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Philip Mehaffey hadn’t gotten out of bed in months, but that didn’t stop him from having a motorized scooter delivered to his house in the small village of Scarva, Northern Ireland. His only daughter, Olivia, was set to make her LPGA debut at the ISPS Handa World Invitational about 50 minutes away, and he wasn’t going to miss it. Never mind the terminal cancer diagnosis.
Philip put on six layers and a wooly cap and embarked on what he’d later call the best week of his life.
Olivia, 24, thought she might see her father on the first tee, and maybe a few of the finishing holes at Massereene Golf Club. But every time she looked outside the ropes, there he was.
“He did not miss one shot,” marveled Olivia, who tied for 17th at her home LPGA event.
Olivia Mehaffey’s cheer squad at the ISPS Handa World Invitational. (courtesy photo)
Father and daughter were partners in mixed events at their golf club, Tandragee, and often had to tell mom to keep the Sunday roast warm because they had to stay longer for the prize-giving ceremony. Philip was a big believer in his daughter’s talent, and while she rarely made a decision without him, Olivia said he was never a pushy parent.
She began to understand the true depth of her father’s love and pride when she held his hand day after day in the final months of his life.
“The reason I play golf is because of him,” she said.
Olivia, one of three four-time All-Americans to come out of Arizona State, makes her first start of the 2022 season at this week’s Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic on the Epson Tour, where she’s competing close to her second home on a sponsor exemption. The top 10 on the Epson Tour at season’s end earn LPGA cards for 2023.
A strong finish this week would go a long way toward better status after the tour’s first reshuffle. She tied for sixth at the event last year.
Olivia was in the U.S. when her father was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2020. The surgeon said it was the…
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Source : yahoo
