Alverno High School Alumna Melissa “Mo” Martin Wins Women’s British Open



Alverno High School alumna Melissa “Mo” Martin was the surprise winner at the Women’s British Open at Royal Birkdale on Sunday, July 13.

A graduate of Alverno High School from the Class of 2000, Martin hit the best shot of her career on Sunday when she hit a three-wood hitting the pin on the par-five 18th hole at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, settling only a few feet away from the hole to set up an eagle. An hour later, she ended the day with an even-par 72—winning the Women’s British Open by one stroke.

Martin started playing golf at the age of 4 after her brother came home with what she recalls as “a beautiful, glistening golf trophy.”

“He came home with a trophy and I just really wanted a trophy,” Martin recalls. “So I started playing golf and fell in love with the game. It really came in pieces how it happened.”

Once she fell in love with the sport, Martin’s drive was unstoppable. She spent hours in her driveway, hitting countless balls under her father’s instruction into a homemade net. She quickly started to collect trophies of her own, including the most prestigious junior tournament of its time, the Junior World Japan Cup, where she won her own “beautiful, glistening golf trophy” and got to meet the Crown Prince of Japan.

By the time Martin started at Alverno as a freshman in 1996 she had already won the Junior World Japan Cup and represented the United States there an additional three times. Although Alverno didn’t have a golf team at the time, Martin recalls the unique support and commitment the school provided her as a student and an athlete.

“Alverno was very supportive and the school’s nurturing environment helped me catch up—and not only catch up, but excel. I was allowed time to practice and to compete, which was really helpful to me,” she said. “After Alverno, I went onto UCLA and was able to join the golf program there and compete academically, which opened the door to becoming a professional and having the career I have today.”

As a female golfer, Martin has faced challenges and overcome some adversity although she is grateful to have put most of it behind her but credits the experiences she had growing up with helping her to do so.

“I got a lot of comments growing up, especially during high school, about being a female golfer. There would be individuals who wouldn’t want to play with a female,” Martin said. “I think there is still a stigma attached to female golfers, but we are gaining a lot of momentum on the professional levels and I am hopeful that young women interested in pursuing the sport, or any sport, will focus on their passions, desires, and different skill sets. I think that when they do that, it won’t ever fail them.”

Linda Reffner, Alverno’s former Assistant Principal, recounts Martin as a student: “She was an excellent student and worked on her golf game throughout high school, but hardly ever on a course. When Melissa qualified for the CIF championship, she had to be accompanied by a school official and so I became her coach for two days. Mo didn’t win that tournament, but I was extremely impressed by her focus and determination. Most high school athletes who don’t receive a scholarship in their sport at college will give up, but Mo talked her way into a walk-on spot at UCLA and earned a scholarship as a result. I have followed her career and admired the progress she made, both at UCLA and on the Futures Tour. She has had some impressive rounds in tournaments on the LPGA and after the first round at the British Open, Alverno alums and teachers lit up Facebook. Everyone was on the edge of their seats when she almost made an albatross on the final hole. We are extremely proud of her and so happy that her hard work resulted in such a great achievement!”

When her opponent’s shot came up short to tie her at Birkdale, she turned to her caddie and said, “Is this real life?!” and it was. Ranked 99th in the world prior to Sunday’s win, Martin has been catapulted to a new level of athletic fame and certainly a new place in the LPGA history books.

“Mo Martin is truly the person she wants to be– living the Alverno mission in her daily life,” said Julia V. Fanara, Alverno High School’s Head of School. We are proud of her accomplishments and celebrate her success as we do for all of our students and alumnae. We look forward to continuing to watch and support her growing career and this exciting new phase of her life.”

About Alverno High School

Alverno High School is an independent, Catholic, college preparatory school for young women dedicated to preparing them to function in a society as informed, knowledgeable persons, who have the requisite skills to make and implement mature decisions about complex problems. Enlivened by the spirit of its Immaculate Heart Community sponsors, and mindful of the Franciscan roots of its founders, Alverno’s program—academic, spiritual, aesthetic, social, and physical—is shaped by the staff, trustees, and students in light of the world for which the students are being educated. Alverno’s mission is to empower each young woman to be exactly the person she wants to be and since 1960, Alverno has empowered more than 4,200 women to meet that goal. For more information about Alverno High School, please call (626) 355-3463 or visit www.alverno-hs.org.

 

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