Lion Higo is a junior women's golfer from Gold Coast, Australia. This fall, she earned her first college victory at the Golfweek Red Sky Classic with a score of a 10-under 206 (72-67-67), tying the fourth-best 54-hole score ever by a Pepperdine individual. The following week she took second at the Golf Iconic Classic in New Mexico with a score of a 5-under 211 (70-69-72). In this interview, Higo speaks on her plans for the upcoming winter break, her hopes for the spring season, and her experiences playing golf at Pepperdine.
 
Q: What makes athletics at Pepperdine special?
 
A: I think having a close-knit community is really special. Pepperdine is such a small school that we really get to know everyone. Being able to get to know all the coaches personally is nice.
 
Q: When traveling for tournaments, how do you balance your schoolwork?
 
A: I definitely try to get the majority of my schoolwork done before I leave for a tournament. Golf takes up the whole day from sunrise to when its time to go to bed, so we don't end up having much time left for homework while traveling. Getting it done before we leave, and prioritizing that before the tournament starts, is important to keep up with everything.
 
Q: What advice would you give to other student-athletes trying to balance school and athletics?
 
A: Personally, I find that communication with your professors is the most important thing. You have to make sure to let them know in advance when you're going to be away so that you can plan out with them how and when you'll be able to catch up on the work you miss.
 
Q: Did you do anything specific this summer to prepare?
 
A: Yes! I think think everyone on the team grinded really hard during the summer. Just coming off our not-so-good season last year, we definitely came back with more grit. That hard work seems to have really paid off in the fall. It was a short fall season for us, but it went really well. We ended up winning two out of our three tournaments for the fall season, and we're hoping for more success in the spring.
 
Q: How does practice differ during the season and off-season?
 
A: So, right now we are in off-season. Golf is an individual sport, but when you come to college, it becomes more of a team sport. So, during the season we'll have a lot more team practices, whether that is playing together or just practicing together. Whereas in the off-season we end up doing more individual work. We don't have those team practices set up like we would during the season, we can still go out and play with each other and practice together if we'd like, but those team practices and games end up more spread out during the off-season. The off-season ends up being our time to work and practice a little more individually.
 
Q: What's next, looking forward to the spring season?
 
A: Some of us on the team have tournaments during the winter break. I know that I'm definitely going home and playing a few tournaments, so I think that will be some good preparation for being in the tournament mode for spring semester. We have so many tournaments lined up for this spring season, which will be great after how short the fall season ended up being. We are also getting an additional two girls joining the team in the spring, which will be very exciting. But mainly preparation for the spring season is just going to be practicing and playing a few tournaments.
 
Q: What does it mean to you winning your first college title at the Golfweek Red Sky Classic this fall?
 
A: I think it was definitely a long time coming. I was really stoked to get that first college win. I felt like all my preparation and practice had finally paid off there. I played well that week and could just trust my game the whole way. The following that week I came second as well, which was another pretty good result for me. It just feels amazing and I'm happy to be able to have all that work paying off, and now I just have to try and keep that momentum and success going. I'll keep my practice up and hopefully further that success in the spring semester.
 
Q: With golf being both an individual and team sport, how does that interaction work during practice and during a tournament?
 
A: The team aspect of golf is an experience that sort of unique to college. I know I feel like I need to cherish it while I can, and while we can as a team. Basically, during team practice we definitely have to keep our teammates in mind and help each other whenever we get the chance to, however we can, as we go along. During tournaments having each other's backs and knowing that even when you have a bad day or a bad tournament on your own, you still have to be there for the girls that are playing well and are having a good day. The same goes vice versa as well. If you are playing well and having a good tournament and a lot of success, you still need to be there for the teammates that aren't having that success and playing quite as well. We do our best to support each other and have each other's backs when we can both in practice and during a tournament, and that support is something I can value and appreciate about the team aspect of golfing in college.