Christopher Chang said he first took his daughter Angelina out to the golf course so he could play a game.
“We just wanted to find an excuse to leave the wives and go on a golf course, to have some guy time,” said Christopher.
But quickly Angelina showed a keen passion for golf and a prodigious talent for the sport.
“She replaced the guys,” said Christopher. “The last time we played from the same yardages, I lost by 17 shots, so, it was a bit embarrassing to say the least, but obviously it's rewarding to see.”
Angelina has blossomed since that first time golfing with her dad, winning her first tournament aged seven, and going on to win more than 50 tournaments since then.
“My trophies are like really squeezed together because there's not enough room,” the 10-year-old said.
Angelina plays daily even through the Canadian winter, thanks to the golf simulator installed next to her bedroom. She largely plays at the Thornhill Club, although her playing schedule sees her travel near and far. The family is headed to Florida for a golfing holiday over Christmas.
The young prodigy has won competitions locally and beyond, facing top-level competition at tournaments throughout the U.S. She finished fourth in the world championships last year, held in Pinehurst, North Carolina. In another world championships tournament in Florida, she’s ranked as high as third, as well as playing at the drive, chip and putt finals at Augusta.
Chang was also recognized for her success by the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame as one of its two future hall-of-famers.
“Her golf has taken us to a lot of places and a lot of interesting experiences that, we would never dream about,” said Christopher.
Angelina cites Canadian golfer Brooke Henderson and American golfer Nelly Korda as some of her current favourites on the professional golf tour, and Angelina said she hopes to follow in their footsteps one day and join the PGA tour.
“She's got the competitive spirit basically to really push it,” said Christopher. “You can really see it like in the tournament, where she has that extra gear that she can shift into to win, to push herself to win. So it's it's definitely a unique trait.”
