Golfer Christine Chang CC’28 is one to watch. Her rookie season was highlighted by a standout performance at the 2025 Ivy League Women’s Golf Championship, where she logged a trifecta of rounds under par — at 70, 71 and 69 — setting a new school record for scoring across 54 holes. Chang also finished the year with a 74.32 stroke average, the lowest single-season average in team history, and was named First Team All-Ivy League.

But for all that golf prizes individual play, Chang’s ambition is largely for the team. “My big end goal is to help the team to become more known, like Columbia fencing is really well known,” she says. “I want to change that narrative for women’s golf and for Columbia specifically. And in trying to reach that goal, I’m just trying to play as best I can, trying to push the team to do their best. Which they all do — everyone puts in so much effort, it’s inspiring to see.”

Outside of golf, Chang didn’t have much time to explore extracurriculars her first year, but she’s been researching ways to get involved now. That includes both on campus (“the knitting club seems like it’d be stress free”) and off. “I hope I can land on volunteering or something that lets me be part of a community outside of school,” she says. In the meantime, she’s gearing up for the Lions’ fall season, which kicks off with a tournament in Delaware on Sept. 15–16.

How did you get into golf?

I’m technically now from Orlando, Fla., but I grew up in Auburn, Ala. That’s where I started my golf journey. My dad wanted a family sport that we could all play. It’s me, my mom, my dad and my little brother — my dad said, “Oh, it’d be fun if in the future we could all play golf on the weekends.” I think I was 5 or 6. I got put into a couple lessons and it stuck. I did my first tournament at around 10 and from there, I just kept going. I wasn’t the strongest junior player; I didn’t win big events. I just chugged along and did the best I could. I’ve been fortunate to have great mentors — Andrew Pratt, who used to be Auburn’s associate head coach, and now in Florida, Ron Grotjan.

Did you play on your high school team?

So, I went to Lee-Scott Academy in Alabama. There was no girls’ golf team, but when I was in 7th grade I wanted to join a team, and so I became the only girl on the school’s golf team. From 7th through 12th grade. That was a unique experience. There were some hard times; at the first tournaments, the other players were like, “Why is a girl here? Why do I have to compete against this girl? This is too easy.”

I had to have the mental setting of, this is where I am. I know I’m good at golf and I think I can do something with it. So I stuck with it and let my skills prove that I was able to be there and able to compete. It ended up being a great time. And as I got older and as I got better, I was leading the team — for most of my high school years. My 11th-grade year we got pretty close to winning the high school state championship and the following year we won it. It was the first time in about seven years.

I’d like to think that I helped other girls join golf teams at other schools; word got around and, as time went on, I got to see other girls playing and there ended up being a girls’ section in some of the high school tournaments that we went to. That whole experience was a big part of me learning how to advocate for myself and trust myself.

Wow! And then how did you come to choose Columbia?

When I was around 14, I decided that I wanted to do college golf. I actually met [Columbia head women’s golf] Coach [Amy] Weeks in 7th grade — I was at a golf camp, and I knew from then on that I wanted to be coached by her. I loved her leadership, the way she carried herself. I felt this energy coming off of her, and I knew I could grow as a person if I just could work with her. From then on, Columbia was my number one. I also loved New York City as I got older and had chances to visit. I thought it’d be fun to have four years in the city; not a lot of people get that opportunity.

I love being on this team; I’ve made great friendships. The transition [from high school] felt easy because I was surrounded by good people. The upper-class teammates helped with classes, how to get around, just extra information. We did all these hangouts; the team has great chemistry. I really think that’s what helped us this past year. We relied on each other, we trusted each other, we trusted our games and we trusted that, in the end, it would come together.

What are you proudest of in your game?

If you asked me this question a couple of years ago, I wouldn’t have answered this way. But now, it’s my mental game. So much of golf is mental — you’re out there by yourself, having to make decisions by yourself. You can’t be perfect every time. You’re going to have terrible shots but also great shots. The up and down throughout the tournament is very impactful; it’s like, “Man, I wish I could just hit the shot like this all the time.” But it doesn’t work that way.

This past year, I worked on that — I worked on being confident in myself, not doubting myself, not letting negative thoughts impact me. It’s been a good thing, and it’s really changed the way I play golf. Especially when I’m putting. I knew I needed to be stronger there, because that’s where you score, so I really worked on my putting over the summer before my first year and again in the winter season. During the spring season, I think all that work showed up and began to reflect in my scores.

What’s been your most meaningful experience so far as a golfer?

I was a part of an after-school golf camp in Auburn; it was led by my coach at that time. I really liked doing that — teaching kids how to play, how to get involved in the game. They were 4–8 years old. I learned how to get to their level and make it understandable for them, but also fun. It was stressful at times. [laughs] They don’t know how it can hurt when you get hit by a club or by a ball; that’s part of the learning aspect. But I liked being that leader, and hopefully I inspired one of them to stick with the game. I’d love to volunteer with something like that again.

What’s been your favorite class and why?

I really liked my University Writing class. I took one that was more medical-based because I’m pre-med. My professor was Dr. Sarah Wingerter; she was great. She was a college athlete herself, so it was helpful to see how I can pursue both of my wants at the same time. Plus I like writing in general. I enjoyed reading the articles and talking about bringing humanities into the medical world and not being so robotic. It was great information to have, and discussing it in class with my peers was a great time.

How do you like to take advantage of living in New York City?

My friends and I usually go to Koreatown to grab some good food. Walking around the city is great — there’s so much to do and see, and I love people watching. I do that wherever I am. I also love being part of this culture where everybody is so different, and yet at the same time, we’re living this life that’s similar — we’re all dealing with the fun parts of it, the more difficult parts of it, all at the same time. I love seeing that and knowing that even though we’re all individuals, we’re part of that.