By Pete Borello
It was curiosity that led an 8-year-old Rachel Schwartz to pick up a golf club for the first time.
“I thought it was kind of interesting when (my dad) told me about the driving range; I thought it was a place you hit golf balls off of parking lots,” she recalled. “I was worried about hitting the cars. But it wasn’t what I thought — it was better.”
Ten years after that eye-opening trip to the range, Schwartz is among the best junior golfers in the Bay Area. She proved that by winning the 61st annual Santa Clara County Women’s Championship, held Aug. 4 and 5 at the San Jose Country Club.
Schwartz, who plays out of the Los Altos Golf & Country Club, posted a two-round score of 160; runner-up and four-time county champ Barbara Vandeweghe shot 163.
Schwartz recovered from a rough first round (”I was hitting into the trees all day,” she said) to seize the title with a solid second-round performance on the tricky San Jose course. And the 18-year-old credits an interested spectator with aiding her turnaround.
“My future coach at San Jose State (Nancy Lewis) came to watch me the first day,” said Schwartz, who shot a first-round 83, “and her comments helped me.”
Schwartz said she was more focused the next day, allowing her to climb from fourth to first with a tournament-best 77.
“I stayed out of trouble and gave myself opportunities to score,” the San Jose resident said. “I didn’t hit a lot of brilliant shots, but I didn’t hit a lot of terrible shots, either — it was just consistency.”
Schwartz hopes that consistency stays with her this week in Columbus, N.J., where she’s playing in the 35th annual Independent Insurance Agent Junior Classic at Olde York Country Club. The tournament, considered one of the majors of junior golf, runs through Friday.
This will be Schwartz’s last junior event before embarking on her college career at San Jose State. Schwartz, who was home schooled, wasn’t recruited by the Spartans — she contacted them. After coach Lewis got a chance to watch Schwartz play, she offered her a scholarship.
“I expect to play right away,” said Schwartz, who will be the only freshman on the team. “That’s one of the reasons I was interested in going there. The only way to get better is by playing.”
Schwartz has been doing plenty of that this summer. Her typical week includes three to four rounds of golf and six days of practice. She is especially trying to improve in two areas: “my precision and staying focused for the entire round.”
As for her strengths, Schwartz lists her short game and ability “to go out and do what I need to do and not get caught up in the score.”
While the county championship is definitely something Schwartz will put on her ever-growing golf resume, she isn’t going to put it at the top. She said her biggest victory came at last summer’s California State IIAJC Junior Classic at DeLaveaga Golf Course in Santa Cruz.
She won’t be returning to her home course at Los Altos for awhile (it’s undergoing renovations), but Schwartz said she’s appreciates all the club has done for her. Not only did Schwartz play at Los Altos for four years on scholarship, but she also got the chance to practice with LPGA star Juli Inkster, whose husband Brian is club pro.
“When you’re around a hall of famer like Juli,” Schwartz said, “it’s hard to be in awe of anyone.”
And did she pick up any tips from Inkster?
“She told me to keep practicing — even in the heat,” Schwartz said.
