Surrey golfer hopes Canadian Open is first of many pro events
Posted August 25, 2023 1:40 pm.
Last Updated August 25, 2023 1:42 pm.
A local golfer is hoping this weekend’s lone Canadian LPGA event will be the first of many professional tournaments she’ll be taking part in.
Angela Arora is one of a handful of amateur golfers included in the field at the Canadian Open held at Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club.
The Surrey native tells OMNI News she relishes the chance to play alongside professionals.
“The LPGA setup of a golf course is so tough. To be able to test my game on an LPGA course and against the best in the world, this is such an amazing opportunity,” she said.
“I know my game’s there. If my game’s on, I know that I’m so close to reaching that level and I know what I need to tweak.”
Angela Arora taking a practice swing. She is competing in her first professional event at the LPGA Canadian Open in Vancouver. (OMNI News Image)
‘Yes, I’m the golfer’
Arora first got into golf at seven years old when her dad also picked up the sport. When she wasn’t walking alongside her father during his games, she says she would ask her mother to take her to the driving range, even in the middle of winter.
At 10 years old, Arora began taking lessons and competing in tournaments against some of the region’s top golfers in her age group.
“To be honest, I feel like I was a little bit of a later bloomer,” she said.
“After playing so many tournaments, I was learning so much each and every time. So taking all that learning and utilizing that learning, I think that’s what made me pretty good pretty fast.”
Angela Arora practicing after her first round at the LPGA Canadian Open — her first professional tournament. (OMNI News Image)
Within months of regular competition, Arora began racking up the wins, learning some valuable lessons about the sport along the way.
“It’s not just a physical challenge, it’s a mental challenge and every day is so different. You can play so good one day then one day your swing can be off. So it’s just constantly being on yourself,” she said.
“It’s like a competition with myself and I’m very competitive, so I love it.”
While attending Frank Hurt Secondary School, Arora says she quickly became known for her sport of choice.
“It was cool to be the golfer of our school,” she said. “My yearbook quote was ‘Yes, I’m the golfer’.”
That reputation seemingly stemmed beyond her community, with NCAA schools contacting her about playing for them as soon as she finished Grade 10. She eventually chose the University of Tennessee, where she recently completed her first year.
Despite being 4,300 kilometres away from family, Arora says she went into her first year of university with one goal in mind.
“Even though there was culture shock and I was away from home, because of all the golf, I just felt really good at school,” she said.
“I was just so focused on getting my first NCAA win.”
Arora accomplished that goal, winning the 2023 Clover Cup tournament earlier this year for her first collegiate title.
Arora happy to represent Punjabi community
With one year as a college athlete under her belt, a sponsorship, and now her first professional opportunity, Arora says she always keeps her roots in mind.
“Being Punjabi and being into golf and at an elite level, it makes me really happy that I can represent my community well,” she explained.
“Whenever I see any Punjabi kids at golf courses, I try to encourage them because I think it’s such an amazing sport.”
Angela Arora taking a practice shot after her first round at the LPGA Canadian Open in Vancouver. (OMNI News Image)
Arora knows firsthand how important role models can be having looked up to another Canadian pro, Brooke Henderson.
“She’s such a role model for all of us Canadians. She’s done so well in the LPGA Tour. I used to look at her junior results and my junior results and I used to be like ‘Okay, so I’m close’,” she said.
“I’m constantly comparing and striving to have such a good career like hers.”
From the college attention, to now competing professional, Arora’s mother, Rupa, says she’s confident her daughter will be successful.
“Not in a million years would I have thought I would have an athletic kid, let alone a golfer,” she said. “Her passion, her drive, her discipline and her thought process … I’m such a proud mother.”
