RIVERSIDE — Being the younger sibling, especially in a high-achieving sports family, can be tricky.
Sometimes you’re an afterthought. Anyone remember Tommie Aaron, younger brother of baseball slugger Henry Aaron? Or Chris Gwynn, brother of Tony? And how about Seth Curry, younger brother of Steph?
Ah, but then there are the younger siblings who become more, or at least equally, memorable: Serena Williams, younger sister of Venus. Or Eli Manning, younger brother of Peyton. And sometimes it’s a dead heat, as in Cheryl and Reggie Miller, both Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers, both alumni of Riverside Poly and later proud alumni of USC and UCLA, respectively.
Is another sibling story developing here?
Amari Avery is the older sister at 21, a golf prodigy from the age of 4 who went on to play at USC and is currently playing professionally, working her way up on the Epson developmental tour. She has five top-10 finishes in 21 events on that tour and is 14th in that circuit’s “Race for the (LPGA Tour) Card,” standings. And she made the cut under crazy circumstances at the U.S. Women’s Open in late May, finishing tied for 45th in her third Open but first as a professional.
Don’t look now, but 18-year-old Alona Avery is taking careful notes.
Alona was Big West Freshman of the Year and first team all-conference at UC Irvine this past spring, and she finished first in her qualifying round for next month’s U.S. Women’s Amateur, firing the low round of 68 in the qualifier June 18 at Chula Vista’s Enagic Golf Club.
That earned her a ticket to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore., for the Aug. 4-10 Women’s Amateur. One of the rewards for the winner: an exemption into next year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera.
Before that, Alona will compete in the 125th Women’s Western Amateur, beginning Monday at Red Run Golf Club in Royal Oak, Mich.
Is there a sibling rivalry? On the golf course, naturally, Alona and Amari compete. But overall, this is less about competition and more about inspiration.
“Me, my dad (Andre) and my sister would always be out there grinding, just hitting golf balls till we couldn’t any more,” Alona said during an interview this week at the Victoria Club in Riverside. “And yeah, just seeing her success throughout the years, even recently, (has) been like the hugest impact in my career.
“Obviously it’s really cool to see my sister do all these amazing things. And she’s my role model. She’s my inspiration, so I just have always looked up to her. And whatever she does, I want to do that or even better and try to beat her in whatever she does.”
The origin stories here differ only slightly. Growing up in Riverside, both girls had a golf club in hand at the age of 3. Amari was competing a year later, while Alona said she “started a little bit later competitively,” at 8.
“I think it all started with Andre,” Maria Avery of her husband. “He was a big influence in them growing up and taking an interest in golf. He used to play golf, and it started obviously with Amari when she was 3. We bought a little set of clubs from the toy store, and she would hit it and continue to hit it and hit it and Andre noticed that, hmm, she might really like this, so let’s go take it to the range or whatever.
“Alona was younger, so she was always with them, with us during practice and training, and so she started picking (it) up as well. And yeah, they would always support each other for tournaments. They even caddied for each other. … Now that (Amari is) on tour with the Epson tour, she gives Alona advice so that she can further her experience and the love of the game.”
The Averys have structured their family around the sport. Maria is a manager in an L.A. County Sheriff’s Department office. Andre, who had been employed with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, now accompanies Amari on tour; they’re currently in Milford, Conn., for this week’s tour stop.
Both sisters were homeschooled, Maria said, “so that they would be able to practice throughout the day, and also attend tournaments out of state and try to balance schoolwork as well. So that’s kind of challenging for them. But we felt, for our family, that was the best formula for success for the girls, that I remain at work and that he go with them.”
So, just how does that dynamic of motivation work? Some of it is silent – Alona sees what Amari does and is inspired to equal or better it – and some is Amari providing her sister verbal encouragement.
“I mean, we’ve always been there for each other, obviously very competitive towards each other as well,” Alona said. “So there’s always that sort of motivation like, ‘Hey, you know, maybe you didn’t have the best round or the best week or whatever, because that’s just the game of golf and you’re not always going to play your best.’ She’ll always be there to kind of give me that little bit of motivation.”
And when they get together on the course, head-to-head? Not so comforting.
“We always have some sort of friendly match here and there – but I don’t particularly take it as, like, friendly,” Alona said. “I try to beat her and I’m pretty sure she does the same. … We’re always in competition with each other, always trying to beat each other in anything. Not even just golf, (but) whatever we find competitive.”
But she doesn’t do any trash talking, does she?
“Uh, a little bit,” she said, with a laugh. “When I’m feeling some sort of heat and she’s getting under my skin, I got to beat her one way or another. If I can’t beat her on the golf course, there’s going to be a little bit of trash talk.”
But those moments come and go. Watching what her sister is accomplishing, and realizing the possibilities for herself, is more substantial.
“Just … seeing what she’s done with this game, that’s just a huge motivator for me,” Alona said. “And to have someone in my family who’s so close, or who I’m so close with, to be my inspiration – I don’t think there’s anything better than that, to have your sister, who’s only a couple years older than you, do so many amazing things, and I can look up to that.”
Then, she noted that she has been “in my sister’s shadow for the most part,” and said she’s still in the process of discovering who she is as a golfer.
“It’s just a work in progress,” she said. “I’ve been kind of finding myself recently. I feel that I’ve just been … putting my head down and working as hard as I can so that I can be on the big stages my sister has been and still is. So I can kind of get that experience for myself.”
Yeah, I’d say that’s motivation.
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