The Golf Life Golfers We Like
When I was very young and
people talked about 9/11, I
didn’t know what it was. But
when we got to the age when
teachers started talking about
it, all the students would look at
me. My mom explained to me
about the perpetrators: “Those
people have nothing to do with
you, no matter what others say.
They in no way, shape or form
are related to you, and you
don’t have to defend yourself
from those who say otherwise.”Our house was on the
seventh hole at Empire Ranch
Golf Club. My dad played golf
and generally encouraged my
younger brother and me in
lots of sports. In high school,
I would hit balls at the range
until it was pitch black. I would
putt until I couldn’t see the cup
anymore. It was therapeutic.
Golf was time alone to make
sense of everything going on
in the world.
The first time I ever saw
myself reflected in society was
in 2016. Ibtihaj Muhammad
was the first female Muslim
American to win an Olympic
medal, in fencing, as well as
the first Olympian to compete
for Team USA while observing
the hijab.Being First is Hard
The game helped me
make sense of the world
by noor ahmed
I watched her first match,
which she won. When she took
off her mask, I cried. I finally
saw someone who looked like
me representing our country
in a sport. I didn’t realize how
much grief I was carrying, the
weight of having never seen
myself.
I know how hard being the
first is, and for Muhammad it
was on a global stage. I respect
the struggle she went through.
Nevertheless, I try to see myself
as just a golfer. As much as
I’m aware of how other people
see me, I’m not going to play
well if I’m thinking about the
bigger picture. I play best when
I try to play for myself, my
family, my team. As long as I’m
staying true to myself and my
character, hopefully that will
reflect well.
When I was a senior in
high school, I was invited to
The First Tee Congressional
Breakfast in Washington, D.C.
Not a lot of people came up and
introduced themselves to me.
During my speech, I choked
up a bit. I could be wrong, but
I think people in the audience
teared up, too. After my speech,
almost everyone in the room
came up and introduced
themselves.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay
Monahan was there. He asked
for my speech so that he could
deliver it to the people who
work at the PGA Tour. Since
then, I’ve met President George
W. Bush, Annika Sorenstam and
many leaders in golf. Getting
to develop relationships with
such people has been awesome.
There are not many sports
that can provide that kind of
opportunity.
I probably experience a little
more sexism on the golf course
than racism, though there has
been plenty of both. I’ve beencalled sweetheart and girlie a
lot. I get asked if I want to play
from the ladies’ tees all the
time, though that’s not the tees
where we play from. Through
two seasons at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln, my scoring
average is just a few decimals
over 76, on layouts that can be
6,300 yards or more.
I’m a Tiger Woods fan.
He’s had his share of haters.
I appreciate his dominance and
belief in himself. I’m trying
to emulate his confidence
because that’s the weakest part
of my game. Maybe also my
putting—I don’t make enough
of them. If I have a strength, it’s
probably course management.
My dad always tells me he
admires that I never quit during
a round. That’s really important
in college golf. You don’t know
if your score is going to count,
so you need to fight for every
stroke.
There are days when I’m
angry and upset. But people
who change the world for the
better are often angry and
upset. They took the initiative
to try to change the society that
created those negative feelings.
But I’ve also learned that it’s
exhausting to be angry all the
time. It’s more important to
have selective outrage.
I don’t plan to pursue golf
professionally. I’d like to work
in intercollegiate athletics. I’d
love to give back to sports by
working with student-athletes
who are going to go through
what I’m going through. It’s a
great way to start diversifying
the sports industry.
The attention I get from
my hijab probably freaks my
parents out more than it does
me. They’re parents. They have
a right to be worried for the
safety of their children. But I’m
just living my truth, and I hope
I’m encouraging others to live
theirs. —with john strege46 golfdigest.com | june 2019 Photograph by Keena
T
hey say I’m the first Division I
golfer to observe the hijab,
a traditional head covering for
Muslim women. Every time I stepon the course, it’s a reminder I’m different.
No other players look or dress like me. But
it also reminds me that I’m helping break
down stereotypes. My parents emigrated
from Egypt and settled in Folsom, Calif.
Growing up Muslim American, I was told
straight up that people who look like me
don’t belong in this country. I’ve heard
every racial slur. It got worse when I started
wearing the hijab in seventh grade. I
think it’s an obligation for women to dress
modestly. The attention was hard, but I had
watched older cousins go through it. I was
so sure of my decision that I had prepared
myself mentally for what would follow.