IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Fall 2019 | Page 14

INPERSON
Whitehall’s Michael
Quallich is making a
name for himself in
the golf world.
“I
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got knuckles from Freddie Couples!” exclaims
Michael Quallich. It was just one of the exciting
moments for the 9-year-old Whitehall resident as a
participant in the 6th Annual Drive, Chip and Putt National
Finals at Augusta National earlier this year. And as far as
he’s concerned, continuing to play and compete are his only
options.
Michael’s parents first noticed his natural ability at the age
of 2. “I had a plastic club at home I played with,” he recalls.
“I guess my parents thought my swing looked pretty good
because they helped me practice and as I got older, I just loved
to play.”
Justin Quallich, Michael’s father, agrees: “His mom and I
were both taken aback watching him hit golf balls. We decided
to foster him along and see where it would take him. We never
imagined he would be this good at this age.”
Michael has been playing golf pretty much non-stop since
he was a toddler. “My favorite course I’ve been to so far is
Augusta, but I really like playing the courses in Mt. Lebanon
and South Park,” he notes. “I’ve also been lucky to play at the
River Club Golf Course in South Carolina. It’s fun because it’s
the right distance for me and has some fun twists and crazy
things to play through.”
To make it to the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals,
Michael practiced relentlessly for three months, five to seven
days a week.
“I spent a lot of time at First Tee of Pittsburgh,” he explains.
“I practiced my drive at Cool Springs Sports Complex and my
putt on the green my dad had installed in our backyard. For
chipping, I worked a couple of days a week with Steve Sinning,
the golf coach from Baldwin High School.”
Once the qualifying rounds for the competition began,
Michael started at the local level. “I played at Green Oaks
Country Club in Verona and the top three finishers in each
age group got to move on. I placed second. It was awesome,”
he says.
The next eight competitions were sub-regional meets across
Pennsylvania. The top three finishers from each (24 boys and
24 girls) moved on to play at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in
the regional competition.
“Coming in first or second at Nemacolin meant Michael
would move on to play at Muirfield Golf Club in the final
qualifying round before moving on to Augusta,” explains
Justin. “He had to place first or second and he made it—he
placed second in his age group. It was so exciting!”
“One of the best things about making it to Augusta is the whole
family got to attend,” says Michael. That includes his mom, Missy,
and his older and younger sisters, Bea, 11, and Demi, 5.
“The PGA covered the cost of everything, and it was a really
special time for our family,” adds Justin. But their time was
focused on helping Michael perform his best.
“I played in the 7-9 age group for boys and at the end of the day
I placed 8th,” Michael recounts. “I was happy with that, knowing
it was my first competition and I was competing with people from
all over the country, Canada and one boy from France. It was fun,
and I got to meet some famous golfers, too, like Freddie Couples.
He walked by me and said, ‘Good luck, buddy,’ and gave me some
knuckles. He was really nice.”
Michael also got quite a bit of attention at Augusta when some
commentators from the Golf Channel noticed how his swing very
closely resembled the smashing style of pro golfer John Daly.
“The Golf Channel filmed his swing and did a side-by-side
comparison with John Daly’s,” says Justin. “It got more than one
million views. We were blown away by the attention, and the
commentators were also in awe, knowing he’s never had a formal
golf lesson in his life.”
Michael will be working toward the 2020 competition with the
same devotion and passion that has fueled him so far. “My goal is
to make it back there and do even better,” he says. “I have some
things I need to work on and that’s what I aim to do. But I’ll also
be playing in a summer camp in Mt. Lebanon and with my dad
and sisters, since they’re interested in golf now, too.”
Justin and Missy Quallich are happy Michael has found a
passion he enjoys. “Mike’s a good kid,” says Justin, “and we’re
happy he enjoys playing the sport. We don’t push him; he does
it on his own and is excited to improve and get better.” As for
Michael: “I like it because it’s fun and safe and you can play by
yourself or with other people. I just have a good time.”
The Drive, Chip and Putt competition is open to boys and girls
ages 7-15. Boys and girls compete in separate divisions in four age
categories: 7-9 years old, 10-11 years old, 12-13 years old, and
14-15 years old. Participants will be grouped based on their age as
of the National Finals on Sunday, April 5, 2020. n
BRENTWOOD-BALDWIN-WHITEHALL
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FALL 2019
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