Van Wright
| Our Samoalive
Personality is Van Wright, who has become the top Samoan professional golf
player in 2002. During the 2002 New Zealand Open, the Samoans were glued to
their TVs and the Internet to track the progress of Van Wright as he maintained
a steady game throughout the tournament. Born on April 24th, 1977 in Samoa to a Samoan father and a Samoan/part-Chinese mother, Aleki and June Wright. The parents were often seen at the Royal Samoa Country Club course at Fagalii helping and supporting Van as he practiced and developed his game under the guidance of the local pro " Laauli" After becoming the top Samoan amateur from 1991 to 1993, Van moved to Hawaii where he lifted his game to a higher level winning a number of top amateur prizes in the State of Hawaii. Van also studied at the University of Hawaii where he graduated with honours with a BA degree. When Van turned professional in 2000, he made rapid progress in the regional tournaments, becoming second in the Samoa Open in June 2000 and the Tahiti Open July 2000. In 2001, after becoming a member of the PGA Australasia, Van made another move and went to Australia and concentrated on the circuit in Australia. After early 2000, there was very little media coverage on Van. However, the NZ Open in early 2002 and the media attention on Tiger Woods has also put the spot light on Van Wright who on the second day of the tournament had the same score as Woods. Van Wright has not been fazed by the presence of Tiger Woods, as both used to play together in the John Burns Intercollegiate in 1995 in the USA. Van Wright's goals are Short-term: · To make all cuts in the Top 20 in the main Tournaments · To increase fitness levels and to gain further patience. Long-term · Getting USA, Japanese and European PGA Tour Cards · Top 125 ranking in the USA · Top 125 ranking in the World The Samoalive Crew wishes Van Wright all the best in his goals. |