Jayvie Agoho: Golf and the Song in her Heart

Walking down the fairway with 15-year-old Jayvie Agoho turns out to be a musical experience. While it’s her accomplishment on the Junior Golf circuit that has golf aficionados predicting that could very well follow in the footsteps of Dorothy Delasin and Jennifer Rosales on the international Ladies Professional Tour, Jayvie takes every opportunity to break into song, as it’s something she enjoys as much as golf.

"I really love singing. I joke with my Dad that I should join contests or apply to the abs-cbn Talent Center. They can promote me as the ‘singing golfer’, but he always says I should just concentrate on my golf," she reveals.

For those still not aware of this wisp-of-a-girl’s accomplishments, Jayvie already has several crowns under her cap. Having picked up her first golf club at the age of nine, she began competing at twelve, traveled to the United States and in that short period of time, annexed such titles as the International Junior Championship (Girls 11 to 14), and the Girls Division of the 72nd San Francisco Junior Golf Championship.

Competing here, she picked up the PLDT Philippine International Junior Golf Championship. Now that she’s 15, she’s moved on to to the next division and regularly finds herself competing in open classes. With no age classification, it’s a chance for her to see how well she’ll fare against players far older and more mature than her.

As perennial shadow father Jun Agoho enthuses, "We’ve enrolled her in Golf Psychology courses to help condition her mind to the level of competition she’ll now face. She has one regular pro from Villamor and someone analyzes her game on a regular basis. I dream of taking her to the States and putting her under David Leadbetter for a couple of months. But, as always, we’re subject to financial constraints. I’ve not approached anyone to take up the cudgels and sponsor her. At her age and level, it’s not something that can be that easily arranged.

"Besides, the priority remains her education. Since the start, she’s been at the OB Montessori at Greenhills; she’s in her second year of high school now. The school has been very understanding about her golf commitments, and we in turn feel it important that we keep a level head and never let her forget the value of education. Golf is a gift and while we dream and hope it provides her a career and future, we realize that so many things can happen."

Jayvie’s schedule, as you would expect, is quite formidable. It’s one that a budding elite athlete would be subjected to, balanced by her school obligations and the professed commitment to maintain balance and normalcy in this teener’s life. "I was really into cheerleading, but I had to stop last year. It was taking up so much time and the risk of injury was something we had to seriously consider. Well, singing is my true love, it’s something I really enjoy. Playing Counterstrike, billiards, shopping and malling at Power Plant and Glorietta–that’s how I spend my time outside school and golf. I’m always discussing–arguing?–with my Dad about going out. He says wait until I’m 17; but of course, he gives in once in a while and I gimmick with my friends. We go out at eight and I have a curfew of midnight. Cinderella nga ang tawag nila sa akin."

Interestingly, Jayvie’s father points out that 10 pm is designated as Jayvie’s curfew; he laughingly recalls that when she comes home at midnight, though, she insists that that’s the agreement.

Asked about boys and dating, Jayvie’s face breaks into a naughty smile. "There’s a boy in school who’s interested," she reveals, "but I’m still young for all that. It’s school and golf that are the priorities. Again, it’s the magic age of 17 that my parents throw at me when dating is mentioned. I go out with friends and sometimes, there are guys who join us; but it’s not as couples." When prodded as to who her "crushes" are, Jayvie readily admits it’s Aga Muhlach and John Pratts who have her eye.

When asked about her most memorable golf experiences, it isn’t past victories that spring to her mind. "There was this tournament in Los Angeles last year. Missing a six-foot putt meant I ended up in 4th place instead of second. And early this year, I found myself in a sudden death playoff for the DHL tournament. I guess it was the pressure and being matched up against players who were much older; I lost the playoff (to Carmelette Villaroman)."

With a maturity that belies her tender age, it was the losses that she could most learn from that she mentions. That’s encouraging, as it shows that while victories can be savored, it’s the losses that have to be imprinted in one’s psyche, and analyzed so the mistakes are not repeated.

As to what are the most embarrassing or funniest experiences, she laughs about a double bogey she shot on a Par 3 at the Baguio Country Club. Her tee shot ended up in a tree and it just went downhill from there. "The awful thing was I was playing really well up to that point," she says. "So there were a lot of expectations riding on my shoulders. I just had to take it in stride and laugh about the whole thing."

As with most sports figures still in their adolescence, one cannot emphasize enough the importance of family support and the role one’s parents play in the athlete’s development. Look at Tiger Woods and the role his parents played in his phenomenal growth.

"I count myself truly blessed in this regard," Jayvie avers. "It started as a game my Dad encouraged all the kids to take up. He’s been playing for some seven years now, and I know he’ll die for my saying this, but he maintains a handicap of 19. So, we play together a lot; he’s there when I practice and the family always makes it a point to accompany me to the tournaments and in my travels. For them, it’s important that I have this support group who’ll be there, especially for the times when I’m not doing well."

For father Jun it’s also a means to maintain the balance that’s so important for them. While golf does in a sense consume the life of their daughter, it’s up to him to see to it that it does not compromise the song in her heart.