Michigan Golf Journal October 2018

ZĞǀŝƐŝƟŶŐ DĞŐ DĂůůŽŶ Ăƚ ĚŝīĞƌĞŶƚ ŚŝŐŚ ƐĐŚŽŽůƐ͘ /ƚ ǁĂƐ really neat in the beginning to do that and now Mercy has a ĨƵůů ƉƌŽŐƌĂŵ͘ /ƚ͛Ɛ ƌĞĂůůLJ ŶĞĂƚ ŚŽǁ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ŐƌŽǁŶ ;Ϯ ƐƚĂƚĞ ƟƚůĞƐ ĂŶĚ Ϯ ƌƵŶŶĞƌƐ ƵƉͿ͘ ͞/ƚ ǁĂƐ Ă ŐƌĞĂƚ ĨŽƵƌ LJĞĂƌƐ ;ĂƩĞŶĚŝŶŐ DĞƌĐLJͿ ĂŶĚ /͛ŵ ƐƟůů best friends with my school friends.” <ŽǁĂůƐŬŝ ƌĞŵĂŝŶƐ ƚŚĞ DĞƌĐLJ ĐŽĂĐŚ ŐŽŝŶŐ ŽŶ ϯϵ LJĞĂƌƐ Ăƚ the helm. “Meg said to me some girls really wanted to start a golf ĐůƵď͕ ĂŶĚ / ƐĂŝĚ ͚LJŽƵ ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ ĚŽ ǁŚĂƚ͍͊͛ ŶĚ / ƚŽůĚ ŚĞƌ / ĚŽŶ͛ƚ ŐŽůĨ͕ / ƉůĂLJ ƐŽŌďĂůů ĨŽƵƌ ŶŝŐŚƚƐ Ă ǁĞĞŬ͕͟ <ŽǁĂůƐŬŝ ƌĞĐŽƵŶƚĞĚ͘ “Then during the season they came to me and said we were going to the state regionals, ĂŶĚ / ƐĂŝĚ ͚ǁĞ͛ƌĞ ŐŽŝŶŐ ƚŽ ĚŽ ǁŚĂƚ͍͊͛ Ƶƚ / ǁĂƐ okay with it and we went, and we won the regional ŽƵƌ ĮƌƐƚ LJĞĂƌ ĂŶĚ ǁĞŶƚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƐƚĂƚĞ ĮŶĂůƐ͕͟ ĂƐ Ă ĐůƵď ƚĞĂŵ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ ƚŽŽŬ ϰƚŚ ƉůĂĐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ KƉĞŶ ĐůĂƐƐ͘ <ŽǁĂůƐŬŝ ƐĂŝĚ DĞŐ ǁĂƐ ŝŶĚŝǀŝĚƵĂů ƌƵŶŶĞƌ ƵƉ͘ ŌĞƌ ŚĞƌ DŝĐŚŝŐĂŶ Women’s Amateur win in ͚ϴϯ͕ DĂůůŽŶ ǁĂƐ ŽīĞƌĞĚ Ă ƐƉŽŶƐŽƌ͛Ɛ ĞdžĞŵƉƟŽŶ into the Jamie Farr LPGA ĞǀĞŶƚ ŝŶ dŽůĞĚŽ͕ ŚĞƌ ĮƌƐƚ ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂů ƚŽƵƌŶĂŵĞŶƚ͘ Toledo eventually became 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 Ăƚ Ohio State. ͞/ ƚŚŝŶŬ ƐŚĞ ĨĞůƚ KŚŝŽ ^ƚĂƚĞ ĐŽƵůĚ ŚĞůƉ ŚĞƌ ŵŽƌĞ ǁŝƚŚ ŚĞƌ ƐŚŽƌƚ ŐĂŵĞ͕͟ <ŽǁĂůƐŬŝ ƐĂŝĚ͘ “And one thing she said to me was Ohio State was just far enough