Little 'Mac'

Many have said that through every adversity there is a seed of equal or greater benefit. Of course, when you are right in the middle of a major challenge, it is often hard to take solace in such words. Little did John and Elizabeth Kline know when their first born daughter MacKinzie was born with a congenital heart defect in the spring of 1992, that she would one day be an extraordinary child with dreams of being a professional golfer.

Neither Kline nor his wife had played much golf and neither knew very much about the sport that would soon capture their daughter’s heart. If one saw “Mac”, as she is affectionately called by her family and friends, walking around the Encinitas Ranch Golf Course snack bar area, one might mistake her for any typical blonde hair, pony tailed 9-year old kid. If you followed her to the driving range and watched her practice one would soon realize she is anything but typical. Get a chance to spend some time with her or talk to her and you would quickly realize how very special she is.

“She has a great aura around her and everybody loves her,” says John Mason, the Director of Instruction at Encinitas Ranch Golf Course and Mac’s coach for the last three years. To truly appreciate her vibrant smile and fully comprehend her incredible story, you must start at the beginning of Mac’s story…..

MacKinzie Jean Kline was born March 30, 1992 with a heart defect described as Single Ventricle with transposition of the greater vessels. Her liver is transverse (meaning it is on the left side of her body) and she is aspleenia, which means she was born without a spleen. Simply put, transposition is when oxygenated blood from the lung flows in the wrong direction. This causes poor oxygenation to the body. You do not have to be a medical student to understand that proper oxygenation is vital to sustain life. MacKinzie’s Single Ventricle pumps her blood through her body and the blood flow to and from her lung goes by gravitational flow. She was only 3 months old when Dr. John Lamberti of San Diego Children’s Hospital performed open- heart surgery. The two- part procedure called a Hemi-Fontan was the first of two open-heart surgeries needed to modify Mac’s heart. The second procedure was performed when she was 23 months old. The Klines were overjoyed their daughter would survive surgery, but doctors said Mac would never be like “normal” children or be able to participate in sport, especially any aerobic activity. This challenge did not stop the Klines from looking for ways to expand Mac’s horizons. They figured they would find less physically stressful things she could participate in-hence, golf. The doctors were right, she is definitely not normal. Mac far succeeds that.

Naturally left handed, her parents introduced her to the game of golf as a lefty. She continued to swing her starter clubs for the next two years in her backyard, but before long, the Klines realized Mac enjoyed swinging so much they should take her to a golf course and invest in proper instruction. They soon met John Mason, an accomplished player and a solid PGA instructor at nearby Encinitas Ranch. Before too long, Mason recommended Mac change from swinging left-handed to swinging right-handed. “I felt she would benefit in the long run since it is best if your front arm is stronger. She was swinging equally as well from the right side and she did not feel awkward. Since she hit the ball well both ways and she is naturally left handed, it would be beneficial as she matured as a golfer,” Mason said. When Mason decided to turn her around in December of 1999, Mac had only 60 days or so to prepare for her tournament debut. She had already registered to play in her first junior golf tournament with the North County Junior Golf Association. She won that tournament and went on to win 19 more of the 24 tournaments she entered before the 2000 season was over. Mac was the San Diego County Jr. Golf Association’s Golfer of the Year in her 8- and under age division and placed 5th in the prestigious Jr. World Championships during her first season of competition. Currently, she is club champion at both Encinitas Ranch and Rancho Carlsbad. Her second year of junior golf was equally as impressive, never finishing out of the top three. Mac won 16 of the 31 events she entered, finished second in 13, and third in two others. In the last round of the Jr. World Championship she was paired with Cheyenne Woods (adorable niece of you-know-who). With the press buzzing around their group the entire day, Mac managed to make four birdies and finish with a 3- under final round 55. This moved her into a tie for second place, however, she won the card off because of her strong back nine. She took home the coveted runner-up trophy. “I really wanted to win the Jr. World. Although many of the players are older than I am, I knew I still had a chance. I played well, so I think this was the highlight of my summer”, Mac explains.

She plays in tournaments all year round and has traveled all around the country earning national awards, including the Heather Farr Award. It is no surprise that recently Mac was nominated for consideration for the Giovanni Villani Award. Both awards are given to youngsters who are passionate about the game of golf, who have incredible spirit, and display strong character. The Villani Award is given to a San Diego Jr. Golfer who succeeds despite adversity. “Mac is amazing in that she treats everyone well. It really doesn’t matter if her playing partners shoot 100 or they beat her, she is always kind and considerate. Mac is very humble, meek and mild mannered. She could very well be cocky, but she isn’t. I’m not sure you can teach that quality”, Mason says.

On average, Mason has given her lessons twice a week since they met. “ I started out mostly with her swing mechanics and the basics. It took about a year to solidify the fundamentals. Now, we spend a lot of time on her short game, especially her putting.”

Both Mac and Mason agree that the weakest area of her game right now is the fact she starts poorly because she gets too nervous. Hard to believe, since anyone who knows her agrees that the strongest part of her game is her mind. “Her greatest asset is her mind. She is patient, focused, has incredible concentration levels and is very determined” says Mason. Although she has a lot of golf between now and then, she will tell you, “My goal is to win Jr. World 2002.”

Most mornings, Mac practices putting for an hour before she goes to school, but before you think she is perfect, she will quickly add “but sometimes I sleep in”. If she doesn’t hit the putting green at 7:00 am , she is definitely on it sometime between 3:30 and 5:30 in the afternoon when she returns to the course for more practice. Mason also wants Mac continually working on her physical strength. He tries to incorporate physical training into their training program. “We work a lot on fitness. Mac has great timing and good clubhead speed. She also has great balance and eye hand coordination, but she can’t over exert herself so we stick to pushups, sit ups and try to walk as much as possible.” She walks a lot since Mac plays a minimum of 36 holes per week. Unlike most third graders, she would rather walk with a pull cart than ride in a golf cart. Encinitas Ranch, sprawling over the hills of Encinitas, CA. is not the easiest of courses to walk either!
The only thing besides the first tee jitters that seems to rattle her even keeled personality is the fact she may have another heart surgery soon. “I feel a little worried or nervous about the possibility of surgery. I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to have another one. I shouldn’t get too upset though because I know it doesn’t hurt and the doctors are really good.” Spoken like a true champion, showing courage and bravery even when things are challenging. Despite the possible surgery, she says she has a lot to accomplish in order to hit her goals. “I want to go to college and then play professional golf when I grow up. I really want to play on the Ladies Tour and after I retire I want to teach golf.” Right now her goals are high and although she sets the standards for the 10 and under crowd, everyone should take notice of her commitment to excellence.

Vital Statistics

Name: MacKinzie Jean Kline
Birthday: 3/30/92
Nickname: Mac
Siblings: Younger sister, Madison
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Brown
Height: 4’5”
Weight: 67 lbs.
Best Score on Regulation Course: 81 @ Talking Stick (from Jade Tees – 5,800 yds)
Scottsdale, AZ.
Most Birdies in a single round: 4
Hole-In-One: Not Yet!
Clubs: Custom fit Taylor Made irons and woods
Putter: Titleist
Ball: Callaway Red
Favorite Club: Driver
Favorite Food: Steak
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Subjects: Reading/Math/Science
Pets: A dog named Lucky

Jacqui Nicoletti McSorley is co-author to the book Golf Guide for Parents and Players (Mansion Grove House), along with Johnny Gonzales. Additionally, Jacqui played professionally on the Japan LGPA Tour, and is currently a sought-after LPGA Teacher and started an LPGA-USGA Girls Golf site in northern San Diego county.