Danville golfer MJ Mc Colgan has big goals. Graduating from San Ramon High School in 2002, he has been competing in Special Olympics golf for four years. Last year he won his fourth straight Northern California State Golf Championship, third National Championship at the Southern California PGA of America in Beaumont, Calif., and was inducted into the San Francisco Tri-Valley Sports Hall of Fame. Some past inductees include local residents and sports commentator John Madden and World Series baseball pitcher Randy Johnson.
Mc Colgan’s goal this year is to win his fifth straight gold medal in the Northern California State Championship. Last week at Haggin Oaks in Sacramento, he was razor sharp, shooting the lowest score of 200 golfers in the regional qualifier for the State Championship, which will be held Aug. 18 at Castlewood Country Club.
Special Olympics golf is one of the fastest growing sports and has 9,000 golfers competing worldwide. Mc Colgan competed in the 2003 World Games in Ireland and said he “wants to win the gold again in 2005 and qualify for the first ever 2006 National Games in Ames, Iowa, and 2007 World Games to be held in China.”
Like Casey Martin, Mc Colgan uses a golf car to compete, due to being born with a strain of cerebral palsy. He has been nominated for the 2005 Nike Casey Martin Award, and if he wins, Nike will donate $25,000 to a charity of his choice. The winner will be announced later this year at a banquet at Nike’s headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. Mc Colgan was also appointed a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics Northern California and gives speeches to businesses and organizations about winning and overcoming adversity.
In his travels he has met lots of famous people and golfers. This year he attended the Presidential Inauguration with U.S. Rep. Richard Pombo (R., Stockton) and also got to meet Tim Shriver, head of Special Olympics.
He said his secrets to being a champion are: “Don’t get nervous on the first tee, practice your putting, and never give up”
“I have met Tiger Woods a couple of times and I like the way he plays and the way that he fights to the last putt of every tournament,” he added.
Mc Colgan also works with the Dublin Police Department and attends Las Positas College. When not working, golfing or going to school, he says he “likes to play video games and loves football.”
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