Junior Tour of Northern California Alum Hannah O’Sullivan Makes History on Symetra Tour
Feb. 23, 2015
Former Junior Tour of Northern California member Hannah O’Sullivan fought off nerves to make history on the Symetra Tour.
O’Sullivan, still just 16, shot 15-under 201 to win this past weekend’s Gateway Classic at Longbow Golf Club. With the victory, Sullivan became the youngest ever winner on the tour, a developmental circuit for the LPGA Tour.
“It means so much. It’s a win I’ll never forget,” said O’Sullivan, a junior at Chandler Hamilton High in Arizona. “I knew I wasn’t supposed to think ahead about (winning). I was fighting it every single second, but I was happy with the way I was able to control it. I was able to play my game and focus on one shot at a time.”
While now an Arizona resident, O’Sullivan had a banner JTNC season in 2010. That year, she’d finish as the Top 12-13 year-old-girl on the Junior Tour. She also nearly won the NCGA Junior Championship, finishing T-3.
Cristie Kerr previously held the record for youngest Symetra Tour winner when she captured the 1995 Ironwood Futures Classic.
In Sunday’s finale, O’Sullivan, a member at The Olympic Club while she lived in the Bay Area, birdied four of the first eight holes and then coasted through the back nine to secure a four-stroke victory. Helping her stay cool and collected was her mother, Kyung Hwa Hur, who acted as O’Sullivan’s caddie.
“My putting was really good this week and it saved me every once in a while,” O’Sullivan said. “It helped having my mom on the bag keeping me calm. I told myself all I can do is just try and control my emotions, and do what I can do. … I stayed calm and it helped a lot.”
O’Sullivan trailed second place finisher Haley Italia after Friday, but jumped out to a 4-stroke lead after shooting a tournament record-tying 7-under 65 on Saturday.
-Jerry Stewart
