A 14-year-old 'whiz kid' won the first IHSAA girls golf state title 50 years ago
She was deemed a “whiz kid” as a junior, vying for a women’s golf title at the Country Club of Indianapolis. Another IndyStar article called her a 14-year-old prodigy. She was competing for titles at golf tournaments all summer long.
During the 1973 Indiana Women’s Golf Association tournament, Therese Hession sank a 15-foot putt for an eagle on a par-5, 428-yard hole.
Later that month, she shot a 78 to qualify for the Indiana Girls Golf Association tournament — in conditions where “weekend rains had left casual water in the traps and fairways so thick it was necessary to play by winter rule,” IndyStar wrote. Her closest competition, Lori Garbacz, won the event the previous year. Hession bested her by seven strokes.
Hession won the title days later. IndyStar described the “shy Hillcrest blond, who carries a rabbit’s foot in her golf bag” as “playing like a computer.”
What she accomplished on an October weekend later in the year didn’t receive nearly as much fanfare, but was a monumental moment — she was the medalist of the first IHSAA girls golf state tournament for Indianapolis Ladywood-St. Agnes (which would later merge with Cathedral High School), shooting an 81.
She doesn’t remember much from the event 50 years ago. She can’t dissect long drives or key putts that pushed her to the top of the leaderboard. What she does remember? How happy she and her teammates were to be there.
“I remember very vividly scouring around school, trying to find a fourth player so we could have a team,” she said. “We got our health teacher, Jan Vandenbark, to serve as the coach. We were off and running.”
The bond with her teammates was strong.
“I don't remember a ton about finals, other than that we were so excited and proud,” she said. “When we won, I remember hoisting that trophy. I do remember having a ceremony back at the school to recognize our accomplishment."
The next year, after several of the team’s players graduated, she recruited more — like Mary Beth Collins, her best friend. Collins had never played golf before. But Hession told her she could do it for free. She was sold.
“We definitely thought a lot about being a team — not so much as individuals playing, but more as a team,” Hession said. “That was our goal, and we were going to make that happen.”
Hession didn’t repeat as state champion the next year, but her golf career was just getting started. She won the 1977 Indiana Women’s Amateur Championship, the 1978 Indianapolis City Championship and was a captain for the Southern Methodist University team that won the AIAW National Championship. She spent 11 years on the LPGA Tour. Her experience was a world apart from what players have today.
“When I started, some of the total purses were $75,000,” she said. “I remember some of them getting up to $100,000, then $150,000. I'm so excited for the young ladies today that can actually earn over a million dollars if they win a tournament. I remember a tournament in Birmingham, Alabama. One of my friends made a hole-in-one and won a Corvette. The sticker price was $80,000. The (tournament) winner only got $15,000.”
She spent three decades as the head women’s golf coach at Ohio State. She was a two-time NCAA Coach of the Year, coached 13 All-Americans and made 17 NCAA tournament appearances. The 2016 Indiana Golf Hall of Fame inductee retired in January.
“The most enjoyment of it all has been giving back to the players,” she said. “One year, we finished fourth in the country at the national championship. I remember the 2019 Big Ten championship. Our No. 1 player turned pro at Christmas time. We lost her in the middle of the year. That team went on to still win the Big Ten championship. I don't think too many people had that expectation of us, but the other kids all stepped up and rose to the occasion.”
She hears from former players all the time about the impact she made on their lives, both as golfers and people. Every so often, she’ll get a chance to tell them what things used to be like, and just how far things have come.
“I gave a speech last week to a group at a golf tournament,” she said. “Some of the kids couldn't believe the way it was for us. I never really worried about that. Everybody that I was around, in every organization or school that I represented, it was about doing the very best I could and representing them in a very first-class way. I worked very hard to be the best I could be. I never really focused on what I didn't have. I focused on the opportunity that was in front of me.”
2022 IHSAA girls golf championship
The 36-hole meet is Friday, Sept. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 1, at Prairie View Golf Course in Carmel. More information is available at ihsaa.org.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA girls golf: Therese Hession won first state finals 50 years ago
