“At the beginning of the day, there were probably 10 spectators,” recalls Sharon Stackhouse, Mariah’s mom and an administrator at Peachford Hospital in Atlanta, who had taken time off work to watch her daughter compete. Mariah came into the day one stroke behind the lead. “The night before, Mariah said to me, ‘Mom, I think this is our tournament to win. I think this may be my tournament to win as an individual. I’m going to go out and shoot a four under tomorrow and see where it gets me.’ And I said, ‘Okay. That’s a good plan.’” It was an excellent plan. Mariah eagled the 1st hole, then birdie, then par, then par, then birdie—“It just wouldn’t stop!” She eagled the 7th, birdied the 8th. By the 9th hole, a crowd of more than 100 had gathered to watch her. “Number 9—that was THE most ridiculous putt of the entire round for me,” remembers Mariah. “I hit it back left of the green, and the flag was middle right. And it really was an impossible shot, because it’s downhill and turns the whole way. But somehow that ball went into the hole, and at that point the crowd had gotten pretty big and everybody just roared!” Her front nine tally: an NCAA record 26. (The current LPGA record is 27 for nine holes.) Mariah, who spent seven years playing and learning on the many Canongate courses, credits her father with instilling the golf philosophy that kept her cool coming out of the turn. “He always said,
THE “STACKS” SKINNY
? Golf Hero: “Tiger. I wonder if anyone will every dominate golf the way Tiger dominated when he was playing well. It’s just an inspiration to try to get your game to that level of perfection. He taught us that it’s possible and he’s given us something to strive for. He played magic golf all the time.” ? Dream Partner: “I love to watch Lorena Ochoa, and I would love to play with her some day. More than her success, you always heard people talking about how nice she was. I had the opportunity to meet her at a Chick-fil-A tournament, and she spoke with me and was really friendly. I just loved that. It’s good to be a great athlete but even better to be a great person, and that’s what she was.” ? Favorite Club in the Bag: “My driver. It’s complicit, and I can rely on it. I’ve been working out, and I’ve gained a lot of distance from practicing consistently. I’m starting to like my putter as well.” ? What She’s Thinking In Competition: “I’m very focused on the shot and when I’m approaching it. But when I’m walking down the fairway, I’m definitely thinking of other things— my life, school, or I’m just enjoying the breeze and the birds.” ? Favorite Canongate Course: “I love River Forest, because I think it’s absolutely beautiful.” ? Her iPod rotation: Rhianna, 2 Chainz, Drake & Pink ? Biggest Challenge: “Getting through Calculus!”
COURSE WORK Middle: Mariah with Oregon State’s Lauren Sewell. Above: Playing through just another freshman day.
SHE’S A TINY LITTLE THING BUT SIZE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HER PLAYING. IT’S JUST WOW.”
—RALPH BOSTON
‘I don’t want you to get too excited when things are going well, and I don’t want you to get too down when you’re not playing well. Always be an evenkeeled golfer, because that’s how you stay steady.’” She continued: “When I played well, he’d say, ‘Stay calm and let it happen.’ So I didn’t put any pressure on myself, because how often is golf like this going to happen? I was determined to just keep playing, seeing if I could make some birdies and see where things would go.” Stackhouse finished the day surrounded by a cheering crowd of almost 200. She racked up eight birdies and two eagles, taking individual honors and helping the Cardinal secure a team
win. Her score, which was an astounding 61 (-10), is the new Stanford course record and an NCAA women’s record. It may have been the house where Tiger roared, but it is now the course where Mariah broke the record. She didn’t follow up badly either. A little less than a month later at the Juli Inkster Spartan Invitational, Mariah was the only player to shoot under par for the final round, taking the individual title with a four under par 212 (7071-70). Big M, indeed. It bears noticing that there’s a repeating pattern here, and it’s this: “Stacks,” as her teammates like to call her, is a small person who tends to attract a large crowd. So don’t be surprised if come May, she’ll be back home in Georgia for this year’s NCAA tournament. On that day, take note of the wee golfer wielding a big stick, carrying peanut butter and jelly in the bag, noticing the birds and capturing the hearts of the gallery. •
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IN PLAY, SPRING 2013
SPRING 2013, IN PLAY
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