S • O l‘tS K
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M ra Blackwelder Comes Full Circle
y Member of UK’s first women’s golf team returns as coach
When she became the University of Ken- She hopes to bring valuable knowledge 107th National Amateur Champi-
tucky’s Hrst full female athletic scholarship from her years on the professional tour to onship. Mallory transferred from the
recipient in 1975, Myra Van Hoose Black- the golfers at UK. University of Florida and enters UK as a
welder ’78 AG never dreamed she would “ The most important thing about junior with two seasons of eligibility re-
one day be back on campus as the new playing at the tour level is preparation. maining. The younger Blackwelder is
women’s golfcoach. She never imagined Golfis a sport that requires a multi-skill rated No. 3 in the women’s amateur
‘ ‘ • · rankings of Gofwee/e Magxzine.
_ “The kids (Myles and Mallory) were al-
    »     ways around while 1was practicing on off
, / I weeks for the tour. It was a necessity We
_ ` _ {   had two carts. My husband (Worth Black-
` • L *r _,       welder) had one kid in one cart and 1 had
`“   i *   one in the other cart.”
H `   Blackwelder served as head women’s golf
jr ,  nh  V ~  A /,»' coach for one season at Transylvania Uni-
. i _, · A E      versity (2001-02) and was the boys and girls
/ °' pk  T ` ` J _»~  coach for two seasons at Woodford County
` .;_j. '  _,- ·   {rj High School. Since 1992, she has served as a
‘ r.     golf instructor at Man ’O War Golf Club in
J » l Lexington and at Planter’s Row in
C ,/2- ·‘‘''' Nicholasville. Some of her individual golf
I ` / students have won titles at various levels in-
e cluding the NCAA, American ]unior Golf
Association, PGA ]unior Series, Kentucky
State Amateur and Miss Kentucky Golf
_§ She also has been involved with numerous
§ (N %   Kentucky high school players who have
E   ‘ G. j   V L5 been named all-state members and won re-
lt ‘ / ` r K » ' lhi h h ltournaments.
G , grona g sc oo
E M T In addition to coaching, Blackwelder is a
D. .
Women’s Golf head coach Myra Blackwelder with Sophomore Erica Still. f¤¤¤d1¤gm¢mb¢f ¤frh¤ Kenrnelq Sperm
Authority, which was founded in 2005 to
herself back at UK ready to take on the set. 1 will tell my players to be true to actively pursue athletic events with the
challenge of resurrecting the women’s golf themselves and know their weaknesses goal of bringing them to Kentucky She
program, but that is exactly where she Hnds — then practice on improving in those also served as the LPGA Goals and Objec-
herself today. areas,” Blackwelder said. tives chairwoman in 1988, LPGA Veterans
“1 was on the very Hrst women’s golf Blackwelder said one of the mo st im- Forum chairwoman in 2005 and is cur-
team here, so it does bring me full circle portant things she can do as a coach is rently a member ofthe Ryder Cup Task
with Kentucky? Blackwelder said. “1t is re- know when to talk, and more impor- Force in preparation for the 2008 Ryder
ally neat in many ways. 1 never imagined tantly, know when not to say anything. Cup, to be held at the Valhalla Golf Club
myself doing this. 1 was very comfortable “Golf is all confidence. S ometimes it is in Louisville.
in my life, but now 1 am really glad 1 made best to let them play. That will be the Blackwelder is a member ofthe 1991
the change. 1t feels right. 1 think we have a hardest part of being a coach for me. 1 Class ofthe Kentucky High SchoolAthletic
great opportunity here.” have to know when to bite my tongue.” Association Hall of Fame. While attending
Blackwelder is one ofthe most successful Blackwelder brings a unique perspec- Lafayette High School in Lexington, she
women golfers in UK history. She earned tive to coaching. She has experienced won four straight high school girls’ state
wins in 10 colligate golf invitational tour- the game of golf from many different an- golf championships and three straight Ken-
naments as a Wildcat and claimed two gles — a junior, a member of the LPGA tucky PGA ]unior titles. She also is a mem-
Kentucky State Amateur Championships. tour, an instructor, coach, and now as a ber ofthe 1999 Class ofthe Kentucky Golf
She appeared on the LPGA tour for 12 mother of a junior. Her daughter Mal- Hall ofFame and the 2007 Class ofthe
seasons, winning the Rolex Rookie ofthe lory completed her sophomore year as a Kentucky Sports Hall ofFame.
Year in 1980. She joined the LPGA Leg- member ofthe University of Florida’s
ends Tour in 2000 and is 37th on the ca- women’s golf team. She recently won the — Kelli Elam can be reached at 859-257-3569
reer money list. Women’s Western GolfAssociation’s or at k|e|am2@emai|.uky.edu
>> 60 Fall 2007