south it was only December and January when ƚŚĞLJ ĐŽƵůĚŶ͛ƚ ďĞ ŽƵƚƐŝĚĞ ƉůĂLJŝŶŐ golf. So that was one deciding ĨĂĐƚŽƌ͕ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞLJ ĐŽƵůĚ ŚĞůƉ ŚĞƌ ŵŽǀĞ ŽŶ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŶĞdžƚ ƐƚĞƉ (Tour) and that was her desire.” dŚĞ ϭϵϵϭ ƐĞĂƐŽŶ ǁĂƐ DĂůůŽŶ͛Ɛ breakout year on the LPGA dŽƵƌ͕ ďƵƚ ƚŚĞ ĞĂƌůLJ ϮϬϬϬƐ ǁĞƌĞ arguably her best days on the dŽƵƌ͘ dŚĞŶ ŝŶ ϮϬϬϱ͕ ďŽƚŚ Ă ďĂĐŬ injury to Meg and the decision ƚŽ ƐƉĞŶĚ ŵŽƌĞ ƉĞƌƐŽŶĂů ƟŵĞ with her sister Tricia, who contracted cancer, started the ƌŽĂĚ ƚŽ ĞǀĞŶƚƵĂů ƌĞƟƌĞŵĞŶƚ͘ ͞/ ǁĂƐ ƌĞĂůůLJ ƉůĂLJŝŶŐ ƐŽŵĞ ŽĨ ŵLJ ďĞƐƚ ŐŽůĨ ĨƌŽŵ ϮϬϬϬ ƚŽ ϮϬϬϰ͕ ƐŽ ŝƚ ǁĂƐ ũƵƐƚ ŐƌĞĂƚ ƚŽ ƐĞĞ ƉůĂLJŝŶŐ ŐŽŽĚ ŐŽůĨ ƚƌĂŶƐůĂƚĞ ŝŶƚŽ victories,” she said. ƚ ƚŚĞ ĞŶĚ ŽĨ ϮϬϬϯ DĂůůŽŶ ǁŽŶ ƚŚĞ d ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉ ĂŶĚ ďĞĐĂŵĞ ƚŚĞ ĮƌƐƚ ƉůĂLJĞƌ ĞǀĞƌ ŝŶ >W' ƚŽ ƐŚŽŽƚ Ă ϲϬ͘ /Ŷ ϮϬϬϰ ƐŚĞ ǁŽŶ ƚŚĂƚ ƐĞĐŽŶĚ h͘^͘ tŽŵĞŶ͛Ɛ KƉĞŶ͕ ƉůƵƐ ƚŚĞ ĂŶĂĚŝĂŶ KƉĞŶ ƚŚĞ ǀĞƌLJ ŶĞdžƚ ǁĞĞŬ͕ ĂŶĚ ŚĞƌ ĮŶĂů ĐĂƌĞĞƌ victory at Toledo, all in a ϱͲƚŽƵƌŶĂŵĞŶƚ ƐƉĂŶ͘ DĂůůŽŶ ŶŽǁ ůŝǀĞƐ ϱ months of the year near Traverse City and rarely ƉŝĐŬƐ ƵƉ Ă ŐŽůĨ ĐůƵď͘ ^ŚĞ ŝƐ ŝŶũƵƌLJͲĨƌĞĞ͕ ďƵƚ ƐĂŝĚ ƐŚĞ is enjoying doing other things now. ͞/ ůŝŬĞ ƚŽ ŐĞƚ ŽƵƚ ĂŶĚ ƉůĂLJ ƚĞŶŶŝƐ͕ / ďŝŬĞ ƌŝĚĞ͕ / hike,” Mallon said. “Living in northern Michigan is ũƵƐƚ ƐŽ ĨƵŶ ĂŶĚ / ŐĞƚ Ă ƚŽŶ ŽĨ ĐŽŵƉĂŶLJ ƚŚĂƚ ĐŽŵĞ ƚŽ ǀŝƐŝƚ͕ ƐŽ / ƐƉĞŶĚ Ă ůŽƚ ŽĨ ƟŵĞ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ůĂŬĞ ĂŶĚ enjoying the outdoors. ͞/ƚ͛Ɛ ŶŝĐĞ ƚŽ ĚŽ Ăůů the other things again ďĞĐĂƵƐĞ / ƉƵƚ ƚŚŽƐĞ Ăůů ĂƐŝĚĞ ƚŽ ƉůĂLJ ƚŚĞ dŽƵƌ͘͟ Photo by :Ğī ,ŽƌŶďĂĐŬ