Sports
Diamond Bar’s Golf ‘Legacy’ Earns Scholarship to Nevada
Carly Simpson, whose father played at USC and uncle won the U.S. Open, signed a letter of intent with the University of Nevada Wednesday.
Carly Simpson dodged the “family business” for as long as she could.
But as just about anyone that keeps golf clubs stashed in their trunk can attest, golf has a way of sneaking up on you and never letting go.
Simpson gave in to the sport as a freshman and now, four years later, the Diamond Bar High School captain accepted a scholarship to the University of Nevada in Reno.
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“Nevada was the pick – it was awesome, the coach was the best fit for me, and I’ll have my best future there,” Simpson said. “Now I just put Nevada in the back of my mind and really focus in on what I’m doing right now, with my studies and with my golf.”
She leaves a staggering high school legacy, which includes the Brahmas 44-game winning streak in dual matches, four-time league champions and a CIF Eastern Division Runners-Up trophy from last season.
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Simpson is a two-time first team all-league member (top six in league) and has lead her team to CIF three of four years.
Thursday at Rancho California Golf Course in Murrieta, the Diamond Bar team will compete in the Southern California Regionals with the top three qualifying for the State tournament at Pebble Beach.
Despite coming from a family of golfers, including her uncle, Scott Simpson, who won the 1987 PGA U.S. Open, she resisted the sport and played softball instead.
She picked up a golf club at four years old, and decided to grab one again her freshman year of high school. She entered the Brahma program shooting close to 100, but has developed into a scratch golfer in three years.
“I’ve probably taken 20 strokes off my score,” she said. “We work hard on our game so we expect results.”
“She’s mentally tough. She’s risen so quickly in just these three years,” Brahmas coach Tony McCabe said. “She’s a legacy, because her dad and uncle played at USC. They didn’t want to push her into golf and she played softball for a while.
“But she’s got so much golf background. It can be a lot of pressure sometimes. It’s tough to have these things over her head. But she’s super poised.”