The saga began with a simple text.
The sender was David Leadbetter, the world-renowned instructor who has been a friend for longer than either of us can remember. He wanted to know if I had read a story at GolfDigest.com, written by Joel Beall, about a 15-year-old junior golfer. Mykhailo Golod is his name, although he goes by Misha, and he is a talented young player. He competed at the 2021 U.S. Junior, claimed a top-10 finish at the Junior Orange Bowl tournament in January and stands No. 446 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
He lives in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Little more needs to be added to that statement, other than that Misha probably is the only 15-year-old junior golfer with an app on his mobile phone that warns of air raids.
Leadbetter had a plan. Get Misha out of Kyiv and get him to Orlando, Florida, where he would join the David Leadbetter Golf Academy, enroll in school, and stay in a home with Leadbetter’s personal assistant.
Concurrently, after much reflection, Misha and his parents decided that the best thing to do was to get the youngster out of the country. On Tuesday of last week, the three of them began an arduous and dangerous car ride west, driving 500 miles in 15 hours as tanks passed them going in the opposite direction.
It sounded a bit far-fetched to me, but nonetheless I made a few phone calls, and things began to fall into place. The American Junior Golf Association agreed to host a fund-raising effort; The Country Club of North Carolina, which hosted the U.S. Junior last year, offered significant financial support; and the U.S. Golf Association agreed to provide financial assistance as well. Golf Digest’s editor-in-chief, Jerry Tarde, agreed to cooperate and collaborate with the effort. Social media was activated, emails were sent, and good progress was made toward raising $50,000 for Misha to begin a new life.
The family eventually reached the Hungarian border. Misha’s mother, Vita, would accompany him to America, while his father, Oleg, was required to stay behind because of Ukraine’s struggle against Russia’s military invasion. Imagine the agony of a father and son saying goodbye, unsure of when or if they will ever see each other again.
Misha and his mother made their way to Budapest, boarded a plane to London, and on Friday night, touched down at Orlando International Airport. His golf clubs didn’t make it out of London, but he and his mother were greeted at the airport by Leadbetter and Beall.
And then the golf community swung into action. Misha received an invitation to the Terra Cotta Invitational, a big-time amateur event played in Naples, Florida, in April. Thanks to the PGA Tour, passes were secured for Misha to attend the final round of the Players Championship on Monday. He is slated to meet some players and to play the golf course on Tuesday.
Misha will finish this year’s academic work online, and then will enroll in school in Orlando for his junior and senior years. Beyond that, little is clear. What is important is that he is safe and sound and in good hands with Team Leadbetter.
I have written this many times in GGP, and it is an absolute: golf steps up. It always has; it always will. In times of need, this game has a massive heart and a generous spirit. This is just another of countless examples of that generosity.
Building a new life in a foreign land is difficult and expensive. If you would like to contribute to Misha’s future, click here. No donation is too small.
Click here to read Joel Beall’s original story on Misha.
Click here to read Beall’s reporting on Misha’s arrival in Orlando.
Top: Mykhailo Golod during the 2021 U.S. Junior
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