It doesn’t seem that long ago, that Melanie Green was studying at, and competing for, Medina High School, between Niagara Falls and Rochester. Green finished third in the New York State high school championship as a freshman, then won it the next two years. Her final championship appearance was cancelled, due to the global pandemic that brought even golf to a halt. Along the way, Green had earned Rolex All-America honors and was the top recruit from New York among the class of 2020. After considering multiple offers, she enrolled at the University of South Florida, in Tampa.
Green’s freshman fall (2020) was also derailed by COVID, but competition returned in the spring of 2021. Since then, the Medina native has surged each semester. She has been named conference golfer of the week on multiple occasions, qualified for USGA events like the Open, the Amateur, and the Four-Ball, and been invited to an intimate gathering of women’s amateurs, in Augusta, Georgia. As Green prepares to graduate from USF and conclude her amateur career, she has been named to the USA side for the July playing of the Palmer Cup, in Lahinch, Ireland.
Before Lahinch, Green has a bit of golf business to conclude. Her USF squad will travel to Advance, North Carolina, to compete in the NCAA Division 1 regionals, from May 6th to the 8th. The Bermuda Run course hosted the 1986 NCAA Men’s championship, and a fellow from Orchard Park named Tim Straub was part of the Wake Forest side that won the team title. Green certainly hopes that Straub left a bit of WNY magic there, almost four decades ago.
Should Green and her teammates advance out of North Carolina, they will compete in the national championship. Hosted at La Costa in Carlsbad, California, the national event will take place from May 17th to the 22nd, and will feature both medal and match play. As always with top-tier golfers, though, it’s one step at a time.
We asked Melanie Green if she might have time to answer a few questions around April 1st (no fooling) fully understanding that she was in preparation for the ANWA at Champions Reserve and Augusta National. Green indicated that she would love to do so, but might take a while to get the answers back to us. Here we are, nearly a month after negotiations began, and we not only have her answers, but have learned so much more about her. Melanie Green is a woman of few but precise words. We hope that you enjoy her insights, and that you take the time to follow her as she continues to compete and represents Shelridge Country Club, Medina High School, and western New York, on an international stage.
1. Describe your feelings when the invitation to the Augusta National Women’s Invitational arrived.
Super, super excited. I’ve told the story a few times, but I screamed in the apartment, all by myself, for a few minutes, before I called people!
2. The first two rounds of the ANWI are held at Champions Retreat. After a cut, the final round is played at Augusta National. How did you prepare for the possibility of competing over two courses?
Same as every event. Just prepared my game as much as I could.
3. After a challenging first round at Champions Retreat, you came back and nearly made the cut for the final round. What motivatio did you use? What changes did you make?
Just played one shot at a time.
4. You had the opportunity to play Augusta National on the off-day between rounds two and three of the tournament. Put into word, if you can, the entire ANGC experience.
It was incredible. My caddie was great. The course was in phenomenal shape and everyone was super great, and happy to have us!
5. What does the immediate future (next 3-4 months) hold for you, in terms of golf and life? Thank you for your time!
Well, NCAA post-season is right around the corner. Just got selected to go to the North Carolina site as a team. After that, I have hopefully the US Open and the Palmer Cup. Then an Epson Tour event, and maybe one more pro event hopefully. Then I will hopefully go to Portugal to visit my teammate and her family.
