Jonathan Tso’s journey to the top of Arizona high school golf is one defined by determination and an unwavering love for the game.
For four consecutive years at Prescott High School, he has dominated the links, earning recognition as a standout athlete and a symbol of perseverance.
In sixth grade, Tso fell while playing basketball and injured his hip. What was originally just a micro-fracture turned into a complete hip fracture. He underwent multiple surgeries to repair the injury, then eventually learned that he would have to get a full hip replacement.
“He told me that he hadn’t been able to walk a round of golf for a couple years,” said Dan Paul, the head golf coach at Prescott.
When Paul first met Tso, he was in eighth grade. He rode alongside his future coach in a golf cart while he told him that he had a doctor’s appointment the next week to figure out what they would need to do for his hip.
“My jaw kind of dropped when he told me,” Paul said, recalling his concern for the young golfer. “I asked him how he felt about that and he said ‘I’m excited. The doctor told me I’ll be able to walk 18 holes of golf without pain for the first time in years.’”
The answer impressed Paul. The then-13-year-old was not afraid of the process, just his future afterward.
Tso said that approach was important.
“I’ve always had challenges in my life with golf and injuries, and I’ve always kept that mindset just to always keep going,” Tso said.
Tso’s surgery was successful. The recovery process had him sitting out of golf his eighth-grade year. He was cleared to play for the first day of high school golf tryouts.
“Jonathan was jumping out of his skin excited that first day of practice,” Paul said. “He played with three of my upperclassmen … beating them all.”
Tso was thriving in every aspect of his game during high school, until the summer before his senior season, when he dislocated his shoulder while speed training.
He got an MRI the next week and learned he had a torn labrum. He went to a few doctors and physical therapy and was expected to need surgery. But when he met with a surgeon, he was told his shoulder was healing and he was cleared to play shortly after.
Tso then played in his first tournament in months late this past summer, the Arizona High School Fall Preview in August at Grand Canyon University golf course in Phoenix.
He shot two rounds of 67 to finish 8-under par, breaking Prescott’s lowest score in history, and finished second place overall in the tournament.
Tso finished the regular season with the lowest overall scoring differential in the state. He was the No. 2 golfer in all of Arizona by iWanamaker’s rankings.
Tso was named AIA All-Region Player of the Year in his junior and senior years. Tso’s achievements extend to the classroom as well, having won Prescott’s Student of the Month award twice.
“I’ve never quit on anything in my life,” Tso said. “Throughout all of it, I just think why stop now? You’ve gone this far. Just keep going.”
Tso mentors young golfers through Prescott’s spring and summer programs, sharing his expertise and passion for the game.
He also has started offering private lessons to aspiring players, helping them refine their skills and build their confidence.
Tso said he has had several scholarship offers to play college golf, but has yet to decide on where he’ll attend.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How Jonathan Tso battled through injuries to become a top HS golfer
