Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2015 - (Page 9)
AT H L E T I C S
MAKE-A-WISH CREATES
LIFELONG MEMORIES
FOR GOLFER
by Michele Coffill
A
nnika Sorenstam, once a dominant
professional golfer, retired from the
LPGA six years ago yet she continues to
hold a special place in the hearts of the
Laker women's golf team.
The team's connection to Sorenstam
is Molly Esordi, a senior from Grosse Ile.
Esordi was 13 when she was
diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.
During Esordi's hospital stay, social
workers at Detroit Children's Hospital
reached out to Make-A-Wish Michigan,
the organization dedicated to granting
wishes for children with serious illnesses.
Esordi, a biomedical sciences major,
said she knew her wish would somehow
involve golf. She began
walking the links and
pulling a set of clubs at
age 7, tagging along
with her parents and
grandparents at Grosse
Ile Golf and Country Club.
After two months of
chemotherapy, Esordi
entered a clinical trial
that had her bypassing
radiation, a typical next
step for Hodgkin's patients.
The scans of her chest and
lymph nodes soon showed
Above, Molly
she was cancer-free
Esordi, left,
and Esordi was ready to
first met pro
concentrate on her wish.
golfer Annika
"My mom told me to
Sorenstam in
high school
think of something cool
through
that we normally wouldn't
be able to do," Esordi said. Make-A-Wish
Michigan.
"We talked about playing
Sorenstam,
golf in Hawaii, but I knew
center, hosted
I wanted to play golf
Esordi and the
with Annika."
Laker women's
It was more than the
golf team at
her Florida
clutch play and jawgolf academy.
dropping drives of the
Swedish golfer that
impressed Esordi.
"When I first met her, she had taken
six months off for an injury then
came back and immediately won a
tournament. Watching her play used
to give me chills," Esordi said.
Esordi was a ninth grader at Grosse
Ile High School when she first met
Sorenstam. Make-A-Wish Michigan flew
Esordi and her family to Sorenstam's
golf academy in Orlando.
After presenting her with a new set of
golf clubs, Sorenstam led Esordi to the
driving range, where they were met by
15 or so reporters with still and video
cameras. "I was pretty nervous," Esordi
said. "They followed us through the first
two holes. After that, they left, and Annika
told me it was time to relax and have fun."
After her nerves settled and the
reporters left, Esordi said she played fairly
well; she remembered one of Sorenstam's
tremendous drives that landed within six
feet of the cup on a par-4.
Her round of golf with Sorenstam
was a lifetime memory for Esordi. She
continued to stay in contact with
ever to play the game, so to have a
chance to meet the best in our sport
was a dream come true," Mailloux said.
The Lakers met Sorenstam, her
trainers and staff and - a bonus - Anna
Nordqvist, a Swedish golfer who at that
time was relatively new to the LPGA tour.
Esordi said talk shifted from life on the
LPGA tour to Vision 54, a golf philosophy
that it's possible to envision and strive
for shooting a birdie on every hole, thus,
a score of 54 rather than a par score of
72. Mailloux brought Vision 54 to Grand
Valley in 2008, her first year as head
coach. "Having a firsthand interpretation
of what Vision 54 meant to Annika was a
great tool for the team," she said.
While few golfers can achieve a score
of 54, Esordi shot 5-over 77 and helped
the Lakers take second place at the
Pioneer Invitational in Ohio last October.
An academic standout, she has been
named to the GLIAC All-Academic team
every year.
The Lakers play a split season, with
tournaments in the fall and spring.
"ANNIKA IS THE GREATEST FEMALE
PLAYER EVER TO PLAY THE GAME, SO
TO HAVE A CHANCE TO MEET HER
WAS A DREAM COME TRUE."
-REBECCA MAILLOUX
staff members at Sorenstam's academy
throughout her high school golf career
and as a first-year player for Laker golf
coach Rebecca Mailloux.
It was that year when Esordi noted
that the Lakers would be in Orlando
during spring break, she asked Mailloux
her thoughts about a possible team visit
to Sorenstam's academy. Mailloux was
quick to react.
"Annika is the greatest female player
Esordi projected that her last collegiate
season will be bittersweet.
"I plan to take the time to enjoy my
last few months of competitive play and
remember how much I love the game,"
she said.
Esordi will graduate in December. She
said she plans to enroll in a pharmacy
school to earn a doctorate and would
someday like to work in a hospital or for
a pharmaceutical company.
9
Grand Valley Magazine
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2015
Campus News
Athletics
Donor Impact
Behind the gallery
Beer boom
Reenactment takes center stage in classroom
Global GV
Focal Point
Arts
Sustainability
Q&A Harmon, DesArmo
Off the Path
Research
Alumni News
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineSpring2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineWinter2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineFall2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineSummer2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMagazineSpring2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/Spring2016GVMagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/Winter2016GVMagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/2015FallGVMagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/Summer2015GVMagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMSpring2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/GVMwinter2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/Grandvalley/GVMFall2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/Grandvalley/grandvalleymagazine
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/spring2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/winter2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/gvsu/GVmagazine/fall_2013
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