Michigan Golf Journal August 2021

Continues on next page >> College Scholars Golfers Get Boost with Academic College Scholarships By Tom Lang and Greg Johnson Not every high school student is a prime-time golfer ready to scoop up an athletic scholarship for college, but the game of golf can still help them succeed at the next level. Here are at least three Michiganders who earned some academic help in the right direction: Jaime Saliba of Berkley National Youth on Course Scholarship winner Jaime Saliba of Berkley and Shrine High School in Royal Oak started playing golf, she said, sort of by accident. Jaime and her mother, Claudia, took her father James to a driving range for a Father’s Day gift when Jamie was in the sixth grade. The sort-of-accident part is that at that point she had not considered playing the game. It was a family outing for her father. The not-so-much accident part is that day she met Francine Pegues, a long- time supporter of golf who is well known for her guidance of the Golf 4 Girls Program at Belle Isle Golf Range. “It was the happiest accident ever,” Jaime said. “I’ve loved the game ever since.” Saliba, 17, is one of 20 high school graduates from across the nation chosen for part of the $296,000 in scholarship funds this year. Since the inception of Youth on Course in 2008, 280 YOC members have been awarded financial support totaling $2 million. The average GPA of the 2021 group is 4.39 and Jaime is among the 11 who have plans to try competitive golf at the collegiate level. In the fall she is attending St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Ind., where they have open tryouts for the team. She will study political science and criminal justice.