Hannah Harrison is a senior golfer who got her love of the game from her dad. Growing up, she got a club in her hand at two years-old to start playing with her father. Following in the family footsteps is her younger brother, Garrett Harrison, on WSU’s men’s golf team.
“Some of my best memories are going on golf trips and playing golf with my dad and my brother,” Harrison said.
Harrison, in her years at WSU, has only gotten better each season she has played. Her best season so far was her junior year where Harrison carded three top-25 finishes along with one top-10 finish when she finished second in the player pool at the Nashville Invitational.
Her favorite shot she ever hit was in Nashville, when she sank a 15-foot-putt to get par and hold her spot in first place.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous in my life. I had a feeling I had to make it, and I did,” Harrison said.
Her opponent hit her putt for birdie though, moving Harrison to second in the tournament.
She credits her progress and success to her coaches. She has had two different head coaches in her years but coach Kevin Tucker has meshed best with Harrison in her final season.
“I play my best when I’m being myself and being free, and he tailors his coaching to that to help me be my best,” she said.
So far in the fall season, Harrison has competed in every tournament and her best tournamen result was a No. 35 finish at the Badger Invitational in September.
But her performance isn’t what Harrison will prioritize when looking back, it is the memories made along the way with her teammates.
This year, she went zip-lining with her teammates in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho which brought together team chemistry.
“It brings us all together and it’s fun,” she said about team trips. “Even if you’re not comfortable, we can encourage each other.”
Her favorite trip with her teammates was going to Hawaii when the team would stay with each other in the same Airbnb and find time to relax in between the golf tournament. The food in Hawaii was also a career favorite for Harrison, crediting the banana bread on the big island to be her favorite food she’s eaten in her collegiate career.
With five normal matches before the West Coast Conference Championships, Harrison’s collegiate career is coming to an end. Her goals after graduation fit well into golf, looking to pursue a career in sales.
“I’ve played golf since I was two years old, so I have always been driven by results,” Harrison said. “I always want to get a little bit better and you can never be perfect in golf. That’s what I am looking for in my career as well.”
