Lizzie Win can certainly hold her head high.
The junior golfer captured her first ever individual title at the collegiate level when she led her team to victory at the 2018 Delaware Lady Blue Hen Invitational on Oct. 21.
Win shot 3-over-par for a total score of 216, good enough to break Seton Hall’s previous par-71 record held by Karlie Zabrosky. The outing also netted Win another Big East Women’s Golfer of the Week, her second such nomination this fall.
“Having that win under my belt is something that I’ve been working towards ever since I was a freshman,” Win said. “There were tournaments I should have won freshman year. There were tournaments I should have won my sophomore year, so now ending my fall season of my junior year with a win, and especially a team win, means a lot to me.”
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Photo via SHU Athletics[/caption]
Following Win’s performance, she was approached by her parents, Tom and Pamela. At first glance, the encounter was nothing out of the ordinary.
However, it was Lizzie’s mom, Pamela, who pulled out a pair of earrings for her daughter, which took the moment from ordinary to extraordinary. Lizzie’s father, Tom, bought the earrings for Pamela shortly after Lizzie was born and Pamela always knew she would pass them on to her daughter at a special life event.
“I had been carrying the sapphire earrings with me to every college tournament since freshman year in the event she would win,” Pamela Win said. “I was pretty confident that she would eventually win a tournament.”
Once it was official that Win captured her first individual title, Pamela moved into position to pass on the sapphire earrings, both a representation of Lizzie’s birthstone and Seton Hall blue.
“My parents have been there supporting me ever since day one,” Lizzie said. “They were extremely happy. It was so cute what they did.”
“I got a bit choked up as I was talking to her and she was clearly moved by the gesture,” Pamela said. “She admired them for a few moments then she put them on and wore them the rest of the afternoon. I hope that she will remember that day the rest of her life and every time she wears the earrings.”
Despite the happy ending, the tournament, especially on a day with extreme winds, was no fairy tale.
“If you know my golf game, you know I love hitting punch shots, so I do like to keep the ball low,” Lizzie said. “When the winds were the worst, that was when I would consider I was playing my best, which is what I think put me over the edge.”
Led by Win, the Pirates as a squad were also able to finish atop the tournament, making the individual win even sweeter.
“That made it a lot more special. Just putting those three rounds together was special for me, but also knowing that collectively as a team we can also do that and accomplish two wins at the same time is great,” Lizzie said.
Surrounding the Win family for the unveiling ceremony was Lizzie’s teammates and their families.
“We’re all really close,” Lizzie explained. “Having that moment with all of those people who are my home family and my home away from home family, made that really special.”
“My husband and I travel to every one of Lizzie’s golf tournaments,” Pamela said. “We love watching her play. We have grown close to her teammates and their families. Seton Hall women’s golf is truly a family affair.”
As for the plans for the earrings, Lizzie will be sure to follow through on her mom’s request to introduce a new pair into her ‘rotation’.
“From now on, I’m going to wear them in every collegiate tournament I play as a reminder of my parents and how they’ve supported me ever since I started golf when I was 6,” Lizzie said. “I love them, they’re awesome.”
Moving forward, Win has yet another reason to hold her head high, and she has a new pair of earrings to show off.
Nick Santoriello can be reached at nicholas.santoriello@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @NickSantoriello.
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