Get to know one of the best players in the women's field
June 15, 2018 by Christopher Wiklund in Interview with 0 comments
Sarah Hokom is having a strong start to the season, sitting second in the Disc Golf Pro Tour points standings, and fourth in the PDGA National Tour Elite Series points standings. Undoubtedly, the highlight of her season thus far is her wire-to-wire win at the San Francisco Open that broke Paige Pierce’s season-long winning streak. Plus, the win came with an impressive skip-ace that made it to SportsCenter’s Top 10. She also won the Women’s Global Event overall.
Get to know a bit more about Hokom on and off the course in part one of our interview today, and look for part two next week.
The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Ultiworld Disc Golf: How did you get involved in disc golf?
Sarah Hokom: I got invited to play with friends. And after only a couple times I joined a local doubles league and after a couple weeks of that, I wanted to get better so I practiced a lot after work. I was 23, and within six months of starting to play, I began playing in tournaments and played pro at the St. Louis Open with some financial help from the local club, they covered my entry fee, and it felt like I was in the right place.
UWDG: You competed in the Women’s Global Event at the Daisy Chains in Watsonville, California. Can you tell us a little about that experience?
SH: The weather was really mild, it was fun to see a lot of old friends. We played two rounds as part of the Women’s Global Event, and the third round for the tournament. It was a fun weekend.
UWDG: Can you talk about the WGE in general?
SH: Yeah, it is a really unique opportunity to celebrate as a whole. For me, it’s a solidarity thing, and it’s great to see how much it has grown. It’s an excellent gauge for seeing how well we are doing as a whole, and I think we’re seeing leaps and bounds of growth. Progress in growth is definitely there, especially for an event that happens only once every two years. I was so happy and proud to see the commitment from our community, especially the TD’s out there who organized everything. It’s a lot of work.
UWDG: What other sports are or were you involved with today or growing up?
SH: I played all the sports, you know, soccer, volleyball. Volleyball was my main sport, though. I played D1 in college, was involved with the junior Olympics. I coached some volleyball for high schools and ran a couple college camps. I kind of got tired of it after college, it didn’t help that it gets tough to organize a game after college. And then I picked up disc golf, and here we are.
UWDG: What is your favorite course?
SH: The Beast, Milo McIver, Blue Mountain, Maple Hill, Iron Hill. I’m excited to play the course for the San Francisco Open and Toboggan, too.
UWDG: What would you be doing if you weren’t touring full-time as a professional?
SH: Probably teach, maybe own a business. I like being an entrepreneur.
UWDG: As a veteran player on tour, do you try to mentor or coach up other players?
SH: I try to be encouraging, friendly, open, and I’m always willing to help. We always come across talented players when we’re on the road and you just never know if they are going to materialize and go on the road and take it to that next level. The road life can be tough and requires a certain level of mental toughness. We are starting to see more depth in the fields though, and some really good players are missing out on the cash. I think we’ll see a breakout winner this year, someone new or relatively unknown is going to get a big win.
