Where Are They
Now - Ryo Harada
Ryo Harada attended BGGA for a year. He now
attends New Mexico State University and plays on
the men’s golf team. Harada made headlines this
spring when he lead his team to their best finish of
the year, third place at the Jim West Intercollegiate.
Harada took home the individual title at the event
after a second-round, career-low 65. He was
then named the WAC Golfer of the Week for his
accomplishments on the course.
Get to
Q: How did you get started in golf?
I started playing golf because both of my parents
play golf, and they wanted to have a family golf trip.
Q: You love golf, so what drives your
passion for it?
I love golf because I can never be perfect and always
have things to work on. I also love golf because it is
individual sport, so I can’t blame anyone else when I
played bad. That motivates me a lot.
Q: What are your goals in golf?
My goals in golf are to win a PGA Tour tournament
and get a PGA Tour card.
Q: How is college going so far?
It was a busy semester because we had nine
tournaments, but I had so much fun! I can’t wait for
the next semester!
Q: How did BGGA prepare you for college?
Jonathan Yarwood taught me how to self-coach
myself so I can keep hitting balls well without a
coach for the semester. Ian Highfiel d’s mental
sessions were really important for me to focus on the
process during the tournament.
Q: What do you love about being a college
athlete?
I love college golf because it is at a higher level than
junior golf, and we have so many opportunities to
play at hard but beautiful golf course and play with
some great players.
Q: What has been one of the biggest
challenges about the new experience as a
college student?
The biggest challenge has been to keep playing well
in a limited time of practice since I don’t have a car.
Q. What’s it like playing for a team and not
just individually?
Playing as a part of the team is so much fun because
we can push each other but we still need to focus on
our game.
Q: What would you like people to know
about the experience at BGGA and how it
helped you achieve your goal?
My experience at BGGA was really great. I really liked
how convenient all the facilities were and how easy
they were to get to. BGGA gave me the opportunity
to just focus on golf and play all day everyday which
really helped me accomplish my goals.
Q. What part of your game improved while
at BGGA?
Every part of my game was improved while I was at
BGGA, but I would say my short game and mental
game were the most improved part of my game.
Q. Tell me about your recent 65 and your
win?
When I shot 65 I was hitting the ball well enough to
be aggressive but be a little conservative like two
yards on the safe side of the flag and keep hitting it
10 feet. I was focusing on the present so well, so after
the round I didn’t know how many under I was.
BGGA’S TOP FINISHES ON TOURS
Wendy Chen 2nd AJGA All-Star at Owensboro
Teddy Tetak T3 AJGA Davis Love III Junior Open
Hiroshi Tai 3 AJGA Evitt Foundation RK Junior All-Star
Thomas Pfoestl T4
AJGA Gary Woodland Championship
Thomas Pfoestl Qualified for U.S. Junior Amateur
Teddy Tetak Qualified for U.S. Junior Amateur
Kristine Yin 1
HJGT Lake Nona Junior Challenge