Myla Burchill wasn ’ t expecting to make a one-in-6- million shot when she approached the fifth hole at Upper St . Clair Country Club and placed her ball on the tee . But the 16-year-old hit the lottery with her second shot , getting her ball in the hole on the par 5 . Even better , she managed to make the incredible shot when it counted , in a match with Bethel Park , which helped the USC Panthers defeat the Black Hawks .
The junior at USC was amazed that she made the double eagle , but she can get quite a few birdies and even a couple of eagles on a regular basis . Myla even qualified for the individual competition at WPIALs this year — quite an impressive accomplishment for a golfer who had only begun playing the game in June 2021 .
Myla ’ s parents are both golfers . Her mother , Kimberley , played on the golf team in high school and her father , Scott , has played the game for over 40 years .
“ I was in shock !” says her dad , after Myla made the unbelievable shot . “ I ’ ve played since I was a kid and I ’ ve never made one of those .” Neither one of her parents saw the shot unfortunately . Scott explains , “ I go to her matches , but I go wait by the last hole for her . I don ’ t want to make her nervous . Her mom does the same thing .”
With Myla ’ s talent for the long game , it may have just been a matter of time before she made a double eagle . She can drive the ball 225-250 yards on a consistent basis . “ It ’ s definitely the best part of my game ,” says Myla , who puts in serious practice time and plays 10 to 14 hours during the golf season .
She gives USC golf coach Mercedes Epondulan a lot of credit for improving her game : “ She ’ s amazing ! She ’ s helped me a ton with learning and changing up my game in ways that I haven ’ t experienced before .”
Myla also has coaches outside of USC , including Brent Johnson who is a golf pro at Lindenwood . He has also been a great help , and Scott describes him as “ very patient and encouraging ” in coaching her .
Myla is very responsible in keeping her grades up along with her long hours of practice . She even finds time to work at a parttime job for USC Township ’ s golf course and tennis courts .
“ The township [ staff ] has been very supportive of me and my golf . They ’ ve made working there a really good experience .”
She hopes to continue to play golf at the collegiate level . “ I ’ ve put a lot of work into it , and I ’ d definitely like to continue to play on a team ,” she explains . “ I really enjoy the individual mindset of the game of golf , but at the same time , you have a team behind you .”
The first day that Scott took Myla and her sister to play golf , he was just hoping to introduce them to a sport that they would enjoy . “ I really like that there ’ s no subjectivity to golf . Your ability is only measured by your score . That ’ s it .”
He continues to be supportive of Myla ’ s passion for the sport by taking her to lessons and making sure she has the right equipment . “ I ’ m so happy that she found something she really enjoys . It ’ s a lifelong sport that you can play into your 80s if you want . How many sports can you say that about ?” n
Chris Ban with his brother , Michael ( left ).
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