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Most 82 year olds are more than happy to shoot their age. With her 4.5 handicap factor, Marlene Streit would be disappointed. I had the great privilege of chatting with the Canadian amateur legend early last week.
We met on the practice green at Beverly G&CC before she was honored by the Golf Journalists Association of Canada with the Dick Grimm Award for her lifetime contribution to golf. A great supporter of Brooke Henderson, Streit was saying she could understand how exhausted the No. 2 player in the world must be with all the attention coming her way with her three victories in 11 months, including her first major.
“It’s not the playing–it’s everything around it,” said Streit, who loves media folks and understands their role. “Everyone wants to talk to you, and you have to answer the same questions over and over.”
Streit knows about the focus it takes to play tournament golf. She had a haughty reputation among her competitors. “A lot of women would want to talk about kids and husbands on the course. I’d say, ‘Let’s talk about that later.’ Once the event was over, I was happy to talk about that stuff.”
I think she also meant once she had won. If you want to see an amazing career of accomplishment, Google Marlene Streit. She is Canada’s greatest amateur golfer, is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and the only female golfer in history to win the Australian, British, Canadian and U.S. Women’s Amateurs.
My pals David Cowx and Grant Fraser got to play with Marlene on Monday, and they were wowed by her brilliant golf, which included powdering the ball dead centre of every fairway. Some things never change.
Pix: www.bcgolfnews.com
About Tim O'Connor
