Seniors Sung and Tir Make Lasting Impact

A lot has happened in the careers of seniors Katherine Sung and Penelope Tir. They went through the women's golf program temporarily being cut, but they kept forging forward and due in large part to their leadership and mentality, the Big Green enter this weekend's Ivy League Championship with hopes of taking home a title.

It has been quite a journey and through it all, the journey has taught them so many life lessons. And along the way, these seniors have positively impacted those around them.

Tir's Dartmouth story goes back longer than four years, as she took a gap year before coming to Hanover.

"The gap year let me fall back in love with the game," she said. "I wasn't competing for any team. I was living and traveling by myself in Boston. All the practice and all the onus was on me to improve my game.

"I really carried that mindset with me into the summer before coming to Dartmouth."

That was the summer when the women's golf program was cut.

"A lot of us were facing the decision of whether or not to transfer," said Tir. "I was really invested in the idea of being a student-athlete wherever I went to college, but we were also working on other avenues to reinstate the golf team."

One of the big reasons Tir initially committed to Dartmouth was Alex Kirk, the Carolyn A. Pelzel '54a Head Coach of Women's Golf.
Katherine Sung and Penelope Tir

"I really liked Coach Kirk's coaching style and the team," said Tir. "On my visit, it felt very welcoming and felt like home. They were people I wanted to spend my college career with, so I decided to stay at Dartmouth (even without the guarantee of the golf team)."

That decision would pay off and Tir would eventually be coached by Kirk.

Meanwhile, the time without Dartmouth women's golf helped Sung find herself beyond golf.

"It made me step back and evaluate whether I came to the school just for golf," she said. "Without golf, how would I feel and where would I fit in with the community?"

In the fall of 2020, Sung fit in well, but still missed the sport.

"I was able to find myself and develop myself on campus, but I would still go out, walk to the practice areas and hit balls, pick them up and do it again," she said. "It was definitely a tough first year trying to figure out my identity without golf.

"When our team came back (reinstated in January of 2021), we were all super happy."

The Big Green were back, but had a small roster due to several student-athletes transferring.

"It put pressure on everyone to play well because every single round would essentially count no matter what (because the Big Green had limited players)," said Sung.

The lesson is a silver lining to a challenging situation, which has carried forward to today.

"Katherine and I have tried to be mentors to the underclassmen," said Tir. "Play like your score is always going to count. It doesn't really matter what happened in the last hole.

"Looking back on it, sophomore year built a resilience into this team that we can now be grateful for."
Katherine Sung competing for women's golf at the Quinnipiac Classic

Katherine Sung competing for women's golf at the Quinnipiac Classic

Besides resilience, another reason for the program's quick success has been Coach Kirk.

"Coach Kirk has invested a lot of time trying to get me to believe in myself and my game," said Tir.

In turn, her belief has skyrocketed.

Kirk hasn't just helped Tir.

"Coach Kirk is probably the single reason why we are all so successful," said Sung. "He really nurtures each and every one of us individually."

One way that happens is through reflection.

"After every big tournament, Coach sends a list of questions and we have to talk about strengths and weaknesses," said Sung. "He comes up with an individualized practice plan for us. He's also always very open to suggestion in how he can help us. That open line of communication and trust, reflection in general and desire to be better as a team, is shared by everybody and has helped us be a really cohesive and hardworking team."

The culture within the Dartmouth women's golf team invites coaching and continual improvement.
Katherine Sung Penelope Tir

"I wasn't the best at taking coaching when I was younger, but Coach Kirk's approach taught me to invite that coaching," said Sung. "From a golf standpoint, I have definitely gotten to know my game really well and understand what makes it work best for me. The mental game is the hardest part of golf and it's something I've been able to continue to hone in on."

The 2023 season was a strong step forward for Sung, Tir and the entire program, as the Big Green finished in third place at the Ivy League Championship.

"We found a lot of success last year in a very rewarding way," said Sung. "A group of very talented first-years came in, which helped us build the team back up. We won a big event in the fall and were playing really great golf throughout the rest of the season.

"Last year was definitely a positive in the sense of us heading in the right direction, especially coming from where we were," Sung continued. "This year, we have another great first-year class and have a lot of depth on the team."

The Big Green now have nine players on their roster, which is almost double the size from earlier in their careers.

"It's really nice to have a lot of people on the team to rely and lean back on if you're not playing your best," said Sung.

Sung and Tir have taken away so many lessons from their Dartmouth journeys that go far beyond athletics.

"We're given the freedom to explore ourselves as people outside of the golf team," said Sung. "It doesn't totally encapsulate our whole lives on campus, which is nice, because you get to make friends outside of golf, explore other interests and join clubs."

Tir admitted maybe you really can have it all.

"I feel like I have a really great group of friends on and off the course, I can always find the time to put work into golf and I really like everything I'm studying," said Tir. "Even though my majors are pretty ambitious — double major in biology and engineering — I feel like that's not detracting from golf."

Post-graduation, Tir will be a business tech consultant at Deloitte in Chicago. Sung's major is impressive as well, majoring in economics modified with math, while minoring in English. Post-graduation, she will be an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley.

Both are destined for success.
Penelope Tir competing for women's golf at the Quinnipiac Classic

Penelope Tir competing for women's golf at the Quinnipiac Classic

After a tournament this year, Coach Kirk asked the team to reflect on what teammates would say about them five or 10 years down the road.

"I'd hope that my teammates would say I was a good leader and that I was committed 100 percent to the team every day," said Sung. "I hope teammates would say that I was not only a good person on the golf course, but also someone who brought out the best in people off the course. I would also hope that I've made a substantial impact on DWG, both from a golf and cultural standpoint, as it has made a huge impact on me and my time at Dartmouth."

No matter what happens at the Ivy League Championship this weekend, Sung and Tir will be remembered as instrumental figures in turning the program around.

"Coach talks a lot about our class being a turning point in the trajectory of the team," said Sung. "We believe we have set the foundation for a great team culture, hopefully facilitating DWG's success in the years to come."

It's success that should last beyond their time at Dartmouth, thanks to the efforts of Sung and Tir.

"Katherine and Penelope are two special people who are pillars of Dartmouth women's golf's foundation to rebuild the program," said Kirk. "I am proud to be a part of their journey and look forward to watching them grow in their path of life."

Schedules

Players Mentioned

Katherine Sung

Penelope Tir

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Schedules

Completed Event: Women's Golf at Bandana Invitational on September 22, 2025 , , 2nd of 15 (+23)

Completed Event: Women's Golf at Bandana Invitational on September 23, 2025 , , 2nd of 15 (+23)

Completed Event: Women's Golf at Princeton Invitational on October 4, 2025 , , 6th of 13 (+34)

Completed Event: Women's Golf at Princeton Invitational on October 5, 2025 , , 6th of 13 (+34)

Completed Event: Women's Golf at Battle at the Beach on October 18, 2025 , , Tied 3rd of 12

Completed Event: Women's Golf at Battle at the Beach on October 19, 2025 , , Tied 3rd of 12