The drive to perfect: Westminster University golfer's championship summer

TAYLORSVILLE — Twenty-year-old Ashley Lam learned to play golf the way many do: chipping and putting around the golf course with her family. What set her apart was her refusal to stop improving.

Lam won the Utah Women's State Amateur Championship this summer, defeating six-time champion Kelsey Chugg in a match that came down to the final hole. The victory earned her more than a trophy, it brought her to the Utah State Capitol, where the state Senate honored her achievement.

"I never thought I'd be able to be recognized by them, but it's super cool," Lam said.

The win caps a remarkable run for the Westminster University junior. She's a high school state champion, holds back-to-back conference titles at Westminster, and earned NCAA Division II All-American honors. But the state amateur title felt different.

"The Utah State and definitely the last final match was probably the hardest because it was against Kelsey Chugg," Lam said. "She's a really good golfer. She's won it around like six times already."

Lam fell behind heading into the final holes. After a double on hole 17, she found herself in unfamiliar territory: down and doubting. That's when her brother offered simple advice:

"He just said to stop being a little baby and like just go out and play golf," Lam recalled.

It worked. She won on hole 18.

Lam learned the game at Fore Lakes Golf Course in her hometown of Taylorsville, where she trained with her dad and brother since childhood. The course taught her the fundamentals. Her family taught her something deeper.

Her parents came to America from Vietnam and built a life from the ground up, a sacrifice that fuels everything Lam does on the course.

"I'm really grateful that they have supported me throughout my whole golf career and got me to where I am," Lam said.

Success hasn't made Lam complacent. If anything, it's sharpened her hunger.

"What drives me is that there's no such thing as like, perfection," Lam said. "Even though I've won lots of ... competitions, there's always something you can work on. Like you'll never be ... totally happy with what you did because you'll make mistakes."

Lam is now focused on another strong college season at Westminster. Beyond that, she's chasing a professional golf career — a path few take, but for someone who refuses to settle, it's the only direction that matters.

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