By CHUCK PORTER

Sapulpa’s Aziah Perez is feeling the green light to swing away on the golf course this year, having already secured a scholarship to play for Dodge City Community College in Kansas next spring.

“I’m able to relax and just play golf,” Perez said. “That really takes the pressure away as I’m not fighting for a scholarship anymore. It’s really allowed me to just have fun and play golf. Since receiving the scholarship, I will be the first female college athlete in my family.”

Perez, now a senior, has been playing golf since her 7th grade year.

“I like playing for Sapulpa because I feel support from the coaches. They know my full potential and push me to reach it,” Perez said. “My favorite teammate to play with is Hallee Sumner, she really keeps me on my toes to do better and playing with her is good friendly competition. We always help each other with lineups and watch the other swing, pointing things out to get better.”

Perez will take a strong wedge game with her to college, and she’s focusing on minimizing errors off the tee. “I’m working to get more control, and also learning how to play different shots with my driver, such as a cut,” she said.

If she could choose one tour pro to learn from, it would be former world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, because “he crushes his driver.”

Perez achieved a low score at a tournament of 82 at McAlester Country Club, but broke 80 on her home course in Sapulpa, carding a career-best 79. 

However, she prefers Broken Arrow Golf and Athletic Club for the challenge, and its good mixture of sand and water hazards that demand good control.

Perez certainly isn’t one to step back from a good challenge, and golf offers plenty.

“What I like about golf the most is, golf is more of a mental sport,” she said. “It’s not always about hitting the ball well but rather smart play and shaking off the bad shots. To play golf you have to be mentally tough and I think that’s what many people don’t realize about the sport. It really challenges you to push through it to come out on top. 

“It’s a lot harder than it seems.”