While many believe you need to be competitive in a sport by the time you are in grade school to have a chance at a full-ride scholarship, Capital High School senior Anna Duerr proved them wrong. The athlete was awarded a full-ride scholarship to play golf at Gonzaga University at a signing ceremony on November 12, 2025, at the Olympia Golf and Country Club.
While Anna has been around golf since she was young – heading to the course to drink hot chocolate and hit a ball around with her dad – she said it was nothing serious. “We never kept score – we just had fun,” she says. “I didn’t start to golf competitively until I was in the eighth grade.”
From Family Fun to Competitive Golf, Anna Duerr Quickly Excelled
In middle school, the Capital High School girls golf coach, Kurt Playstead, approached Anna while she was playing a game with her dad and asked her if she wanted to practice with the team. “Coach Playstead has played a huge part in my interest in competing at a high level,” Anna shares.
Anna credits the high school’s program for fostering her love of the game. “Something that has really helped me fall in love with the game is the Capital High School golf program,” she shares. “I am very grateful for my coaches, Kurt Playstead and Steve Hamiliton, and all of my teammates. I wouldn’t be here without them helping me along the way. I am fortunate to be surrounded with a team who is very driven to get better and have made friendships that will last forever.”
As for the game itself, Anna says she loves how tough it is. “It combines a mental challenge with athletic skill, and that makes it fun,” she adds. “Golf is something where you could be doing everything you think is right, but sometimes the ball still won’t go the way you want it to. I think this translates to the real world because a lot of the time we think everything is going good, but then they put a bunker in the middle of the fairway.”
Over the years, Anna has racked up quite the list of accomplishments on the course:
- 1st Team All-League South Sound Conference Honors for High School Girls Golf in ’23,’24, and ’25 seasons
- 2024 and 2025 South Sound League Tournament Individual Champion
- Represented Washington on the Girls Junior Americas Cup Team
- Champion 2025 FCG Washington Championship at Chambers Bay Golf Course
- Individual medalist at the 2025 Gamble Sands High School Invitational Tournament with a score of 69
Whatever the Future Holds, Golf Will Be in It for Capital High School Senior
Being awarded a full-ride scholarship for Gonzaga University was a dream come true for Anna. “I’m so grateful to coach Rickel and coach Fallgren for giving me this opportunity to compete at the next level,” she says. “It has been a dream of mine to compete at the next level and I can’t wait to give the program everything I have.” She adds that she looks forward to the team environment in college golf.
While Anna’s favorite school subject is English – she says she loves expressing herself through writing – she plans on majoring in business administration and has not decided on a specific career after college. When not studying or swinging a club, she loves to bake and spend time with her family.
No matter what career path she takes, she is planning on golf being a part of her life. “My love for the game runs very deep,” Anna explains. “After college, I would like to continue with golf as something I do every day, whether that is playing or working.”
