By Gary Curreri
Caitlin Huiting has her sights on taking her golfing career to a whole new level.
Whether it is on the LPGA tour or at a golf course, there is little doubt she can accomplish what she wants to.
“I want to be a pro golfer,” said Huiting, who spent her senior high school season playing for the boys’ golf team at Zion Christian Lutheran School in Deerfield Beach. “Either that or a teacher on a big golf course somewhere.”
When it came time for districts, she teed it up with the girls and finished third with an 82 in the District 7-1A competition and advanced to regionals. She duplicated her score at regionals, but didn’t advance to state. She is the first girls’ golfer at her school.
Huiting, 18, enjoyed competing against the boys. Her school team was composed of seven middle school and high school boys as teammates and Huiting said the biggest challenge was driving the ball and how she was a little shorter off the tee in some cases. She made up for it with a stellar short game.
“It was fun playing high school golf against the boys,” said Huiting, who was one of 91 female golfers from around the United States, as well as from China and Finland, that competed in the recent Dixie Amateur Women’s Golf Tournament at the Heron Bay Golf Club in Coral Springs. “I was a great experience, and I enjoyed it a lot actually. It was a lot different than playing with girls.”
Huiting doesn’t practice golf that often, and tries to play one tournament a month. The Dixie Amateur was a step up for Huiting as she took on some of the top amateur golfers in the world.
Huiting opened with an 88, but finished 79-73 for a 240 total and narrowly missed the cut for the final round. Huiting is headed to Seminole State College on a full ride scholarship to play golf next season.
“I am a little surprised that I have done as well as I have without playing that much,” said Huiting, who plans to play in the Future Collegians World Tour at Inverarry Country Club on Feb. 9. “I work really hard for it when I do practice. Taking time off just helps me to recuperate and do better the next time.”
Huiting said she likes golf because of the nature of the game.
“I like the respect that it has,” Huiting said. “Everybody who is around golf is just very respectful. It kind of makes you grow up more. Being around all of the older people is so nice. They are always so courteous and everything. I enjoy it.”
She is also an all-around athlete having played volleyball and softball all four years. She was also a member of the school’s girls’ soccer team and scored twice for the Lions including a penalty kick in a 2-1 (2-1 PKs) shootout win over Highlands Christian in the District 13-1A tournament. The team went on to lose to Yeshiva, 5-0, in the semifinals and finished the year 5-10-1.