Merced’s Hernandez upped her game to earn a second Sun-Star Golfer of the Year nod

Many of Netanya Hernandez’s earliest memories occurred on the links with older sister Belen.

The Merced High School junior said the numerous rounds of golf were always friendly, with the sisters helping each other hone their craft.

But as tends to be the case with talented siblings, a little spirited competition simmered.

“That’s where my intensity out on the course comes from, those times playing with Belen,” Hernandez said. “We were always out there just for fun, but you want to beat your sister.

“I’m pretty easygoing in everyday life, but I tend to be all business on the course, and I think it started back then.”

That intensity can be a gift and a curse.

Not pleased with her sophomore campaign, Hernandez rededicated herself to the sport, with a good portion of her summer spent on the Merced Golf & Country Club course. The added work paid off as Hernandez led the Bears in scoring average and reached the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters tournament for the third year in a row. It also helped earn her the Sun-Star Girls Golfer of the Year honor for the second time in three years.

“I don’t think she liked the way that last year ended, and she really put a lot of time in to get herself back where she wanted to be,” Merced coach John Kane said. “She’s really consistent off of the tee. She lands her ball right in the middle of the fairways most of the time.

“Then when she got going, she was pretty lights out on the greens. I think her putting got away from her a little bit last year, but she really brought it back around this season.”

Behind Hernandez and teammate Lauren Coonce, Merced finished second in the Central California Conference and advanced to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I South Tournament.

Each had a solid round there, earning spots at Masters. Hernandez said Coonce’s emergence this season contributed to her success.

“We ended up playing so much golf together, she became one of my best friends,” Hernandez said. “Some days I’d have the better round, and then the next time out she’d shoot lower than me. We really pushed each other.”

After shooting a disappointing 90 at Masters, Hernandez is hoping to push herself even further this offseason. She’s looking to cut a balance between the natural intensity that drives her to be the best she can be and compels her to be her harshest critic.

“I put a good amount of work in, but you can never practice enough in golf,” Hernandez said. “I don’t know if I can do it, but the goal for my senior year is to get past the Masters. To do that, I’m going to really have to work on my approach game. I’m confident off of the tee. I’m pretty consistent with my putting, but I tend to second guess when it comes to my approach shots.

“I’m the kind of player where if I get in my head, one bad shot can lead to another. The mental part of golf is what I like best about it, but it’s also what I sometimes struggle with. I guess that’s probably true of all golfers.”

This story was originally published January 3, 2015 at 12:34 AM with the headline "Merced’s Hernandez upped her game to earn a second Sun-Star Golfer of the Year nod."