Dana Hills’ Cho Leaps Into Swing of Things

Carling Cho’s smooth swing won’t give it away.

Neither will her results.

She routinely shoots near par but makes it look so easy that it’s hard to believe she picked up a club for the first time only 2 1/2 years ago.

A steadfast work ethic, unbridled passion for the game and a heap of natural talent have helped Cho skyrocket from novice newcomer to one of the best in Southern California.

She finished third at both the Southern Section Individual and CIF-WSCGA championships, better than any county player, and is The Times’ Orange County girls’ golfer of the year.

“I wasn’t really expecting anything going into the season,” said Cho, a junior at Dana Hills. “I just wanted to try and focus and see what I could do.”

Her summer performance offered an indication: Cho won nine times on the local junior circuit and entered the high school season confident.

She averaged 39.3 during the regular season, won the South Coast League title by 27 shots and her 73 at the South Divisional was second among individual scores.

She proved it was no fluke when she posted another 73 at the section individual finals and tied for second again. She lost a playoff and was awarded third. A week later, she shot a county-best 74 at the season-ending CIF-WSCGA finals.

Cho credits an understanding of how to fight through rough patches during a round.

“I used to start good but if things started going bad, I’d sort of give up,” Cho said. “This year, I kept telling myself to pick it up again if that happened.”

Justin Boatman, Cho’s swing coach, said Cho’s ability to process instruction makes her a natural.

“It’s kind of scary how much talent she has,” Boatman said. “She absorbs everything and the next time I see her it’s part of her swing. I’ve never seen somebody develop as fast as she has. Not even close.”