Golfer Cannot Hide in Crowd

Walking around the Columbia campus, it is generally easy to identify members of the football or basketball teams given their larger size and builds compared to normal students. For some athletes there is the unique opportunity to blend in with the crowd. But for Sara Ovadia, her days of staying below the radar are dwindling.

The sophomore golfer stepped into the spotlight Sunday by taking home the individual Ivy League championship in addition to helping lead the Lions to their first team title in program history. The victory isn't all that much of a surprise given that the native of Santa Barbara, Calif., has risen to the number 40 ranking in the United States for women's amateurs in only five years of competitive golf.

"I played in a lot of tournaments, more than most people would, to try and make up for not starting earlier," Ovadia said. "I really threw myself into it, playing around 10 tournaments in the summer and, having played in Europe, I have a lot of experience now, and that is a big help."

Ovadia spent a large portion of last summer competing in France and England, including the British Women's Amateur tournament, where she was paired with defending NCAA champion Dewi Schreefel of the University of Southern California. Although Ovadia did not make it into the match play portion of the event, the experience of competing with the NCAA's best allowed her to learn about and compare her style of play.

"She definitely hits it farther than I do," Ovadia said of Schreefel, "but I really didn't take much from the other players. I watched what she [Schreefel] did well and compared myself, but playing on a links-style course makes you change your strategy because of the terrain, so I was focused on that."

Although it was her father Daniel, who played tennis at UCLA, who got Ovadia interested in playing golf at the age of 10 and paid for lessons, it was growing up with a family that routinely talked politics that played large role in why she ended up at Columbia.

"My parents are both doctors, and it was definitely a really intellectual environment to grow up in," Ovadia said. "I wanted to go Berkeley or the University of Arizona, but after coming to Columbia, I realized that I wanted an Ivy League experience. I turned down scholarship offers from Tulane, for instance, but everyone was supportive."

At Columbia, Ovadia tries to play down her status as an athlete to mix in with the rest of the student body.

"It's kind of nice to blend in in the classroom, because I think the culture on campus is to take you more seriously if they don't know you're an athlete," Ovadia added. "I really just like to stay under the radar."

On the golf course, however, Ovadia makes plenty of noise with her precision around the greens, stifling her playing partners who might have more power in their swings.

"I have a pretty good short game and that tends to annoy people," Ovadia said. "When someone is on the green and is able to two-putt for par and sees that when I'm off the green, I chip it in, it can get frustrating for them. It's a good asset to have, especially in match play, because you can get inside their heads."

Ovadia's athletic goal is to one day win the U.S. Women's Amateur and then go pro, but as a fallback plan is thinking of attending law school. For now, Ovadia doesn't mind keeping a low profile.