Californian Andrea Wong has taken to professional golf with as much enthusiasm and joy as she does most things, including her love for food, travel, and the outdoors. We talked with her recently about her individual style but also her commitment to fellowship that helps keep her faith on track while traveling and competing for a living.
Looking at your website, it’s very obvious that you love traveling.
Yes, I love traveling.
What are two or three places where you have said, when I travel I have to get back here?
We’ve done a lot of traveling, but there is still so much more of the world to see. For me, each place that I go is really special. Some places are a little more beautiful than others, but to me what makes the place memorable are the people that I meet there. That’s what makes each place really special.
Obviously, France is a beautiful country. I got to go to Paris last year—not even for golf. I was in the area and my best friend lives there, so I got to spend a little bit of time there with her and her husband. I love being home. I think I take San Francisco for granted a little bit, right? It’s such a cool city, so it’s always nice to be here. I went to Arkansas last year. It sounds random, but I just had such a fun time. We were in Fayetteville. The LPGA event is there. I had an amazing host family there. Southern hospitality is a real thing. It was awesome to spend time with the people there, and that’s what made the place memorable.
Being loved and cared for was really what made me on fire for Jesus. They showed me what it looked like to walk with God. It was ultimately through friendship that I came to know Jesus.
What it sounds like is you’re doing a really good job of taking what can be a lonely profession and getting connected to the people and the places, so it’s not so lonely. Is that right?
Yeah, exactly.
I think we have this picture in our minds of tour professionals just golf, golf, golf, golf. But when you spend time on your site, say, you see you and your friends eating and doing stuff outdoors, just enjoying the environment.
Yeah.
Let’s talk food. Do you have favorites, or do you love trying things?
I do love trying things, but anything having to do with noodles, whether it’s Asian or pasta, anything like that, I just love noodles.
You express your faith in God on your website. Where did that start for you?
I got saved in college [at UC Davis] through Athletes in Action my sophomore year. I went to Catholic school growing up, but didn’t grow up in a Christian home or a church. I was first exposed to Christianity in general through my Catholic high school. Then in college I would kind of dabble through Athletes in Action when I felt like it, and I had a couple of friends on the men’s golf team who were going to College Golf Fellowship. My friend had just come back from a retreat and he shared Jesus and the gospel with me. No one had ever actually shared that, and that got me very curious.
So I committed to going to Athletes in Action every week. The second week I was going, I met this girl. She befriended me and we became really good friends. It was through relationship with her that I ultimately got saved. I lived with her and two other girls in community with them. Being loved and cared for was really what made me on fire for Jesus. They showed me what it looked like to walk with God. It was ultimately through friendship that I came to know Jesus.
When you’re living in one place, you have a regular group or a church. But when you travel like you do, how do you get supported in your faith?
That’s relevant for anyone, right? For me, I’m continuing to learn what it looks like to be in community and connected with people back home. The hardest thing is not fellowship on tour but fellowship when I go home. I didn’t grow up in church, so I don’t have that many Christian friends back in San Francisco. I’m involved in a church, but you can’t join a community group or connect with people that much because you’re away. I feel like God has been teaching me a lot about that. At the beginning of last year I was praying about that, but in the middle of last season I got stagnant, saying, “Oh, you know, it’s too hard to have community back home. I’m away too much.” But I felt like God was telling me, “No, Andrea, I have you at this church for a specific purpose. I have people for you here, so pray about it and pray about it every day until it happens.” Literally, at the turn of the new year I met this new girl at church and got into their group. That was amazing. I saw God answer that prayer.
On tour, Tracy [Hanson] has made herself available to us. It’s amazing, because she cares for us really genuinely, and I know that if I need anything ever from her, she’s available. Then Cris Stevens helps us with a Bible study every week that a couple of the girls lead. I just got connected with a couple of other Christian girls on tour. That’s been amazing to do life with them on tour but also to be supported and be able to encourage each other. You’re on the same wavelength. Even though you get along with someone who on tour may not be a Christian, when it is someone who’s a Christian there is an even greater level of understanding of each other, and being seen and known by them. So I’m really being intentional with the girls I feel connected with on tour.
All photos from Andrea’s website, which features a lively blog about her travels and interaction with the people she meets. It’s at andreajwong.com.