A University of Texas at Arlington women's golf team sophomore is now part of Texas golf history.
Madison Le won the 102nd Women's Texas Amateur golf tournament at Eagle's Bluff Country Club near Bullard, Texas, about two hours southeast of Arlington. She defeated Austin's Sydney Givens 5 and 4 to claim victory in the tournament, which featured 80 entrants.
Le, the daughter of a UTA faculty member in the College of Business, said she saw positive flashes in her play but not anything to predict she'd win. After a qualifying round, she was seeded 26th out of 32 golfers going into the match-play format for the championship round.
"I didn't play that well in the qualifying round, but thought I was playing well enough to contend," Le said. "I really love the match-play format because it's more of a head-to-head competition instead of stroke play."
Le, a Mansfield High School graduate, defeated the seventh seed first, then the No. 10 seed, the No. 32 seed, the No. 16 seed and finally the No. 4 seed, Givens, in the match that earned her the crown.
Le, who is a finance and marketing major, said she loves golf because "I like having something to work for. You have to take accountability for your own game. You have to practice. You can't hide behind your own team if they're all good. Your scores speak for your performance."
Le's father, Chien Le, got her started in golf. He is a clinical associate professor and internship coordinator in UTA's College of Business.
"Madison started golfing in seventh grade," Chien said. "She loves to compete and has put in a lot of work along the way. It's great to see her dedication paying off."
Le said this summer has been all about that work.
"I've had a lot of lessons and have been playing really well this summer and have shown flashes," she said. "I scored a 67 in one round but didn't win the tournament, which was much smaller than this one. I knew it was coming, but you have to be patient. You have to stay cool in golf."
Evidently, even in the Texas heat, staying cool paid huge dividends for Le.
