Essay-winning teen fulfills dream, plays round with PGA Tour star Rory McIlroy
Grace Vaughan played the round of her life during Wednesday’s Wells Fargo Championship Pro-Am at Quail Hollow Club.
That’s how it is when you’re playing 18 holes with your idol, who happens to be Rory McIlroy, the world’s top-ranked player.
Grace, a 16-year-old from Chesnee, S.C., recently won an essay contest sponsored by Wells Fargo. Among the prizes – more on the rest of them later – was a chance to play in the pro-am with the player of her choice. And it was an easy decision.
“Rory has always been my favorite golfer,” Grace said. “It was a natural choice.”
In her winning essay, she wrote about how she dealt with a rare blood disorder she was born with called hereditary spherocytosis. She struggled to fit in at school before attending Camp Courage, a nonprofit camp run by the Children’s Cancer of Greenville (S.C.).
“I was the weird sick kid, but at Camp Courage I finally found myself,” Grace wrote. “I made lifelong friends there, my Go-To-Team, who understood what I was going through and helped me to stand up to my bullies. I learned that it is OK to be different.”
Grace since has returned to Camp Courage as a counselor.
“It was really special to spend a week together and share our stories of chemo, blood transfusions, surgeries and hospital stays because they learned that they are not alone in their struggles,” Grace wrote.
Grace, who plays golf for Chesnee High and is a member of Spartanburg’s First Tee program, is quite a golfer.
“I had a great time playing with Grace,” said McIlroy, 26. “When I was (her) age, I had dreams and worked as hard as I could and never let anyone tell me that I couldn’t do it. I always tell young people to remember that.”
The round of golf wasn’t Grace’s only prize. She also won a four-day, three-night trip for two to the tournament, admission to sponsor and celebrity events, hotel accommodations and transportation, clubhouse tickets, a gift bag, a $500 gift card and $3,500 in cash.
Grace said McIlroy gave her some excellent tips.
“I learned a lot about putting. That’s what I have trouble with,” she said. “He helped me on all the greens.
“Today was like a dream come true. It was the best day ever. It was an honor to play with Rory.”
Responded McIlroy: You’re giving “me a big head over here.”
Grace Vaughan’s Winning Essay
Question #1. Using The First Tee Life Skill Core Lesson “Building a Go-To-Team”, how have you built (or how do you plan to build) a Go-To-Team outside of golf to help you succeed at something?
Growing up I was different than the other kids at school because of my medical condition. I was bullied by the kids at my school. I didn’t like talking about it with anyone and pretended I didn’t hear all the name-calling and jokes about how I didn’t have a spleen and how I was always sick. I hated school and tried my hardest just to fit and just be normal. I was blessed with the opportunity to go to Camp Courage, a camp through Greenville Children’s Cancer Center full of kids like me. Getting to go to this camp changed my life, before I had felt so alone, I was the weird sick kid but at Camp Courage I finally found myself. I made lifelong friends there, my Go-To-Team, who understood what I was going through and helped me to stand up to my bullies. I learned that it is ok to be different and that I have to be outgoing sometimes to get what I want, that has made a major impact on me. I have since become very involved in my school with golf team, honors classes and I am a FCA and bible study leader.
Question #2: Using The First Tee Life Skill Core Lesson “Building a Go-To-Team”, how have you helped (or how do you plan to help) someone else as one of their Go-To-Team members?
I was born with a rare blood disorder, hereditary spherocytosis. When I was 7 I attended Camp Courage and meet other children that had also the same struggles. Everyone there made me feel comfortable and we were able to share with each other our medical conditions. The camp and all the counselors became part of Go-To-Team and still have been for the past 8 years. This past summer I received such a blessing, I was able to go back as a counselor to young children that have also been diagnosed with blood disorders or cancer. It was really special to spend a week together and share our stories of chemo, blood transfusions, surgeries and hospital stays because they learned that they are not alone in their struggles. Now I am able to be part of a Go-To-Team for these children for years to come. It means so much to me to be able to share my story with these children and give back to the camp that changed my life.
This story was originally published May 13, 2015 at 8:07 PM with the headline "Essay-winning teen fulfills dream, plays round with PGA Tour star Rory McIlroy."