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"Everyone has his own choking level, a level at which he fails to play his normal golf. As you get more experienced, your choking level rises." |
-Johnny Miller |
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 After all she has accomplished in the game, the San Diego native wants to ensure she is not the last. "I'm trying to get my 3-and-a-half-year-old into golf," Mahoney said. "She's pretty stoked on her plastic set right now. I'm hoping she falls in love with it." Mahoney has continued her love for the sport, progressing from her amateur career and tenure as an instructor to become the executive director of the San Diego County Junior Golf Association. She just completed her third month on the job. "I love this association," she said. "It was like coming home when I was hired." Mahoney became attached to the game so quickly that by the time she was 8 she had enough skill and enthusiasm to enter her first Junior World Golf Championship in San Diego. The graduate of Hilltop High went on to compete in the event nine times, while also competing in SDJGA tournaments. She parlayed her success as a junior into a spot on the San Diego State women's golf team, and aided by her degree in recreation she worked as a teaching pro at Singing Hills Country Club (now Sycuan Resort). "I kind of just started doing the teaching thing a little bit and then realized shortly thereafter that teaching wasn't really my bag," Mahoney said. She discovered her niche in tournament administration at Eastlake Country Club, and after developing experience in that position her career in the golf industry started to come full circle. In February 2001, Mahoney took a job as tournament director of Junior World. The championship continued to flourish under her guidance and international participation remained strong. When Century Club executive director Tom Wilson left his post as executive director of the SDJGA, it seemed like a logical transition for Mahoney to fill his shoes. The SDJGA is the organizing body for Junior World - which will be held July 16-20 at seven San Diego area courses - so she already had been immersed in the group's functions. "It's not like anything came at me as a big shock," Mahoney said of her new responsibilities. "Obviously there's a little bit of a learning curve with some of the financial ends of the association, and a couple of areas that I always knew about but wasn't overly involved in, like fund-raising. The learning curve is smaller just because I've been around." Mahoney also has maintained her role as tournament director of Junior World, so the transition also has been hectic, to say the least. "In a word, it's just been busy," she said. "I feel like the plate's fuller, that's for sure." With vivid goals in mind, the avid golfer turned teaching pro turned tournament administrator is ecstatic with the course her career has taken. "This association has given me more than I will ever be able to give back," Mahoney said. "I intend to be here for a long time. They'll probably have to kick me out, eventually." SG |
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