BIG SMILES, LITTLE NUMBERS Clockwise from left: Mariah in Cardinal attire, with mom, Sharon, early days with Dad, and fronting the record-breaking 69.
But when you ask people to talk about Mariah Stackhouse, it’s not golf that they mention. This is a little odd, because since that eyeopening day, the Clayton County, Georgia native has played 13 years of tournament golf, picked up more than 100 wins and three Georgia 4A high school girls’ titles, qualified for the U.S. Open at 17, and became the fourth youngest qualifier in history. This year as a freshman at Stanford, she’s already played some record-breaking, crowd-wowing golf. “It’s the person Mariah who is so outstanding,” explains Ralph Boston, three-time Olympian and 1960 gold medalist in the long jump. Ralph met Mariah when she was in fifth grade and both were playing in a charity match at Canongate 1. “I do remember clearly hearing about her victories. She’d won a ridiculous number of tournaments at that young age–90 or so. And I went over and introduced myself. The tournament was a scramble, and the guys that she played with told me, ‘We used every one of her shots.’ And I said, ‘WOW!’” The two became fast friends, often playing together, but even after years of watching Mariah grow and develop as a golfer, Ralph says that it’s her character that sets Mariah apart. “I’ve listened to her make acceptance speeches and address county commissions. There’s something in the way she handles herself and presents herself. Let me put it this way: I would be proud—proud!—to have her as a daughter.” Mariah’s dad, Ken, a partner in an architecture firm, shares that pride. He was the one who decided to take her along to the golf course when she was 2. “It was definitely about being with my dad and wanting to do everything he did,” says Mariah. “At first, she just tagged along, nothing serious,” says Ken. She would hit a few balls, “and even when she was small, you could see a little focus.” Mariah continues: “You’re outside and you’re playing with a ball, and you can try to hit it, and everyone’s trying to see how far they can hit it, and then my dad would let me chase the ducks around after we were done practicing. We were just together and having fun.” She played her first tournament at age 6, though seemingly half the size of the competition. It was then that Ken reminded Mariah about David and Goliath, because David was a little guy who did great things. From that day on, the diminutive Mariah (she’s now only 5’2”) puts a big “M” for Mariah and a little “d” f ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????e?????????????Q?????????????????Q?????????????????%????????????????????QM!I=8?MQ
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