Michigan Golf Journal February 2018

&ĞĂƚƵƌĞ ^ƚŽƌLJ Kowalski remains the Mercy ĐŽĂĐŚ ŐŽŝŶŐ ŽŶ ϯϵ LJĞĂƌƐ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ helm. “Meg said to me some girls really wanted to start a golf club, ĂŶĚ / ƐĂŝĚ ͚LJŽƵ ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ ĚŽ ǁŚĂƚ͍͊͛ ŶĚ / ƚŽůĚ ŚĞƌ / ĚŽŶ͛ƚ ŐŽůĨ͕ / ƉůĂLJ ƐŽŌďĂůů ĨŽƵƌ ŶŝŐŚƚƐ Ă ǁĞĞŬ͕͟ Kowalski recounted. “Then during the season they came to me and said we were going to the state ƌĞŐŝŽŶĂůƐ͕ ĂŶĚ / ƐĂŝĚ ͚ǁĞ͛ƌĞ ŐŽŝŶŐ ƚŽ ĚŽ ǁŚĂƚ͍͊͛ Ƶƚ / ǁĂƐ ŽŬĂLJ ǁŝƚŚ it and we went, and we won the ƌĞŐŝŽŶĂů ŽƵƌ ĮƌƐƚ LJĞĂƌ ĂŶĚ ǁĞŶƚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƐƚĂƚĞ ĮŶĂůƐ͕͟ ĂƐ Ă ĐůƵď ƚĞĂŵ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ ƚŽŽŬ ϰƚŚ ƉůĂĐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ KƉĞŶ class. Kowalski said Meg was ŝŶĚŝǀŝĚƵĂů ƌƵŶŶĞƌ ƵƉ͘ ŌĞƌ ŚĞƌ DŝĐŚŝŐĂŶ tŽŵĞŶ͛Ɛ ŵĂƚĞƵƌ ǁŝŶ ŝŶ ͚ϴϯ͕ DĂůůŽŶ ǁĂƐ ŽīĞƌĞĚ Ă ƐƉŽŶƐŽƌ͛Ɛ ĞdžĞŵƉƟŽŶ ŝŶƚŽ ƚŚĞ :ĂŵŝĞ &Ăƌƌ >W' ĞǀĞŶƚ ŝŶ dŽůĞĚŽ͕ ŚĞƌ ĮƌƐƚ ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂů tournament. Toledo eventually ďĞĐĂŵĞ ŚĞƌ ůĂƐƚ ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂů ǀŝĐƚŽƌLJ ;ϮϬϬϰͿ ĂŶĚ ƐŝƚĞ ƚŽ ĂŶŶŽƵŶĐĞ ŚĞƌ ƌĞƟƌĞŵĞŶƚ ;ϮϬϭϬͿ͘ dŚĂƚ͛Ɛ ũƵƐƚ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ DĂůůŽŶ͛Ɛ ĂīĞĐƟŽŶ ĨŽƌ KŚŝŽ͘ tŚŝůĞ ŽīĞƌĞĚ Ă ƐĐŚŽůĂƌƐŚŝƉ ƚŽ DŝĐŚŝŐĂŶ ^ƚĂƚĞ ƚŽ ƉůĂLJ ŐŽůĨ͕ DĂůůŽŶ ŽƉƚĞĚ ƚŽ ǁĂůŬͲŽŶ at Ohio State. “I think she felt Ohio State ĐŽƵůĚ ŚĞůƉ ŚĞƌ ŵŽƌĞ ǁŝƚŚ ŚĞƌ short game,” Kowalski said. “And one thing she said to me was Ohio State was just far enough south it was only December and :ĂŶƵĂƌLJ ǁŚĞŶ ƚŚĞLJ ĐŽƵůĚŶ͛ƚ ďĞ ŽƵƚƐŝĚĞ ƉůĂLJŝŶŐ ŐŽůĨ͘ ^Ž ƚŚĂƚ ǁĂƐ WŚŽƚŽ ďLJ :Ğī ,ŽƌŶďĂĐŬ one deciding factor, and that ƚŚĞLJ ĐŽƵůĚ ŚĞůƉ ŚĞƌ ŵŽǀĞ ŽŶ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŶĞdžƚ ƐƚĞƉ ;dŽƵƌͿ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĂƚ was her desire.” The 1991 season was Mallon’s breakout year on the LPGA Tour, but the early 2000s were arguably her best days on the dŽƵƌ͘ dŚĞŶ ŝŶ ϮϬϬϱ͕ ďŽƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬ injury to Meg and the decision to ƐƉĞŶĚ ŵŽƌĞ ƉĞƌƐŽŶĂů ƟŵĞ ǁŝƚŚ her sister Tricia, who contracted cancer, started the road to ĞǀĞŶƚƵĂů ƌĞƟƌĞŵĞŶƚ͘ ͞/ ǁĂƐ ƌĞĂůůLJ ƉůĂLJŝŶŐ ƐŽŵĞ ŽĨ ŵLJ best golf from 2000 to 2004, so it