Every sport has its stressful moments. It might be stepping up to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, it could be rushing down the court with three seconds left in hopes of making a game-winning shot, or it could be running the last few yards of a track-and-field relay.

But for freshman golfer Bradley Lu, that moment was the first tee shot of his college golf career which he promptly shanked left into the bushes.

“The first day, (my nerves) got the better of me,” Lu said.

Lu began playing golf at eight years old. It started as a hobby, but slowly became a passion as he began playing more competitively.

“Golf taught me to be respectful, to have integrity and to plan,” Lu said. “If I hadn’t picked up golf I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

On Feb. 8, the first day of Chapman’s opening spring semester match, Lu shot eight over par on a course in Tukwet Canyon. The score was higher than he would’ve liked, yet the freshman and head coach Ming Lao tried to keep a positive attitude heading into the second round given this was Lu’s first match. Knowing he needed to make a comeback, Lu focused inward.

“I was a lot of strokes behind the leaders, so I needed to put up a really good round,” Lu said. “I had to put away all the bad eight-over shots.”

The level-headedness paid off, as Lu shined on the subsequent day finishing two under par and placing third out of 31 players in the tournament.

“It was the first time he had seen this golf course, so he made typical mistakes for someone who doesn’t know where the hole is,” Lao said of Lu’s performance in the first round. “Then the second round, he shot really well.”

Lu often overcorrects aspects of his swing, he said. Yet, one physical tweak with the help of the coaching staff helped him to solve that problem. He’s worked on keeping his backswing flat and making sure once he swings the club down it’s on the same plane coming down towards the ball.

“In the past I tried changing multiple moves in my swing at once and it didn’t work,” Lu said. “With coach Lao, he’s been a second eye to make sure when I do work on something in my swing I don’t overcorrect.” Third out of 31 for a first college match is notable, and while Lu is humble about his skill and his areas of improvement, Lao said Lu is also a natural talent.

“I think he has all the potential to become first-team (in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) based on his stats,” Lao said. “He’s one of the most talented golfers we’ve gotten in Chapman history.”

Ultimately, though, Lu hasn’t let any of that praise get to his head. He remains focused on his goals he’s set for himself for the rest of this season.

“I want to have more rounds under par, so for the rest of the tournaments that should put me at the top of the leaderboard,” Lu said.