A Two-Year Break and New Outlook Proving to be a Success for Award Winner Christine Wong

 By: Shelby Dechant 

Christine Wong found herself in tears after hearing her name called out as the recipient of the Brooke Henderson Female Player of the Year Award at the 2021 PGA of Canada National Awards. It was only a few years earlier that Wong vowed she was done with the sport. 

Wong, a two-time B.C. Women’s Amateur champion, dominated the field this year at the DCM PGA Women’s Championship of Canada, shooting 70-69, winning by five strokes to claim the newly named Lorie Kane Trophy. Just a few short weeks later, she competed in the PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada, making the cut, and placing in a tie for 32nd.

Wong took a two-year hiatus from the game in 2015. She says the break was crucial for her to reground herself with her goals and to find a new approach to success. 

“I found a new outlook in life that helped me as an individual - balance. I learned that I needed balance in my life, and I was going to find out how,” says Wong. “I would have never found this balance if I didn't take a step back from the game.”

 This balance has come after two decades in the sport. Wong started playing the game as a young girl with her sister, Stephanie (who was also a nominee at the National Awards), and dad in Richmond, BC. Wong said the sport came naturally to her; she was always a determined player knowing from a young age that she had the opportunity to turn her passion into a career.

The BC native started her collegiate golf career at San Diego State University. Wong won several individual titles and was able to transition into a full-time competitive career from there. 

In 2014, Wong played the Symetra Tour for a short period before returning to B.C. to reassess her career trajectory. It was at that time Wong knew she wanted to make a change. That change came in the form of a two-year hiatus from golf.

 “It was just way too intense for me, I think. And that's just not the kind of person I am. I mean, everybody works differently, just for me, it didn't work out that way,” says Wong.

In the summer of 2017, Wong found herself back on the course but with a newfound desire to teach. And Wong says is it is teaching that allowed her to reach the level of success she found in 2021.

“If I didn't decide to teach, I probably wouldn't be where I am now,” says Wong. “I found a different outlook just playing for fun and just enjoying it rather than when I was doing it competitively trying to just make it my job. And that was not enjoyable for me. I found I needed balance in my life.”

 Wong says the success that she found in the 2021 season was due in part to the balance she has brought into her life and taking a more technical approach to her development over the last few years.

 Wong says her partner, Josh Kujundzic, who is also a PGA of Canada golf professional, has been crucial in helping the naturally talented golfer take a more technical approach to her training. Wong says this new way of training has allowed her to understand the game differently and improving her performance.

Wong currently teaches golf at University Golf Club in Vancouver. She also coaches the men’s and women’s golf teams at Langara College.

Christine Wong and her sister, who is an assistant pro at Point Grey Golf & Country Club, volunteer their time to run British Columbia Golf’s Zone 3 & 4 Junior Girls Tour. Stephanie has been alongside Christine on the course from the start of their careers and continues to support her in this new stage of her life.

Wong is the first recipient of the new Brooke Henderson Female Player of the Year Award. Wong’s dedication to the game both at a competitive level also as a coach has no doubt made her the deserving recipient of the honour.