(La Porte, IN) - A La Porte area woman has been a huge fan of professional golf practically for the entirety of her very long life, having recently gone to her first PGA golf tournament at the age of 103.
Susan Cichon said being at the tournament in Olympia Fields, Illinois was a birthday present from her son, Bob, and granddaughters, Julia and Jill. The same family members were behind 12 professional golfers, on video, singing Happy Birthday to her on her 100th birthday.
“Now that I’m 103 they just thought let’s continue with this,” she said.
During the tournament, Cichon said she met her favorite professional golfer, Rickie Fowler, along with other golfers like Rory McElroy and Tommy Fleetwood.
”Made me very, very happy,” she said.
Cichon, nicknamed “Grandma Susie,” said she grew up in Wisconsin and came to La Porte when she was 21 because her boyfriend, whom she later married, was from here.
“Grandma Susie” has been here ever since and needs just a walker to occasionally get around still lives at home with her son, where she keeps busy with things like housework.
Cichon said her late husband, Edward, played golf, but she never did. She was about to play for the first time with her husband years ago, though, but she couldn’t use his right-handed clubs and was unable to find a left-handed set of clubs to purchase for herself.
“I just completely got it out of my mind that I would do any golfing but I watched it and I enjoy it. I enjoy the peace. I enjoy the sportsmanship,” she said.
