One Young Lady To Watch For: Mariah Stackhouse

You may have seen a recent piece on Georgia Women's Amateur Champion Mariah Stackhouse on the Golf Channel , but if you missed that, you probably won't have long to wait until this young lady explodes into the main consciousness of the golfing world.

She's got game, real game, and unlike some recent phenoms who've not lived up to their multi-million dollar hype, she's also learned how to win big tournaments. In 2007, she won the Georgia Girl's Championship. Last year, she stepped up to the state's Women's Amateur title. This year, who knows? I wouldn't bet against her anywhere she tees it up, short of the pro circuit...and that's just for now. Give her 3-4 more years experience and she may just be hoisting an LPGA trophy too.

The best part of it all? Mariah is an African-American, in other words, an American woman of color, something that has been sorely lacking at the top of the LPGA and across golf from the top pro ranks right down to the neighborhood semi-privates that are the root of the sport.

Ms. Stackhouse has honed her game on the munis down in Atlanta, and with the help of Ralph Boston, a former Olympian, she's also getting to know private course operators and getting to play on the better courses down in her area. Those courses, of course, closer resemble the courses she'll play as she evolves into higher levels of competition, so Boston's help is vital to her success.

Her father labels her a "daddy's girl" and comments on how well grounded Mariah is, and how she is a good student. Seems like she's got some game in school too, and is growing into being a well-adjusted, well-educated and ultimately very successful person.

And she might -- just might -- be the real "next Tiger Woods" that the women's game so desperately needs.