Lydia PetersonCPA

All the other girls were playing tennis in high school, but I wasn’t very good with a racket. So, I decided to get back into the swing of things.

When I was 7 years old, my grandpa used to take me to the par 3 course where I would get lessons. I casually learned and played golf throughout my childhood, but really decided to dedicate time to it when I reached high school. I lettered my freshman through senior years, and then had the opportunity to play four more years as Captain of the Linfield College Women’s Golf team in McMinnville, Oregon.

People are often surprised when I say golf is really a team sport. But it is. My score is just one piece of a whole. We depend on each other to work hard, improve our game and support one another to create the best possible score we can together. It’s an intimate and tight-knit sport that challenges you mentally and physically. For that reason, it creates strong bonds between teammates. (A bonus for me — one of my teammates was my younger sister, who I convinced to play with me in college!)

The bad shots make you question why you do it at all. The good ones always keep you coming back. It’s how you choose to respond to both moments that makes all the difference.

When I think about it, that’s actually pretty true about what I do today. As an auditor, there are always surprises and obstacles. It’s how you overcome those challenges that can either break you down or propel you to keep trying and get better. Just like in golf, I know I’m going to have good shots and bad shots, good days and bad days. But I remind myself of those winning moments that make it all worthwhile. And I always keep coming back!