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Some stories stick with you, both as a reader and a writer. When I sat down to make a list of my top five story lines from the past decade, the process took all of one minute. I sat there longer, of course, jotting down all other ones that came to mind. But the top five didn’t change.
What do those five stories have in common?
Inspiration.
The athletes highlighted in these memorable stories range from major winners to amateurs to soon-to-be rookies. Even a Hall of Famer.
All proved unforgettable.
Lorena Ochoa retires from the LPGA on top of the world
My editor flew me down to Mexico when Lorena Ochoa announced her abrupt retirement in 2010. But he didn’t just send me to Mexico City, where she held her press conference. I also traveled to Guadalajara, where her father opened up the doors to her childhood home and lifelong friends and mentors sat down at the clubhouse patio to shed light on one of the most beloved figures in the game. But when I met Angelita at the 10th-hole snack bar, I knew exactly where this story had to begin.
More: Ochoa ends LPGA career on top, shifts gears to family
Cameron Champ’s stellar U.S. Open start brings family joy
It was Friday at the 2017 U.S. Open and amateur Cameron Champ was racing up the leaderboard. I caught up with his father on the 17th hole at Erin Hills and introduced myself. Thank goodness the final hole is a par 5, because I needed every inch of that long walk to the clubhouse to get the foundation of Champ’s story and his grandfather’s phone number.
I’ll never forget walking to the back of the media tent where it was quiet and sitting down on the steps to call Mack Champ. He was hooked up to a dialysis machine back home in California when I called and didn’t realize that his grandson was two shots off the lead at a major. I can still hear his heaving sobs of joy. So beautiful.
More: Champ’s stellar U.S. Open start brings family joy
Stacy Lewis gives away winner’s check to Houston
I was out of the country celebrating a friend’s milestone birthday the day Stacy Lewis won in Portland. I woke up in the middle of the night to a text from my husband that Lewis had given us one of those “this is why we love sports” moments. We somehow knew this would happen.
Even with all of her onsite obligations, she took my FaceTime call and reflected on what it meant to win for Houston. It’s a day I’ll never forget. I pulled an all-nighter and then went paragliding over Lake Como for my friend’s 40th the next morning. No doubt Lewis was flying higher!
More: Lewis earns emotional win for Houston: ‘I knew what it meant’
Haley Moore emerges as hero of NCAA final
While standing on the 18th green after Haley Moore sank the winning putt for Arizona, I turned to her mother, Michele, and asked if kids had been mean to her daughter growing up. Michele didn’t hesitate in answering. In May of 2018, I wasn’t quite sure how to ask that question. Now, Haley talks with ease about using her experience of being bullied as a platform to help young kids.
My heart gets full every time I think about it.
More: Moore emerges as hero at NCAA final
A dream duel at Augusta National
Tiger Woods won on Sunday at Augusta National in 2019. But if you had been there the week before, you would’ve already felt chills coming up the 18th. Walking onto the grounds of Augusta National and seeing nothing but women line the range and putting green was nothing short of surreal. That Jennifer Kupcho and Maria Fassi put on a show for the ages at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur made a day that many gave up on long ago all the more spectacular. Decades from now we’ll look back on it as a watershed moment in women’s golf.
More: Kupcho outlasts Fassi to win inaugural ANWA
And if I had to pick a sixth …
I remember pulling into the course in Rochester, New York, like it was yesterday and seeing Meredith Duncan walk toward my car with an armful of trial-sized toiletries. I rolled down the window to say hello and inquire about her load. Thus began one of the most authentic interviews I’ve ever had about life on tour. (I did manage to park my car before returning to talk to her on the range.)
More: Meredith Duncan reveals a side of the tour most don’t see
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