Golf prodigy schools local golfers at Elks
(Courtesy photo) Pictured from left to right at the Elks recently are Rusty Rief, Jay Miller, Jack Parkins, Craig Harris, Gracie McGovern, Sean McGovern, Dennis Martin, Denny Scollon, Dean Raynor and Doug Olin.
(Courtesy photo) McGovern has a beautiful swing that has helped her claim more than 80 youth tournament wins, including two World Championships.
McGovern has goal of winning the U.S. Open
By ERIC PLUMMER
Sports editor
SANDPOINT — She’s already smacked some golf balls around with emerging PGA star Ricky Fowler.
She’s already had the chance to play Pebble Beach, a Holy Grail of golf courses, for free at that.
And she’s already hit balls out of the sand next to NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals, making it look as easy as a walk in the park.
So if you thought McGovern was going to be nervous teeing it up at the Sandpoint Elks recently with many of the town’s best golfers, think again.
McGovern, an 11-year-old golfing prodigy from Scottsdale, Arizona with deep Sandpoint ties, once had the rare opportunity to play the Elks with her great-grandfather Ed Parkins when she was 5-years-old. At the time the late Parkins was 92-years-old, and it’s a round the granddaughter will never forget.
Last week, while visiting relatives in Sandpoint, McGovern played the local course once again with her uncle Jack Parkins, Dean Raynor, Lyle Bergstrom and Doug Olin, and whipped the collective lot of them. Ditto for Craig Harris, one of the top sticks in Sandpoint for years and a many-time Elks Club Champion, who watched McGovern card a sizzling one-over par 71 during their round together.
“The most remarkable thing about beating all us Elks Duffers, is she did it from the men’s tees, not the junior tees or the women’s tees,” claimed Parkins, no slouch on the links in his own right. “I felt quite good the day I went head-to-head against her and I only lost by three strokes, 77 to 74.”
The Sandpoint golfers found out what scores of youth golfers the world over have found out: Gracie has some serious golfing chops.
Among her top line résumé items are two World Championships, three Arizona State Championships, two Texas Opens and more than 80 tournament wins, all before the age of 11.
“She’s done a great bucket list by 11,” admitted dad Sean McGovern, noting Gracie is now tuning up for the U.S. Kids World Golf Championships starting Aug. 3 at the venerable Pinehurst Golf Course in North Carolina. “She’ll be playing against 107 golfers in her 11-year-old flight, with over 50 countries represented.”
Sean grew up and attended Sandpoint High School, where he played basketball for the Bulldogs. His younger sister, Erin Roos, is currently the Bulldog head volleyball coach, and the McGovern family ties go four generations deep in the area.
Sean moved to Scottsdale, Arizona in 1993 and has lived there since. He admits both he and Gracie live golf, and he still remembers when she shared some rather lofty goals at the tender age of 6 years-old.
“I’ve been a golf nut and golf addict for years. Gracie fell in love with it, and chose to play high level competitive golf,” said Sean, who has helped foster her goals. “Since she was six, she’s been saying ‘I want to win the U.S. Open.’”
Women’s professional golf is increasingly being dominated by South Koreans, and pro U.S. golfers are struggling to crack the top 10 in majors. The next top U.S. players are out there right now, and Gracie is certainly one of them.
Any pro golfer will tell you there are no shortcuts to the top, prodigy or no prodigy. Having a deep passion for the sport can go a long ways. Gracie, who can drive the ball about 240 yards and straight as the roads in Texas, practices between 20-30 hours a week, and her dad estimates she’s logged around 10,000 hours of practice in her life.
“She has a very determined spirit,” claimed Sean. “Her work ethic is ridiculous, I have to drag her off the green.”
It helps explain why she fired a 71 at the Elks, and why she’s shooting scores that would make even the top high school golfers in the country green with envy.
Golf is nothing if not mental, and to this point, Gracie has seemed to conquer any nerves, as evidenced by her encounter with the aforementioned Fitzgerald.
“Nothing affects her. She beat him out of the sand trap several times,” claimed grandfather and longtime local Bernie McGovern. “She’s just king of a natural.”
When she’s not golfing, Gracie enjoys watching movies and doing arts and crafts. She would love to eventually play golf for Arizona State or Stanford, but that’s a long way down the road.
For now, she’ll keep playing the game she loves and go about making her goal a reality.
“I love everything about golf. I love competing against all the people from around the world,” said Gracie, who has played on courses in Australia and Hawaii, among many others. “When I grow up, I want to be the youngest girl to win the U.S. Open.”