Eva Becerril, 12, began playing golf because of her dad, Joe Becerril; she received her first set of golf clubs at seven years old. Contrary to common belief, Becerril was not born with her talent. She struggled and worked for it. “I resented it so much when I started,” Becerril said. “For no reason, it was like I did not want to be good.” But after a three-year break, Becerril came back fiercer than ever, “The end of the summer when I was 10, I got second in my first tournament.” Becerril’s skills came to fruition her seventh grade year: “I think when I started Junior High golf is when I realized, oh, I’m really good,”she said.
Becerril trains rigorously, committed to improving her game. “On average, I am practicing or playing, five days a week,” Becerril explained. Her sessions contain challenging putting drills, chipping, full-swings, and imaginary holes to dial in specific shots. “I will play par threes in my head on the range, and then I will give myself a fairway, and play a par five. I really base it off the yardages for the course I am preparing for,” Becerril noted.
Matthew Starr, head SHS Girl’s Golf Team and certified PGA professional, has been with Becerril since the beginning. “I have worked with Eva since she was in the sixth grade and it has been awesome to see her grow and her golf IQ continue to gain points,” Starr said. Starr emphasizes Becerril’s commitment, describes Eva as someone who “works incredibly hard. Anyone who accomplishes anything in life, certainly never achieves it without hard work and sacrifice, and she is the epitome of that.” Becerril does not slack off during the off-season, “Golf is not a seasonal sport to Eva,” said Starr. “She works year round, even with snow on the ground.”
Controlling the mental aspect of golf is important for Becerril. “I think understanding that being upset at your golf is okay, but being completely down on yourself because you did not shoot a number that you wanted is not,” Becerril explained. “I think I found that balance finally, and honestly it just comes with maturity and age, it is not something you can force.” Big tournaments are a lot of pressure; Becerril said, “I try to stay as confident as I can in my game, even if certain parts aren’t going well, like just because you are having a bad putting day does not mean that you need to start missing greens and fairways, you know? And just staying out of my head is the most important.”
Becerril’s discipline of her mind while playing encourages teammate Sahana Singla, 12. “I have learned there are two aspects, serious and fun, and you need both,” Singla said. “Eva is very good about having a serious dedication to golf when she needs to, but also making it fun when things get stressful. She has taught me to have that same mindset in my golf.”
Out of Becerril’s hundreds of rounds, there are several formidable moments that stick out. Becerril holds the course record at Walden Ponds Golf Club with a deeply impressive 30 strokes. Her hole-in-one was also dunked on Walden Ponds’ hole 15. But above all, her 2024 Division l Girls Individual State Championship title is her most prized. “The first day, I played fine, but not great. I was in eighth,” recounted Becerril. “But it was that second day, that is when I really knew, I could do something great with this game if I could just get out of my head. And look what happened.”
Becerril manages her busy schedule of travel and training like a professional. “It is just putting priority on things, knowing when homework is due and planning out my week of golfing, while still trying to balance fun with my friends,” Becerril noted. But when school is not an issue, golf travel is much more enjoyable for Becerril: she said, “I love it. Like this year, when I started playing the Underrated Golf Tour, I played some of the top golf courses in the country, and it was the most amazing experience of my life. I have made some of the best friendships all over the world through it too.”
According to Becerril, a strong team bond is crucial to a successful season: “It is very, very important, especially in high school golf,” said Becerril. “I try to make it as fun as possible, because that is what it is for me, and the majority of that comes from the team. I love my team so much, and it would not be the same if we did not have the bond that we do.” Becerril connects with everyone around her, including Singla:“Eva’s a very friendly and open person and has created bonds with the whole team,” said Singla. “It makes it feel like we are a family, not just girls put together.” Additionally, teammate Allison Ward, 10, said, “Eva definitely cares for the team and pushes us to be our best with her leadership.”
Family is just as important to Becerril, “My parents, especially my dad, support me a lot,” Becerril explained. “He has given up everything to help me with this.”
Becerril has big goals for her final season at SHS, “I want to make it to state as a team, and I want to win GMC’s, sectionals, districts, and state as an individual,” Becerril shared. She has even bigger targets for her collegiate career. “I am figuring out if I want to pursue golf outside of college, like the LPGA. I want to win a national championship in college,” she said. “That is my biggest goal.”
Becerril recently committed to play D1 golf at Boise State. “I knew I did not want to stay here, I have known that for a long time,” Becerril explained. “July is when Boise became an option. And I knew this is where I wanted to go.” Becerril is ready to begin her next chapter: she said, “It is very far away, and I am scared, but I am super excited to start my own life away from home.”
