Athletics Brother, sister led golf to ‘golden era’ S By Todd Anderson hauna Walor will readily admit that she is no match for her brother Jordan on the golf course. However, she says the rivalry between the two siblings has not always been one-sided. You see, when the two siblings were growing up in New Hampshire, Shauna was quite the budding field hockey player. Not to be outdone, Jordan regularly challenged his younger sister to “friendly” games in the backyard. “He always thought he could beat me at (field hockey),” Shauna said. “But we would always play games in the yard back (in New Hampshire), and he could never beat me. He would make up different rules that didn’t have anything to do with the sport just to win. He didn’t like to lose to me.” But if there is one thing that the two can definitely agree on, it is the fact that they have been a part of the so-called “golden era” of the UNCP golf program – an era that has produced Peach Belt Conference championships on both the men’s and women’s sides, as well as numerous other tournament titles. But it was fate that brought the Walors to Pembroke in the first place. In his early teens, Jordan was excelling at a game that his father had identified as a strength for him at an early age. Shauna, on the other hand, was excelling in a variety of other sports, including field hockey. “Jordan picked up a plastic club at a very early age, and I noticed he had a nice little swing,” said their father, John Walor. “When I went to play, he always wanted to go with me and always enjoyed it so much. In the New England area, your practice time is limited, so we thought about going South to see what happens.” So, with the prospect of developing Jordan’s golf game, the Walors made the move to Wake Forest, to hone his skills in a friendly climate. Shauna was less thrilled. “I was pretty mad at first,” admitted Shauna, who played softball, basketball and a handful of other sports. “It was different,” she said. “We had to leave our family, and I didn’t know anybody in Wake Forest. And I pretty much hated golf.” It was a move that, even Jordan admits, made him feel a little guilty. “I always felt kind of guilty, leaving her at home when I went and played after we moved,” Jordan said. “One day I told her she was coming with me.” That day, in the midst of Shauna’s freshman year in high school, may have been the turning point, not only for the Walor family, but also for the golf program in Pembroke. Something changed that day. The girl who once hated the game, and who placed a lot of the blame on the golf for her unhappiness, 26 suddenly began to develop a different viewpoint. “I don’t know what happened,” Shauna said. “(Playing golf) started to be relaxing and frustrating at the same time. I enjoyed hitting my driver, and being on the course with Jordan was nice because he didn’t have to invite me.” UNCP head coach David Synan had already begun to take notice of Shauna’s skills by the end of her junior year. It was that skill set that led him to Wake Forest to investigate further. Upon arriving, Synan got a surprise when he found out that Shauna had a brother who had escaped the notice of NCAA Division I head coaches. Another twist of fate maybe? “Jordan didn’t get the attention we thought he might after being in North Carolina for a while. He kind of slipped through the cracks,” said John Walor. “Shauna was always known as Jordan’s sister (in New Hampshire), so it was kind of funny at first when he was known as ‘her brother’ when they got to (Pembroke).” Jordan’s collegiate career in Pembroke got off to a grand start as the rookie led the team with a 72.8 stroke average en route to being selected a PING NCAA Division II Honorable Mention All-American and PBC Freshman of the Year. Along the way, he earned tournament titles at the Laker Collegiate Classic and the Lenoir-Rhyne/Catawba Intercollegiate Tournaments, while finishing second at the PBC Championships. He also qualified as an individual for the 2009 NCAA South/Southeast Regional. Just a year later, he led the league with a 72.4 stroke average, while also capturing the individual PBC Championship. To date, he booked 30 career top-20 finishes (43 total events), including 18 tournaments in which he finished among the top five golfers. He has taken home eight tournament championships, including three this season. He put the cherry on top of a storied collegiate career by taking home the PBC’s coveted Male Golfer of the Year award. At the time of this publication, Jordan and the Braves were competing at the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championships in Louisville, Ky. – a first for Pembroke. “His attitude is what sets him apart,” Shauna said. “When Spring 2012 UNCP Today