Camas’ Comeback Player

For some golfers, an early mistake or two can be difficult to recover from.

Jasmine Chen isn’t one of them.

The Camas senior is the definition of what Papermakers golf coach Bob Foster calls a “comeback player,” one who can quickly refocus and move on to the next shot.

That was Chen in a nutshell at the Class 4A bi-district tournament May 12-13 at Meadow Park Golf Course in Tacoma. After starting the event with a bogey and double bogey, the senior rattled off an impressive 13 birdies and one eagle over the next 34 holes. That included a career-best of 5-under 66 on day two, catapulting Chen from seven strokes down over the final seven holes to win the 4A bi-district championship.

“I believe after the bogey-double, she birdied four holes out of the next five,” Foster said. “She knows how to come back and put on her best effort every time. Being a comeback player is probably her biggest trait.”

The career-best round was the culmination of a strong month-long stretch from April to early May when Chen shot under par in every round she played.

In April, Chen set a then-career best at the Pasco Invitational by shooting 3-under 69 to earn medalist honors. At the 4A district tournament two weeks later, she matched the score in the second round on her way to a district title. Then came the big comeback at bi-districts, a testament to her mental toughness.

For her accomplishments, Chen is The Columbian’s All-Region girls golfer of the year.

“I just think there’s always the next shot,” Chen said. “All I can do is improve from here (and) try to get back the strokes that I lost.”

A four-year standout at Camas, Chen first took up golf in third grade at Camas Meadows Golf Club, following in the footsteps of family, including older brother Evan Chen, a 2023 Camas High graduate who played on the Papermakers’ boys team.

Up until high school, golf was purely an individual pursuit for Chen, but she realized upon arriving at Camas how much she enjoys the team aspect of the sport.

“I definitely liked it a lot better when I had a team,” she said. “I don’t know if I enjoyed it all that much in the beginning, but now I do. I like the competition.”

Among the most valuable lessons she’s learned in four years with the Papermakers is teamwork, camaraderie and the significance of every shot, no matter how small one might seem.

“Being close with your team, I think, is really important. And again, the importance of one shot … because you’re affecting the whole team,” Chen said.

Camas learned that the hard way in 2022 — Chen’s freshman season — when the Papermakers finished runner-up at the 4A state tournament by just three strokes.

They continued building toward a state title over the next two seasons, leading to last spring when they captured a 4A team state title in Spokane, winning by 27 strokes while Chen was one of two Camas players to finish in the top five.

Following last year’s senior class, including Jacinda Lee, Rachel Rerick and Morgan Schlesinger, Chen took inspiration from their leadership into this year when she was named team captain, leading a group that includes one senior, two juniors, one sophomore and one freshman.

“They were really good leaders, they made a lot of team bonding … and that kind of stuff. So, I tried to do a little bit of that (too),” Chen said.

Chen finished her competitive golf career this week at the 4A state tournament, where she led the field after the first round Tuesday by shooting 2-under 70 at Eagles Pride Golf Course in DuPont. Next year, she’ll be attending University of Washington to study biology on a pre-med track with plans to pursue a career in the medical field.

Though she won’t be playing college golf, she leaves Camas as a decorated golfer who saved her best for last as a senior, all while being a leader for her younger teammates.

“She’s just a great player, great kid, great student. She’s a leader on our team,” Foster said.

“This year, she’s put it all together. There is no inconsistency in her play. She just has had a phenomenal year and we’re gonna miss her.”

The rest of the All-Region team includes:

Maia Carrillo, Columbia River: Junior led the Rapids with fifth-place finish at 2A district tournament.

Evangeline Fulton, Ridgefield: Freshman led the Spudders with fourth-place finish at 2A district tournament.

Jana Knapp, Mark Morris: Senior finished runner-up at 2A district tournament. Signed to Northwest Nazarene.

Addison Paul, Washougal: Freshman led the Panthers with third-place finish at 2A district tournament.

Reese Reiter, Camas: Freshman placed second at 4A district tournament, seventh at 4A bi-district tournament.

Alyssa Rigby, Mountain View: Freshman won 3A district tournament by 29 strokes, placed second at 3A bi-district tournament.