabe is the school’s first
state championship golfer.
By Jennifer Brozak
F
or Quaker Valley High School golfer
Chris Tanabe, the third time was
definitely the charm.
In October, Tanabe, a senior, won the PIAA
Class AA Golf Championship at Heritage
Hills in York, Pa., becoming the first boys
team golfer to win a state golf championship in
the school’s history.
This was Chris’ third trip to the state
championship. As a sophomore, he finished
15th and last year he came in second. He cited
inexperience for not being able to clinch the
title last year—a situation he didn’t want to
repeat.
“I made a lot of silly mistakes last year,”
Chris said. “The pressure and my nerves
just got to me. I was feeling a lot of negative
thoughts, and it cost me the tournament.”
This year, he says, he had the wisdom of the
sport that only maturity can bring.
“Unlike last year, when I was standing over
the ball I wasn’t having any of those negative
thoughts. I felt more confident,” he says.
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The son of Jennifer and Scott Tanabe of
Sewickley, Chris fought through high winds
and lower-than-average temperatures to
finish with a two-day total of 146, beating
Riverside freshman and WPIAL champion
Skyler Fox by one stroke.
“After finishing second last year, I
definitely wanted to improve and win it, and
after being four strokes back after the first
day, I knew making a comeback was doable,”
he says. “I had to be patient and I was, and I
made some really good shots that helped me
win it.”
Because Skyler wasn’t in his group, Chris
didn’t immediately know he had won the
tournament.
“All I had in my head [when I finished]
was that I had given it my best, and that’s all
I could do,” he says.
His first exposure to golf came when he
was just a toddler. “I had a set of plastic golf
clubs that I used to swing all over the house
and yard,” Chris says with a laugh.