Encinitas teen to play in LPGA event

North County Times – Escondido,CA,USA
So when Annika Sorenstam rang MacKinzie Mac Kline on her cell
phone, the 15-year-old from Encinitas did what any teen would do –
she ignored it. …

It’s not every day that a golf legend lobs you a phone call. So when Annika Sorenstam rang MacKinzie “Mac” Kline on her cell phone, the 15-year-old from Encinitas did what any teen would do — she ignored it.

“I didn’t recognize the number, so I didn’t think it was extremely important,” said Kline, in what probably ranks as the biggest understatement of her young life.

Sorenstam, an LPGA Hall of Famer with 69 career wins and 10 major titles, called again later to invite Kline, one of the country’s top-ranked juniors, to play in Sorenstam’s first official LPGA Tour event.

“I was blown away. I couldn’t believe it,” Kline said of her invitation to the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika, which tees off Thursday at RiverTowne Country Club in Mount Pleasant, S.C. “I’ve always dreamed about playing on the LPGA Tour someday, and being able to go out there and learn from some of the LPGA ladies is incredible. I’m just going to go out there and have fun and do the best I can.”

That’s what Kline has been doing her entire life.

Kline, who aspires to join the LPGA Tour, was born with a congenital heart defect that limits the flow of oxygen in her body. She endured two heart surgeries before she was 2 and, for a time, doctors were unsure of how long she would live.

Today, more than a decade later, Kline is still beating the odds. Along the way, she has used golf, a game she has been playing since she was 5, to help raise awareness for people like her.

Approximately 40,000 babies are born each year with congenital heart defects, and Kline, who is a national spokesperson for the Children’s Heart Foundation, hopes to raise $1 million for the organization. She already has helped raised more than $725,000, and the Ginn Tribute will make a donation following the tournament.

“What she has accomplished, not only in golf, but for the community, is extraordinary,” Sorenstam said recently.

Born with only one pumping ventricle in her heart, Kline has difficulty walking long distances. Her condition worsened last summer, when oxygen saturation levels in her blood began to drop, inducing intense fatigue, particularly on hot days.

Doctors discovered a blood clot above the valve of her single ventricle. They did not remove the clot because of the risk of surgery, and Kline is taking medication in hopes that it never dislodges.

“When lethargy hits, it’s like a boxer losing his legs,” said John Kline, Mac’s father. “Heat is her nemesis because she doesn’t have enough oxygen to cool her down. It’s just part of the deal.”

The LPGA is allowing Kline to use a golf cart, making her the first player in tour history to utilize a cart for medical reasons. The cart will also carry an oxygen delivery system for whenever Kline feels she needs it during her rounds.

Kline, a freshman at Pacific View Charter School in Oceanside, was at the center of a controversy with the U.S. Golf Association last year, when the USGA initially declined her request to use a cart for the U.S. Girls Junior Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Amateur. After a public outcry that included a plea from former touring pro Casey Martin, who won a U.S. Supreme Court case in 2001 for his right to use a cart on the PGA Tour, and a review by the USGA medical board, the USGA eventually granted Kline’s request.

Kline advanced to the match-play portion of the Girls Junior and lost in the first round. At the Women’s Am, she missed the 36-hole cut.

“She’s been through a lot, but we don’t really talk about it,” said Alice Kang, Mac’s golfing buddy and a sophomore at Torrey Pines High. “She’s just a teenager, and nothing stops her. Sometimes I can’t believe she even has a heart condition.”

Since she was 12, Kline has played in a number of pro-ams, including the Kraft Nabisco Championship and the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines with John Daly. But this will be her first experience competing in a professional event.

“I’m trying to treat it like any other golf tournament, but I am excited and I am definitely nervous about it,” said Kline, who was planning to play in a Tuesday practice round with Paula Creamer.

John Mason, Kline’s golf teacher, said Kline is ready for the pro tour “technically and physically,” but she still has some work to do on the mental side of her game.

“She has to learn how to play through the marginal showings,” said Mason, the director of instruction at Encinitas Ranch, who has been working with Kline since she was 6. “She has to learn how to turn a 79 into a 75, and she’s not there yet.”

Kline knows it, too, and is hoping to gain valuable insight this week just by observing.

“I’m approaching this as a huge learning experience,” she said. “I want see what they do when they have trouble shots.”

When it comes to overcoming trouble, however, there may be no one better for Annika and the gang to learn from than one North County teenager.

– Marc Figueroa covers golf for the North County Times. E-mail him at marcfig@aol.com. The Golf Gallery appears every Wednesday.

Who: MacKinzie “Mac” Kline

What: The 15-year-old Encinitas resident has received a sponsor’s exemption to play in this week’s Ginn Tribute, an inaugural LPGA event hosted by Annika Sorenstam.

Where: Mount Pleasant, S.C.

When: Thursday-Sunday

TV: Thursday, 3:30-5:30 p.m., The Golf Channel; Friday, 5:30-7:30 p.m., The Golf Channel; Saturday, 1-3 p.m., The Golf Channel; Sunday, 1-3 p.m., NBC

Birdie

Rory Sabbatini: Not only did the South African win at Colonial, he did it while playing the final round and playoff with Bernhard Langer, one of the slowest players on the PGA Tour. Sabbatini is one of the fastest players around — remember his beef with Ben Crane? — so it must have been tough spending an entire day with Langer, whom some have nicknamed “The Walking Rain Delay.” – Bogey

Jason Gore: The Southern California boy was a fan favorite in 2005, when he contended at the U.S. Open, won three times on the Nationwide Tour, and picked up his first PGA Tour victory — all in a three-month span. But Gore is struggling this season. In 14 events, he has made only five cuts, with his best finish coming at the Houston Open in April, when he tied for 19th.

Chip shots

+ Temecula resident Ed Sanchez, 55, won the Long Drivers of America District 2 qualifier at Warner Springs Ranch last month. Competing in the Super Senior Division, Sanchez belted a winning drive of 303 yards. Then on May 12, his birthday, he won the District 3 qualifier in Tucson, Ariz., with a 321-yard drive. Sanchez will compete in the district finals in September. A top-three finish there will qualify him for the World Long Drive Championship in Mesquite, Nev., in October.

+ The Opening Golf Tournament on Aug. 6 will inaugurate the long-anticipated The Crossings at Carlsbad, the city’s new municipal golf course. Festivities will include a $1 million hole-in-one contest. Proceeds from the event will benefit the chamber’s Partners in Education Foundation, which supports Carlsbad schools, as well as the Wounded Warrior Center at Camp Pendleton. Contact the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce at (760) 931-8400 or e-mail tpadron@carlsbad.org for more information.

+ Local qualifying for the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship, the world’s largest golf tournament for kids under 12, is set for July 1 at Carlton Oaks in Santee. There is no handicap requirement to participate, and players can register at www.uskidsgolf.com. The championship is set for Aug. 2-4 at Pinehurst Resort and several other courses in North Carolina.