Ava Zeng continuing family’s D-I golf legacy at Columbia
NEW YORK (BVM) – When Columbia University freshman women’s golfer Ava Zeng first practiced the sport, things looked a bit different. The youngest daughter of two Chinese immigrants, Zeng and her three sisters hit golf balls on a soccer field near their house as her parents didn’t really know much about the sport.
“We would take huge chunks of grass out of the soccer field which is so bad like I would never do that now and we got in trouble for it,” Zeng said. “My parents knew nothing about golf. A lot of people when they hear that me and my sisters play they’re like, ‘Oh then your parents must play,’ and they do not at all.”
Despite their unusual start in the sport, Zeng and her sisters were able to find incredible success in golf. Before joining the team at Columbia this fall, each of Zeng’s three older sisters, Courtney, Kelsey and Taylor, played at the Division I level as well at Vanderbilt, Stanford and Columbia, respectively.
“Being the youngest and seeing all three of my sisters play at such a high level athletically and academically it definitely gave me a lot of pressure and expectation for myself,” Zeng admitted. “My parents however were not too pressuring on me. They wanted me to follow my own path and wanted me to do what I wanted to do, but I also really wanted to play college golf. It’s been a dream for me since I was 6 years old.”
@courtneyzeng Not one left behind ⛳️💪🏼 #D1 #golf #golftok #athletes #d1athlete #college #collegesports #collegegolf #stanford #columbiauniversity #vanderbilt #top50 #florida #golfers #golfgirl #sisters #ivyleague #pac12 #sec #ncaa #ncaagolf
Given the success of her older siblings, Zeng was provided with a blueprint for how to make her dream come true.
“It was honestly so helpful to see three people that you’re so close with go through the same experiences you had,” Zeng said. “Whenever I would feel super stressed or anxious or sad, they were the perfect people to talk to because they also went through the exact same situation. Also, it was nice because it helped me know what I needed to work on, what I needed to prioritize, playing certain tournaments, and how I should be formatting my emails to coaches for recruiting. It helped me stay on track.”
@courtneyzeng Golf girls #golf #golftok #golfer #sisters #zengsisters #fall #thanksgiving
Not only did Zeng have her sisters to look up to, but also her parents. Victor and Jennifer Zeng came to the United States in search of better opportunities for their family.
“They both came to America hoping for a better life when they were young, they had to learn English on their own because they didn’t know any English,” Ava said. “I remember my mom telling me a story when she first came to America she went to McDonald’s and that was the first time she tried ketchup in her entire life.”
When their children wanted to play golf, an expensive sport at the youth levels, the Zengs did whatever they could to give their girls a chance.
“We started golfing at a club and my mom actually got a job there as the cart lady so we could play there for free because obviously it’s very expensive to raise four daughters in golf,” Zeng said. “Their experience gave me a little pressure because they spent all this time and money towards this sport and if I didn’t achieve my goal for myself it would feel very wasteful and guiltful because I wasted their time and money.
“It gave me a push of motivation and I didn’t want to let them down and so it made me want to work harder to make them proud. I give them credit for this entire journey, me and all my sisters agree. They were really the ones who got us through everything and got us to this point. Every day, either my mom and dad would practice with one of us after school for hours, drive us to tournaments…so it definitely felt very rewarding not just for myself but for them because of all they sacrificed for me and my sisters.”
@courtneyzeng Replying to @Julia T which parent do we look like the most? #sisters #fyp #family #firstgen #chinese #greenscreen #mom #dad
From being inspired by her parents’ journey to watching her sisters play and heeding their advice over everything from golf to the ACT, Zeng was able to achieve her dream of playing at the collegiate level after she earned an opportunity to play at Columbia. The day she was offered by head coach Amy Weeks was a special moment the family got to share together.
“I remember right when she offered me and the call ended I immediately started sobbing because it’s so crazy starting from such a young age you work your entire life, middle school, high school to get to that point,” Zeng said. “I told [my mom] and she started crying … Immediately, I called my sisters and they were crying and my dad was crying. Honestly, it was probably one of the most rewarding moments of my life.”
@avazeng A dream come trueee💙💙 #signingday #D1 #columbiauniversity #columbia #columbiaclassof2027 #golf #golftok #golftiktok #nyc #college #senior #nli #athletics
Now a collegiate golfer, Zeng hopes her and her sisters will inspire the next generation of Asian golfers. As a first-generation American with immigrant parents, Zeng didn’t always get treated well. She was able to find inspiration from Asian female golfers like Lydia Ko and Inbee Park to help her through those difficult times and hopes other up-and-coming Asian female golfers can do the same with her and her sisters.
“I just remember growing up in a predominantly white area, I was one of the only Asian kids in my grade at my school, and after that I realized how important it is to find someone in your own culture to look up to because all the time people would say snarky comments to me about being Asian and playing golf,” Zeng said. “I just feel very honored and grateful that I can be that person to someone else because I think it’s so important to have someone you know who looks like you and has the same lifestyle as you because it feels comforting and you don’t feel like a stranger at all.”
@avazeng Back at my home course☺️☺️ #golf #golftiktok #golftok #golfers #golfswing #golfgirl #fl #florida #swingvideo #golfcourse
Zeng hopes that people can take away from her story that through hard work and belief in yourself, you can reach your goals.
“Even though literally my family came to America with nothing in their 20s, you can also achieve and accomplish these things,” Zeng said. “A lot of people think, ‘Oh to play golf or anything at the D-I level you have to be super rich or super crafty’ but no, you can do anything you want if you just put your mind to it and have a good support system. If you want it, you can do it.”
