A bat mitzvah girl with Detroit ties
turned the golf world upside down.

Phenom

MARVIN GLASSMAN

Special to the Jewish. News

Boca Raton, Fla.

T

welve is usually the average
age for a youngster to win
in golf: minature golf.

But that was not the case for
Morgan Pressel of Boca Raton. Just
one week prior to her 13th birthday,
she became a household name in the
golf world by becoming the youngest
woman ever to qualify, for a major
women's golf championship. Pressel
scored a two under par 70 at a sec-
tional qualifier at the Bear Lakes
Country Club in West Palm Beach in
May to earn a spot at the U.S.
Women's Open Golf Championship
in June.
"It is a complete shock," said
Pressel, who has strong Detroit con-
nections. "I just wanted to try to
compete for the experience."
Pressel had a strong fan base at the
Open, watching her every stroke as if
she was a female Tiger Woods. She
attracted the attention of more than
100 spectators at every hole, many of
them 8- and 10-year-old girls, who
politely asked for her autograph as
she finished her round.
Pressel obliged every autograph
seeker. She took up golf only five
years ago. The 13-year-old is 5'3" and
110 pounds, with a blond ponytail, a
bright smile and braces.
She did not make the cut at the
U.S. Open, shooting two 77 rounds.
She finished tied for 120th, ahead of
19 pros and nine amateurs.
"What Morgan did was a lot better
than anyone I know at her age. She
was poised and looks like a young star

in the making," said Open winner
Karrie Webb, who was so impressed
with Pressel that she invited Morgan
to practice with her at her home
course in Boynton Beach.
Since the U.S. Open, Pressel won a
junior event in Kentucky in June and
tied for fifth at another in Tampa.
Pressers coach and grandfather is
Dr. Herb Krickstein, a retired physi-
cian and pathologist from St. John's
Hospital in Detroit, who resides in
the summer months in Grosse Pointe
Shores and lives in Florida in the
winter. He cautions against any com-
parisons between Pressel and Tiger
Woods.
"Morgan is learning, but is not yet
a great golfer," said Dr. Krickstein.
"She is a great golfer for her age.
There is a world of difference, and
she has a lot of time to improve her
game."
He said he watched her swing when
she was 8. "It was pretty obvious she
had a natural golf swing."
Her strengths now are "her driving
is very good, very consistent for a
small person. She hits it about 225
yards, down the middle, usually. And
her bunker game is exceptional, her
sand play. And her putting is coming
around pretty good now."

Coaching Stars

For Dr. Krickstein, this is his second
experience at grooming a young ath-
lete. He was pivotal in the success of
his son, tennis star Aaron Krickstein
(Morgan's uncle), who was a world
top-10 player from 1983-1994.
Aaron Krickstein was the youngest
player to win a men's pro title when
he won the Tel Aviv tournament in
1983 at age 16.