By Michael Adelman, Sports Editor — Freshman Jessica Hahn is pretty used to being on the golf course by now. Since she was six, she has golfed everyday. Hours and hours spent on the putting green and at the driving range, but it has all paid off. She has began her high school golf career in spectacular fashion.

The aspiring pro led her team to the girls’ golf team’s first ever tournament win by taking first place individually at her first ever high school tournament, shooting a 73 in the JFK Invitational. Since then, she has placed 6th at the Roosevelt Golf Tournament and led the team with a score of 40 in a match against Green. It’s an impressive start, but it doesn’t come without pressure. It’s not easy. It is something that takes a lot of maturity, experience and help from her teammates.

“It is a lot of pressure to be in these situations as a freshman, but my teammates, coaches and family are extremely supportive which really helps me stay composed and play better,” Jessica said.

Jessica didn’t just wake up and become the fantastic golfer she is today. It has taken quite a bit of dedication and determination to get to this point. She has been taking lessons from Cheryl Watt since age 6 and she has traveled all over the eastern United States playing in hundreds of tournaments. The most noteworthy tournament was the National Tournament at Pinehurst in North Carolina. Traveling there two years ago, she finished 32 out of 115 golfers. But, when becoming a star athlete, it isn’t the competitions that get you there. It is the behind the scenes practices and sacrifice that determines the results on match day. This has been a major contributor to her success.

“Her practice and determination has gotten her to where she is now. Not only that, but also the support and dedication of her family has been a huge factor. To compete at the level she does, it takes a lot of dedication from everyone. Jessica loses time with friends and spends a lot of her summer on the road playing,” her mom Michele Hahn said.

Jessica is thankful for her parents for always pushing her to be her best and sacrificing for her.

“I credit a whole lot of my success to my parents. They always have pushed me to try to get better and took me everywhere I needed to go to make this happen,” Jessica said.

It’s something that makes the people around you proud. To have this much success, it takes a lot of work. It also sets huge expectations for the future.

“The sky’s the limit for Jessica. I wouldn’t be surprised if she made it to state all four years. She is that good. For a freshman to be your number one, she must be doing something right,” head coach Linda Kubilus said.

Looking into the future, Jessica hopes to make it to state and then get a Division I scholarship to play in college. From there, the freshman said she hopes to become a pro. It’s a realistic goal if she is willing to put in the work for it.

“It’s hard to say what the future holds because that is up to her. It all depends on how much she wants it and how hard she is willing to work,” Michele said.

[Updated Aug. 12, 2017: This article has been reformatted for consistency.]