Senior Eric Yun is committed to play Division I golf at Princeton University next fall. Yun will be joining his older brother Jeremy Yun (‘21) on the Princeton golf team.
Yun initially played both baseball and golf, although it wasn’t until he hurt his elbow in baseball that Yun decided to really focus on golf. “I decided it’s a lot harder to get injured playing golf, so I stuck to it and then it kind of took off from there,” he said.
Yun credits his older brother Jeremy for inspiring his love of the game. “I probably would not have gotten as into it if my older brother Jeremy wasn’t as into it. Because he loved it and I loved it, we kind of kept each other going,” Yun said. “We drive each other forward which is really special.”
The summer before his sophomore year, playing collegiate golf became a real option for Yun. He played in many tournaments that summer, which according to Yun, is the prime season for the recruitment process. Yun is also often ranked in the top 40 of boys amateur golfers by the American Junior Golf Association.
Yun wasn’t officially able to talk to college coaches until June 15, 2022, the summer after his sophomore year. However, Yun had met the Princeton golf coach before as a result of his brother being on the team. “Knowing the coach earlier helped a lot,” Yun said.
Yun communicated with other coaches starting on June 15, but he received his offer from Princeton just two days later.
Princeton appealed to Yun as a result of his brother’s experience on the golf team there. “I was very lucky through the recruiting process because my brother, who is a great golfer and an amazing human, he got recruited to Princeton as well,” Yun said.
Yun and his older brother will overlap at Princeton for one year. “One of the things [I’m most excited for] is freshman year, being able to overlap with my brother,” he said.
In addition to playing with his brother, Yun is looking forward to playing at a high level on the Princeton team. “The team they’re building is starting to look really strong and we have a chance to be really great,” Yun said. “I think we’ll have a good chance to make the national championship and win [the Ivy League].”
As he reflects on his journey to playing Division I golf, Yun feels especially grateful for the guidance of his older brother. “I don’t think I’d be here if it weren’t for Jeremy,” Yun said.
