Iced Tee: Spartan Golfer Got Her Start Playing Hockey
Photo: Thomas Sanders
Spartan golfer Megan Osland, ’15 Recreation Management, knows how to swing more than a five iron. “I’m from Canada, so I like hockey,” she says, laughing. Osland spent her early years on the ice before her father put her into golf camp at age 10. Soon, she was playing both sports competitively. Why did the ice lover go for the green? “I love the challenge of golf,” she says. “You can always improve; it’s so satisfying to have a breakthrough.”
And break through she did. After five top-10 tournament finishes during her first three seasons, Osland was the medalist for the first time at the Wyoming Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate in September 2014. She credits mental endurance for her focus on the course, which clearly helps in the classroom, too: Osland was a second team All-WAC honoree for two seasons and a Dean’s Scholar last year. Her grades and game earned her a full scholarship at SJSU. “I wouldn’t have been able to play college golf in the U.S. without it,” she says.
Playing golf at SJSU has taught Osland what it means to have a team rely on her. “In most team sports, you work together. In golf, you improve yourself by yourself—for the team. Even if you feel like you’re not playing well, you can never quit.”
In addition to working hard for her team, Osland has another motivation: “I’m inspired by my dad,” says Osland, who plans to go pro after graduation. “He pushes me to be my best.”
