To make the leap from California to the urban streets of New York City, sophomore golfer Kristin Lee needed more than just a strong golf program and academic reputation from a prospective college. Lee, like many NYU students, was drawn to the multitude of opportunities that the city has to offer.

“I was recruited to play golf at NYU and when I visited, I couldn’t wait to live in New York City,” Lee said. “I always knew that the academics at NYU were very prestigious, but the opportunities that New York City has to offer quickly made me want to spend my four years of college at NYU.”

Just one tournament into her second season on the course for the Violets, Lee has already made a name for herself. In the team’s 11 tournaments last year, she finished in the top 10 five times — and this year has gotten off to an even better start. By shooting a 70 in her second round and a 145 overall at the St. Lawrence University Invitational, Lee broke the NYU women’s record for lowest single round and lowest 36-hole score.

Her name appears underneath nearly every category in the Individual Round section of the record book, and she’s not yet close to being halfway through her career as a Violet. Though the transition on the course has been smooth, off-the-course life has proved a little rougher. Golf doesn’t change much from course to course, whether Lee plays on the East or West Coast. But life in New York has proved to be quite an adjustment from life back home.

“I’m from Southern California, where the pace of life is way slower than it is here in the city,” Lee said. “At home, I would spend my time at the beach, catching some waves. While in New York, I spend the majority of my time navigating my way through this concrete jungle.”

Though it’s taken time, Lee has adjusted to bicoastal living, and now has the confidence she needs to take on life beyond golf and NYU. 

“I’ve learned how to deal with people that I’ve never thought I would ever have to deal with before,” Lee said. “I feel like I have a much more broader view on life and feel more prepared as I begin to work in the ‘adult’ world.”

Though Lee already has incredibly high standards, she still has 10 tournaments to surpass the record she set in their first showing. She’ll make her first attempt at doing so on Sept. 19 and 20, when the Violets host the NYU Invitational in Suffern, New York.

Email Bobby Wagner at [email protected].