Mahoney in Golfing State of Mind

HUNTER - The logic is simple for Teagan Mahoney who played in the New York State 18U Amateur Golf Championships, last week.

Teagan is the first Hunter-Tannersville Central student to tee it up at the State level after being the Delaware League’s numero uno and placing second in Section IV among 64 competitors, this past spring.

She will be a junior at HTC in the fall, perpetually on the Superintendent’s Honor Roll, academically solid and as normal as mom and apple pie.

Put a mashie in the girl’s hands with a hundred-plus yards between her and the pin, however, and Teagan is as helplessly spellbound as billions of similarly bug bitten and determined poor souls.

“I love golf. My goal is to shoot in the 60’s and since I haven’t done that yet, when I do I will want to shoot lower and lower,” she says.

There isn’t anything simple about a befuddling game invented hundreds of years ago when somebody in Scotland got the brilliant idea to dig a bunch of tiny holes in ocean dunes and whack a ball into them from far away.

There came a time, not long thereafter, when “gowf,” as the Scots called it, was outlawed for creating national chaos as folks forgot everything else they were supposed to be doing.

Mahoney is a kindred spirit, albeit one keeping her wits about her. Turning pro isn’t necessarily on the horizon. “Probably when I get older I’ll do something medically-related. Probably a pediatrician,” she says.

Until then, there’s never a bad day to pursue an outlandish sport that has been affectionately referred to as the ruination of a good walk.

Teagan journeyed to the Cavalry Club in Manlius, a suburb of Syracuse, on June 30 and July 1, carding a 3-round total of 240 at the par 72 course, finishing tied for 22nd.

In the opening round, “I wasn’t hitting a lot of fairways. I couldn’t figure out what was going on with me. All I know is I had the hook,” Teagan says.

That nasty curve can be transformed into a nicely controlled draw in the future and meanwhile “my short game was pretty good,” Teagan said.

She made the cut at 83 in the opening round, Tuesday, no simple feat for a 15-year-old kid in her maiden appearance at the State level.

Teagan was smartly adjusting on Wednesday, a 36-hole marathon, scoring (77) over the initial eighteen before wilting a bit (80) in the final round heat.

Returning to the mountains, there is much to build upon. She had bogeyed the opening round 18th hole, figuring she might miss the cut, fortuitously making it on the number.

“It was nerve-wracking, waiting to find out, and then really exciting,” she said, perfectly describing the emotional whirlwind of the game.

“The course was pretty long (5,739 yards) and filled with greenside bunkers, where I lived,” Teagan said, laughing.

“The greens were really fast. My driver started working (in Wednesday’s first round) and I started to understand the greens,” even while falling behind the winner who finished the tournament at 12-under par (204).

Out of range of the leader, “I was just trying to make it through the last day,” Teagan says. “It was so hot it felt like I had jumped into a lake and just come out,” with temperatures swelling into the sweltering 90’s.

Everyone endured the same weather, so no complaints. “I’m super excited to go to my coach and fix the things that need to be worked on,” she says, learning from primary coach Anders Mattson and Dylan Thompson.

Teagan doesn’t remember exactly when she took a hankering to the crooked sticks. “I was probably eight years old,” she says.

Her mom’s side of the family owned Colonial Golf Course in Tannersville. A great uncle, Tim Leach, was a teaching pro at Colonial which is Teagan’s home course, adding her own touch of history to the 9-hole gem.

The inner dedication to fulfill any life dream is present, traveling to Saratoga three days a week for lessons, a 3-hour round trip.

She isn’t elderly enough to do that kind of driving, getting transported by mom Alison or dad Sean, a commitment familiar to many families.

Leading up to the States, there were numerous qualifying tournaments and countless hours of practice for Teagan, needing to achieve a low handicap rating to even be considered for the NYSGA event.

LPGA Tour dreaming or not, an unforgettable venture has not left Teagan discouraged in the slightest, forging friendships and a self-awareness transferrable anywhere including greenside beach.