“(My father) was pretty surprised by my question,” she mentioned. “He asked me if I really wanted to play this sport and I said, ‘yes,’ and he got me a coach and I started playing golf.”
The leisure used to be historical past.
Essien entered her first pageant the similar yr and proved to be a herbal, hanging first in her age workforce. “I found that really cool,” she mentioned.
“I’m really proud of representing my country because I’m making a name for myself and for my country,” she mentioned.
“Everything happens for a reason — even though you come second or third, it means that you’re getting closer and closer to first,” she mentioned, noting the revel in of enjoying on a world-renowned direction used to be a win in itself. “The fact that I could play on the same course as Rory Mcllroy played on and be in the same vicinity of all that history was really very important to me.”
As she continues to make a reputation for herself and her nation, Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari is taking realize. Following the match, the president’s adviser launched a commentary announcing Buhari, “joins all Nigerians in celebrating this great teenager who is doing so much for the country.”
“It was really unexpected, and I appreciate it,” Essien informed CNN in reaction.
Following her goals
Time and time once more, Essien has confirmed she is not scared of a problem. While she incessantly reveals herself competing in opposition to older gamers, she says it if truth be told “gives me even more motivation just to do better.”
She says her positivity and power is encouraged through one in all her biggest function fashions, Tiger Woods.
“He has shown a lot of resilience in the game,” she mentioned, noting his efforts to push via a sequence of accidents and profession setbacks. “He just keeps playing golf and he really loves the sport, even though he’s not winning.”
Essien says the absence of a extra established {golfing} program has been difficult, specifically with regards to financing.
She says her circle of relatives has been “instrumental” in investment her profession, however it is been a “struggle” and believes, “if I had a huge pot to work with, I would have done more competitions over the years than I did and won more trophies.”
Wanting to pursue extra alternatives, Essien, who used to be born within the state of New York however raised in Nigeria, moved again to the USA in 2021 to join the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut.
“The competition is high (in the US),” Essien mentioned. On a mean day, {the teenager} says she usually practices for 3 hours after elegance, and it may be tricky to navigate the sophisticated dance between pursuing a qualified profession and being an “average” youngster.
“Sometimes I actually really want to go hang out my friends and just relax and be a teenager basically. But there are also priorities. I have to remember that if I want to be in a higher place in golf or in school then I have to put in the time in the work,” she mentioned.
Inspiring the following technology
In addition to changing into a golfing professional, Essien desires to pursue a point in engineering with a specialization in synthetic intelligence.
“I hope to get a golf scholarship to a (top) university… and if it becomes possible, I hope to play in the LPGA,” she mentioned.
With a budding profession forward, she additionally hopes to pave the best way for different Nigerians for apply in her footsteps.
“I hope my achievements and where I am right now in golf can actually motivate Nigerians who want to play golf,” she mentioned, leaving aspiring golfers with this piece of recommendation: “work hard and keep a good mentality because everything happens for a reason and in due time, everything will go your way.”
