In just their second tournament as teammates, sisters Ashley and Amy Hong accomplished what no other duo had been able to in Head Coach Pat Wagner’s six year tenure as coach.

The pair shot 1-over, 73, en route to a first place finish in the two-person best ball format Highland Park Invitational on Aug. 17, pacing the team to a second place finish.

“Well, it was kind of funny,” said Ashley. “[Amy] and I just kept switching off having good holes. We were like, ‘How is this happening?’ It was crazy and awesome. We got really lucky.”

Wagner was confident that the duo would have success at the early season tournament due to the sisters’ contrasting styles of play.

“[Pairing them up] was an obvious choice for me,” said Wagner. “Ashley is a very consistent player and can sort of keep her sister focused, whereas Amy is a longer hitter who has more opportunities to make birdie.”

Ashley, a four-year varsity player and three-year captain, believes that having her freshman sister on the team has added a new dynamic to the relationship between the two.

“It was really nice to see [the other girls] welcome Amy,” said Ashley. “At this point, she seems more like a friend than a sister.”

After her early nervousness dissipated, Amy “got into a rhythm” playing with the team everyday. Amy did admit she has been having more difficulties of late.

“It was tough to adjust to balancing everything between school and golf,” said Amy. “Coming to school drains a lot of energy and focus, but I’m starting to get used to it.”

The Hong sisters acknowledge the added commitment of school has been extra difficult, especially considering the amount of time they spend at the golf course.

“Amy and I would try to go out and practice every day this summer,” said Ashley. “We’d try to spend like two to three hours practicing each time, so that was a lot of our summer.”

According to Wagner, the hard work and leadership that the sisters have displayed has the potential to pay dividends. He lists a team appearance at the state meet as a goal for the squad.

“[2011 graduate] Jill Saiki, right before Ashley, elevated the standard for the team,” said Wagner. “Ashley has added to that, and I think Amy has the ability to even further that standard over the next four years.”