Junior Sarah Kokotajlo is one of two girls on Ewing High School Boy’s Golf Team
Sarah Kokotajlo first picked up a golf club as a kindergartner. She hasn’t looked back since.
“I learned when I was five or so from my dad,” she said. “I would always follow him to the driving range and want to hit balls with him. I just stuck with it.”
Now a junior at Ewing High School, Kokotajlo is the Blue Devils’ top golfer and one of two girls on the boys’ squad.
Kokotajlo said she began to compete in county tournaments when she was 12 years old. She took a liking to golf right away.
“I was good at it, so I just decided to continue with it,” she said. “I liked the competitive aspect of it because it’s really an individual sport. You’re focusing on your own game, and you don’t have to rely on other teammates or competitors.”
Woidill said he heard about Kokotajlo before she even reached high school. After talking to her father, Woidill knew he was getting a solid addition to his team.
“She’s done really well within our program, and she’s helped it herself, too,” he said. “I think it’s been really good for her. She’s not on a girls’ team which might be a little bit of a challenge, but in the long run, I think it has made her a more sound player. She was very talented before coming in. She had a very good tournament pedigree in the area. We knew we were getting a special player.”
Kokotajlo qualified for the state tournament as a freshman and continues to impress her mostly male competitors.
“She is competing against the best boys’ talent in the county,” head coach Jim Woidill said. “She held her own freshman year, and she continues to do so. The guys are fine with it. I think they look forward to the competition. I know there are other schools in the area that have talented female golfers who play on the boys’ team. I think the challenge of competing against a very skilled female golfer is one that they embrace.”
Kokotajlo agreed. Her male competitors often underestimate the skills of female golfers. Once they’re proven wrong, Kokotajlo said it knocks them down a peg.
“I think it’s kind of intimidating for some people to play against a girl,” she said. “The guys on our team don’t think anything of it. It’s fun. They treat me the same as the guys.”
Still, she enjoys the opportunity to compete against other girls who are in her situation.
“I think it’s more fun,” she said. “We can relate to each other more. We’re playing from the same tee. It’s more enjoyable.”
Woidill said Kokotajlo’s success on the links has coaxed other girls to come out for the team, even though there is no girls’ squad. He even credits her with sparking the Ewing golf program’s “renaissance.”
“I think her participation is bringing other players to the sport,” he said. “She’s a very hard worker. She has an amazing skill set. Her work ethic has rubbed off on the rest of the players on the team. When she comes to practice, she’s all business. I think that’s really helped. Some of our younger players have embraced that work ethic. Their scores are coming down, and recruitment is up.”
He said that work ethic has been especially apparent this season. The long winter made for poor tournament conditions, but Kokotajlo pressed on.
“She pushes herself pretty hard,” Woidill said. “Se travels quite a bit and plays in a lot of different tournaments. The weather has been rough, so she’s been playing in tournaments on Saturdays and Sundays in 45-degree weather with rain and snow, conditions that we usually hide from. She’s out in the elements trying to take care of business.”
Kokotajlo bounced back after a bout with mono earlier in the season caused her to miss some matches. Now, she’s focusing on the rest of her junior season to attract the attention of college recruiters by playing her best, mailing out interest letters and sending swing videos to schools.
She hopes to attend a southern school, and Woidill has high hopes.
“It’s her junior year,” he said. “It’s kind of a big season for her, so we’re hoping for the best. She’s starting to look at schools and picture where she’s going to be for the long term. It’s an exciting time.”
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