Mia Melendez poised to become Michigan’s next golf phenom after state title
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (BVM) — There are many high school golfers in the state of Michigan and the entire country that would dream of having the same success as Mia Melendez. After just one season competing at Ann Arbor Greenhills, Melendez is already being dubbed as the next great girls golfer in her home state.
While Melendez is also a big soccer player and will join the Ann Arbor Greenhills squad, it is golf that has been the main sport for Melendez’s family, beginning when her dad first took up the sport several years ago.
“My dad picked up the game of golf for fun about 10 years ago,” Melendez said. “He started bringing my older sister out on the course. When I got old enough, I started going out with him as well and I just fell in love with the game.”
Melendez’s older sister, Amaya, is also a big reason for her golf success. Amaya was also a star golfer in high school at Ann Arbor Pioneer, and has been someone to look up to on and off the course for Mia.
“My older sister Amaya is a great role model for me,” Mia said. “She was the one who motivated me to start playing golf. I just grew up loving the game playing with her.”
At the same time, Mia has continued to golf with her dad, as well as her younger brother, Robert, who is next in line for this talented golfing family.
“I have had a really unique experience growing up with my whole family involved in the game,” Mia added. “It really kept me having fun playing golf. It wouldn’t be possible without my family and all their support.”
Through the years, Mia quickly developed skills in all facets of the game, both physically and mentally. Morning routines in the Melendez house often included watching videos of Tiger Woods. Mia has also developed a strong personal liking to LPGA golfer Danielle Kang, who she was fortunate enough to meet a while back.
By the time she was 8, Mia began competing in junior tournaments, particularly through U.S. Kids Golf and the Callaway/Meijer Junior Golf Tour. Recently, she has also begun competing in several Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) events.
“Right away, things just started to click for me,” Mia said. “My dad saw how much better I was getting … I discovered that I really thrived in that environment.”
During her youth, Mia’s family also joined The Polo Fields Golf & Country Club. There, they met instructor Dave Kendall — a Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member — who has worked with Mia ever since. Between Kendall’s tutelage and that of now high school coach Michael Karr, the freshman’s game has continued to improve.
“I just love the environment at Polo Fields, everyone there is so kind and it’s a great facility,” Mia noted. “My coach Dave Kendall has been with me since the beginning and saw potential for me. He’s been a great asset … I still work with him to this day and he’s a really important part to my golf development.”
Within the past year, Mia’s hard work has fully paid off. After several second-place finishes over the last few years, Mia finally broke through to win the GAM Junior Kickoff Championship at the 15-and-under level.
In addition, Mia has begun playing American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournaments, and won in her first-ever event at that level this summer. In total, the freshman’s 2021 season saw her pick up eight first-place finishes.
“I definitely had a lot of success this season, right from the beginning,” Mia said. “It was just so exciting to me. It was surprising at first, but after seeing those moments, I know that I have a lot of potential in my game.”
That same potential was fully on display during Mia’s freshman season at Ann Arbor Greenhills. Although she wasn’t quite sure what to expect going into play at the high school level, the golf standout went undefeated throughout the year in tournament play.
Before long, Mia began realizing she might have the potential to do something special in her first year.
“Pretty much right away when I started the season, I knew that I was going to be in a really good flow and that I’d have a chance to win state,” Mia explained. “As the time got closer to the state finals, the pressure was getting more and more intense. I was nervous but I was definitely hopeful.”
As the pressure continued to mount, Mia played her best. She would indeed go on to qualify for state at Forest Akers East Golf Course, and played a pair of consistent rounds, beginning with an even-par 72 on day one.
On day two, Mia brought the same energy. However, by the final hole of the round, she found herself tied with Michigan Center senior golfer and defending MHSAA state champion, Kamryn Shannon. With Mia’s second shot over the green and Shannon’s shot safely on, it appeared Mia might be in trouble.
Yet, it was again her calm demeanor and strong mental game that pulled through, as the freshman hit one of the best chips of her life, getting up and down for par while Shannon three putted. What was a virtually perfect freshman season was capped with a state title.
“I was sure that if I did my best and played my best game, I’d be able to take home a win,” Mia said. “The whole round, me and Kamryn Shannon were very close. I was making birdies and she was making birdies, and there weren’t many mistakes. I was getting nervous because there was a lot of pressure and I knew I had to get ahead at some point.
“On hole No. 13, which is the final hole that we played that day, I just stayed in the moment. I wasn’t thinking about the outcome, I was just thinking that I had to hit the best shot of my career. The chip that I hit was one of a kind. I was just so happy after that moment; I was blown away.”
While celebrating her Division 4 state title over the next few weeks following the season, Mia also learned she had been named to the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association all-state super team, a truly prestigious honor for just a freshman.
“When I found out that I made the super team, I was ecstatic,” Mia said. “It had always been my dream to make the super team. That was just a moment of hope and excitement for me. I’m very proud of my performance. I know that I’ve played some of the best golf that I could play now, but I definitely want to get to the point where I can play much better.”
Mia is poised to create more exciting moments throughout the remainder of her golf career, which she hopes will not only lead her to the college level, but perhaps even beyond.
“I have always had big goals for my golf game,” the freshman said. “My ultimate goal is to possibly play professional golf. But first, I want to finish my high school career in a great way and go to a really good college to play golf. I really look forward to playing college golf for a great school.”
Mia’s lofty goals continue to look like they can be achievable, in large part due to the dominance of her freshman season. Being labeled as a freshman phenom by many around her, Mia is determined to finish out her high school career strong over the next three years. No matter what happens beyond, she hopes to go down as one of the best to ever play at Ann Arbor Greenhills, and in the state of Michigan as a whole.
“I have big goals for the next three years,” Mia said. “I want to leave a big impression and blow people away. I want to do even better than I did this year in each year to come and hopefully win state as many times as I can.”
