IN Peters Township December 2016/January 2017 | Page 43

M

ia Kness was only 9 years old when she first hit the links. Nearly
a decade later, she’s become a state champion.
The 18-year-old says she wasn’t confident that she was going
to win until her very last putt on the 18th hole. She and competitor
Samantha Yao, a Conestoga sophomore, were “neck and neck” the
entire game.
They went into the 18th hole with Mia ahead by one stroke, and she
said her “heart dropped” as Samantha’s shot rolled straight toward the
cup; however, it hit the cup too fast and rolled past. Mia closed it out,
finishing with an even-par 144. Samantha finished 2 over par with a 146.
“It was incredibly tense, especially since it was the last putt of my high
school golf career,” Mia says. “It was very emotional.”
The daughter of Mark
and Kimberly Kness, Mia
first started playing golf after
her grandparents, who were
members of the Oakmont
Country Club, purchased
lessons for her.
“I really enjoyed it, so I
stuck with it,” she says.
By middle school, she
was competing in individual
competitions, and then
joined the Peters Township
High School team as a

freshman. She considers the best part of her game to be her drive and,
like many golfers, finds putting to be the most challenging.
She worked hard in the off-season to improve her short game—and
it certainly paid off.
“Everything just came together at states,” she says, also crediting
her swing coach, Dan Reilly of Cool Springs, as being instrumental
to her success.
“I owe everything to him. He keeps me calm and works with me to
help me keep getting better,” she says.
Reilly credits Mia’s parents, as well as her talent and ambition, as
the catalysts for her success. He also says that the ability to make
adjustments to her game helps her stand out on the greens.
“There’s a saying in golf that you’re only allowed to borrow your
swing; you’re not allowed to keep it,” he says. “Mia worked around
the calendar for six years straight. Even if we were heading into a
tournament, she was receptive to changes to her game, and had the
talent to implement them. She can make adjustments better than any
student I’ve ever had.”
Mia will attend Seton Hall University in New Jersey on a golf
scholarship, where she’ll study business. For now, she’s continuing
lessons and focusing on getting in shape for another favorite sport:
lacrosse. She’s also looking ahead to the future—including the
possibility of turning professional.
“I want to go to college and get my major and see what happens,” she
says. “I know that if I work hard enough to be a pro, it could happen.” n

Peters Township | December 2016/January 2017 | icmags.com 41