Orange Lutheran senior Audrey Sung has always loved sports, and thanks to her grandmother, she found herself with a golf club in her hand at age eight. The two spent a significant amount of time together when Sung was young, and if her grandmother was out on the course, so was she.
 
Sung views golf as a sport that can never be perfected, and that is exactly why she continues to play.
 
"I love how golf can be great sometimes and how it can be difficult on other days," says Sung. "It's that persistence and resilience that keeps me coming back because that setback or that challenge is what I crave."
 
As a captain for the Lancers, Sung keeps her focus on servant leadership to help those around her play to the best of their abilities and shine in their own way. Her goals this season are to grow as a person and player and to help her teammates play as a strong and unified group.
 
"Audrey is an individual that truly embodies grit and determination in our program," says OLu girls golf head coach Dustin Boburka. "Audrey began her career here at OLu on the JV team and was relatively new to golf. She has worked incredibly hard every offseason to make it onto the varsity team and be a contributor at that level. She made it to CIF Individual Regionals last year and looks to lead our team this year as we hope to make a deep playoff run. Audrey has been a great leader in our program, and I know that the Lord has great things ahead for her."
 
Playing a solo sport such as golf is a completely different experience when competing with a team, and Sung has enjoyed the camaraderie that she shares with her fellow Lancer golfers.
 
"It's such a great joy," says Sung of playing golf for OLu. "You're grinding and you're putting yourself out there, but then with a high school golf team, you're getting a whole new view where you can meet new people who have the same goals as you. And then you can support each other in those goals together."
 
Playing golf for OLu has brought Sung a number of highlight moments, including last season when she shot a personal best even score. But the sport has also provided lessons in persistence that she will carry with her for a lifetime.
 
"No matter the setback, no matter the challenge, I just keep pushing," says Sung. "I've applied that to a lot of aspects of my life…and I feel like it's helped me grow as a person, as a student and also as a child of God."
 
Off the links, Sung loves to ski and surf, and she is involved in several service organizations, including OLu Ambassadors, Key Club, where she serves as OLu chapter president, and Special Olympics, a place where the 16-year old to uses her love for sports to give back.
 
"I realized that since I really like sports and I love golf, I want to help people who enjoy the same things as I do," says Sung. "Special Olympics is a great way to give back to my community."
 
A member of OLu's STEM Pathway, Sung is currently planning to pursue pre-med on her way to possibly becoming a surgeon. While she doesn't plan on playing golf collegiately, she knows it will be a sport she will continue recreationally.
 
Sung's strongest role models are her parents, who have supported her both in academics and athletics, as well as her grandmother who introduced her to golf all those years ago. And she is grateful to OLu for providing a place to grow in her sport and in her faith.
 
"I always found comfort in that we are a religious-based school where we can express our faith, no matter what," says Sung. "He's with us, no matter what shot you play. If it's good or bad, he has a plan."