By Derrick Smith

Throughout the career of any athlete, there are going to be up and downs, exciting moments, and even bumps in the road. But they have to work through all of that to stay focused on their goal whatever it may be. Haley Whittern keeps herself on track by remembering a phrase that has helped her along the way.

“Never let your highs be too high and your lows be too low,” she stated. “Even if I have a good day I make sure to humble myself and take a step back, but also encourage myself whenever I struggle with something. Something that keeps me motivated is wanting to make progress and better myself and my abilities.”

She knows what focus can do to change things because it helped her during the highlight of her career.

“My favorite moment so far in golf has been going from a 101 to an 84 during the state tournament,” she said. “The progress from day one to day two was incredible. Those are two days that I will not forget.” 

As a junior at Piedmont High School, Whittern is a member of the golf team and as well as the marching band. While she works hard on the practice range and on the golf course, Haley says she has a teammate that helps her to keep getting better.

“My teammate Amanda Lane battles in practice all the time,” she said. “Not in a bad way though. She gives me tough competition which makes me better. I enjoy watching her play and progress. Tatum Howard is a teammate that sometimes gets overlooked. She has made big improvements from last year.”

For Haley, family is a big part of her life. Whether it is needing a little advice or playing a friendly game of golf, she knows they will always be there.

“My family has high expectations for how they want me to succeed,” she stated. “I look to them for guidance and validation for almost everything. My dad is probably the opponent I enjoy beating the most. We both have high expectations that we’ve set for ourselves, so I have fun trying to achieve those. It’s meaningless competition but beating him feels super rewarding.”