CHILLIWACK — If there is such a thing as good golf genes, Emma Kral has them. The 16-year-old Victoria native’s mom, Alanna Deegan, is director of instruction at Olympic View Golf Course, while her dad, Scott Kral, played collegiate golf for the University of Washington before turning pro and competing on the old Canadian Tour.
So Emma was destined to play golf, although it took her a while to warm up to the game. “I never got interested in golf until I was 12 or 13,” Kral said. “I played a lot of other sports growing up, but then I got interested in the game and progressed from there. I didn’t break 80 until like two years ago.” She hasn’t had any trouble breaking 80 lately. Kral has blossomed into one of this province’s top junior golfers. And yes, she leans on mom and dad for advice.
Her dad is caddying for her at this week’s 121st playing B.C. Women’s Amateur Championship at Chilliwack Golf Club, where Kral has opened with rounds of 72 and 69 and stands solo third heading into the final round of the 54-hole event. Once Kral began to get serious about the game, she quickly fell in love with it.
“There’s always a challenge in golf,” she said. “I love taking risks. I am a very adventurous person.” In other words, don’t expect Kral to lay up and take the easy route if she has a chance to reach a par 5 in two. “Every shot’s a new shot and I can play my own game,” she said. “I’m an independent person. So I like being kind of on my own and doing my own thing.”
While she has an independent spirit, Kral welcomes and seeks the advice of her mom and dad. Her mom helps her with her swing and Kral said her dad is good at keeping her calm on the golf course and preparing her for rounds. “He’s good at helping me pick smart targets and good lines on my putts,” Kral said. “It’s good to have someone out there to talk with. He handles my ups and downs well. He tells me you can make par from anywhere.”
Kral, who is heading into Grade 11 at Royal Bay Secondary in Victoria, had a breakthrough summer of 2025. She finished third at the B.C. Juvenile Girls Championship and was second at the B.C. Junior Girls. She is now a member of Team B.C.’s Vancouver Island squad.
Scott Kral graduated from the University of Washington in 2000 and played pro golf for three years. Travelling to tournaments with Emma brings back memories for him. “I’m doing what my dad did for me,” said Scott, a two-time B.C. Junior Boys champion. “It’s exciting to see Emma progressing. She’s better than me now. And she hits it way straighter than I did.”
Scott said he and his wife have different roles regarding their daughter’s golf game. “I’m more of an on-course guy, helping her with the mental side of the game and helping her learn how to decipher shots and different lies and dealing with playing conditions. Her mom is more of a swing-coach person.”
Emma credits her improved play the last year or so to better putting and course management. “My putting has got a lot better the last couple of years,” she said. “My pace is better. And then my course management has been a big thing. When I was younger, I kind of just liked to hit it wherever and go find it and hit it again. I kind of still have that mentality, but I’m better now at picking specific targets and then going from there.”
Emma is hoping to follow in her dad’s footsteps and play NCAA Division 1 golf. “That’s the goal, to go play college golf in the NCAA and see where it goes from there,” she said.