Written by Sports Information Intern Kendall Jackson

As a young girl growing up in Los Angeles Kris Grimes, tried her hand at basketball and figure skating- but it was seeing her parents taking golf lessons that sparked her interest in golf, and she has not put the clubs down yet.

“My parents were taking golf lessons and my siblings and I were jealous, so they signed us up for lessons with a coach at our local golf course, said Grimes the coach told my younger brother and I that we were naturals and we have been playing ever since.”

A product of Saint Joseph High School in Lakewood, she competed for four years, where she made it to the top tournament, the California Interscholastic Federation Championship her final three years.

After high school, wanting to continue her golfing career, a local coach told her about College of the Canyons head coach Gary Peterson’s program. She met with Peterson and the rest is history.

“I decided to play for COC because after meeting with Gary Peterson, I found I really enjoyed the program. It also was a great way for me to improve my golf skills,” said Grimes.

As she commuted from her Los Angeles home to the Santa Clarita Valley for classes and practice, the young golfer blossomed into a formidable athlete.

During her first year at the college, Grimes was the only member of the golf team to compete at California Community College Athletic Associations Women's Golf State Championship tournament. Grimes shot a 36-hole total of 11-over-par 155 (76-79), taking home the individual state championship at Kings Country Club, and was donned an All-American.

Grimes became the second woman in program history to earn the individual state title. In 2007, Jenny Lee won the program’s first title.

This season at College of the Canyons, Grimes has once again lead the Cougars in scoring including her win at the Southern California Championship on Nov. 6. Grimes broke the tournament record when she carded a150 to beat second place winner, Kate Cho of Irvine Valley, by two strokes.

Grimes concluded her career at COC at the California Community College Athletic Associations Women's Golf State Championship, where she finished in fourth place. While she did not win the state championship title for the second consecutive year, she was named All-State for her strong finish.

After graduating from COC this spring, Grimes hopes to transfer to San Diego State University and continue playing golf both at the school, and eventually compete professionally.