August 28, 2007
It's back to the fairways for young local golfers Michael Motz and Sloan Shanahan.
Just their appearance at the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships at the PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida prove both Motz, from Milton, and Shanahan, from Suwannee, are not your average kids. Both are incredibly talented and both are poised to forge noteworthy golf careers if all continues to go well.
The championship, which took place over 10 days during July, brings in more than 750 junior golfers from 43 states, five Canadian provinces, and a total of 37 nations. And with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson counted as past winners, the stakes are high.
While neither Motz nor Shanahan won the tournament, they did learn a thing or two out on those Florida fairways.
For Shanahan, 12, who placed 23rd in her age group, adapting to a new type of grass proved to be a challenge.
"The hardest thing to adjust to were the small, hard, Bermuda greens," said Keric Shanahan, Sloan's father. "Putting on Bermuda greens is very different and takes a lot of adjustment. Otherwise, she was very comfortable out there."
Motz, 16, was forced to withdraw from the Championship during the third round due to a series of misfortunes the week of the championship, which culminated in a trip to the hospital for a slight wrist injury.
"It was a very tough week for Michael," said Jack Motz, his father, recalling how Michael's wallet was stolen, his shoes deflated and his driver snapped at the top of a swing.
Nevertheless, with the experience under their belts both golfers came back to Georgia more determined than ever.
A mere one day after Shanahan returned home from the championship, she was back on the tournament circuit at the Atlanta Junior Golf Association's Club Championship at the Stone Mountain Golf Club.
"Sloan captured this event for her 7th straight win in the Club Division of AJGA and secured Player of the Year in this group," said Keric.
Motz, who fractured his wrist in December, didn't let his wrist re-injury slow him down any. He was back on his game two weeks later.
"He won the Junior Club Championship at Country Club of Roswell only two weeks later. And there were outstanding juniors there," said Jacking, noting the competition included older players who were on scholarships to the University of Georgia and the University of Tennessee.
Since then Motz and Shanahan have been continuing to practice and improve upon their respective games.
"During the last three weeks Michael has sprouted up. He's been going through a growth change so he's trying to focus on physical training," said Jack, who said his son's wrist is fine now. "It's not something he has ever really done before, but now he is also trying to condition and train as well as practice [on the course]."
Shanahan's practice agenda is slightly different.
"She continues work with her coach Danny Elkins. They are working on adding more distance to her shots so that she'll be able to hit shorter clubs into the par fours and fives," Keric said.
Both young golfers have their sights set on the prize – golf scholarship followed by a professional career.
Motz will be headed back to the PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens for the 2007 Third Annual Tournament of Champions during November.
"He's been advised by top college coaches to go ahead and compete at the highest levels now," Jack said. "It will give him an opportunity to play all different types of courses [across the country] so that he can play anywhere and win."
While Shanahan may seem young to be thinking about her future career with anything more than just-a-young-girl-dreaming type of attitude, she is very serious about her goals.
"She hopes to be active on the Southeastern Junior Tour in 2008 to increase the level of competition," her dad said. "Her ultimate goal is to play professional golf, but making it to a Division I school on scholarship will come first."
But even before making plans for college, Shanahan is trying to maintain focus and prepare for the next Georgia PGA Junior Tour event she will compete at in Columbus three weeks from now.
For more information on the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships, visit www.optimist.org/golf.
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