In Their Own Words: Hayden Hui

It was two months ago when my coach texted the team: “As of right now, all sports are suspended.” At the time, my mind was occupied with schoolwork and upcoming finals, so I wasn’t able to fully process the information. “Suspended?" I thought to myself. “Does that mean it’s only temporary?” Later that day, when I heard that the NBA also canceled its season, it became very clear to me that my collegiate golf career was over. I wasn’t angry, I was just disappointed.

Reminiscing about my time at UC San Diego, there have been lots of ups and downs, but overall it was an experience that I will hold onto for a long time. I was never formally recruited to the team. I was just an average high school player who luckily got a spot on the team because a couple of guys quit. On paper, I wasn’t as good as the other recruits of my year, but the team still welcomed me with open arms. My first two years were a big learning experience for me. Besides our win at the very first tournament of my freshman season, we were consistently finishing near the bottom of the leaderboard. I knew I needed to elevate my game as well as help the other guys on the team do the same. I looked to my former coach, who helped me identify the weaknesses in my physical and mental games. I worked hard to improve myself and set a good example to motivate my teammates.

Schoolwise, because I didn’t declare my major in structural engineering until sophomore year, I was always a little behind in my classes. Luckily, I had my teammates who helped me relieve stress by playing card games, getting a California burrito, having friendly (but not so friendly) matches on the racquetball courts at RIMAC, and playing spikeball at the beach. It was nice knowing that I wasn’t alone in the struggle of balancing school and golf.

Junior year rolled around and we had the most rewarding season of my college career. I remember finishing the final round of the NCAA Regional Championship and walking towards my team, hoping to hear the good news that we made it to the NCAA Championship. I knew I had played well enough to qualify individually, but I wasn’t quite sure if the team played well enough to qualify. Before I reached my teammates, my coach approached me and said, “We made it!” My heart started pumping hard, filling up with happiness and excitement for what was in store for us. The following week, we travelled to West Virginia to compete in the NCAA Championship. Our trip consisted of blasting “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, losing golf clubs at the tiniest airport ever, and eating at a certain restaurant a lot. Though we did not make it very far into the tournament, we enjoyed every second of it.

All in all, I am extremely grateful to UC San Diego, my coaches, and my teammates for providing a home where I was able to grow and create lifelong connections. It always seems like once something is gone, that’s when you begin to appreciate it. That’s why the most important lesson I’ve learned from the last four years is to stay in the present and enjoy every moment of it.

Hayden Hui is a senior on the UC San Diego men's golf team. He is a two-time GCAA/PING All-West Region and All-CCAA First Team performer and also garnered GCAA/PING All-America Honorable Mention accolades in 2019. Off the course, the structural engineering major from Dublin, Calif., is a two-time CCAA All-Academic honoree. As a junior, he earned Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar and  CoSIDA Academic All-District awards.

"In Their Own Words" is an on-going series highlighting UC San Diego senior scholar-athletes. Below are previous "In Their Own Words" stories:

• Derek Fordham (swim and dive)
• Alyssa Wing (softball)
• Chloe Wight (tennis)
• Melanie Jaffe (rowing)
• Ryan Lew (volleyball)
• Reilly Gallagher (water polo)
• Jessica Rieble (volleyball)
• Claudia Cox (track and field)
   

About UC San Diego
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program begins a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors during its time in Divisions II and III. A total of 82 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have been awarded prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.

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