GALLOWAY, N.J. | She has what television people love. When the camera light comes on, Megha Ganne, the 17-year-old sponsor invite to this week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer, flashes that thousand-watt smile the world first saw during the U.S. Women’s Open. Then she stares straight into the lens like she’s talking to an old friend. Ganne makes you lean forward. She makes you stop and look and return the big smile even if you know she can’t see you. It’s a gift. Lydia Ko had it at 15. Rory McIlroy grew into it in his late 20s. Ganne appears to have been born with it.

“The more people the better,” Ganne’s coach Katie Rudolph said. “The more eyes on her, the better she plays. She’s got a little bit of Arnold Palmer in her. She thrives on the crowd and loves that kind of energy. She’s having fun.”

It’s Ganne’s second sponsor’s invitation to the ShopRite Classic. Last year, the event didn’t have fans. This year, much of South Jersey is expected to show up. If the pro-am is any indication, the place will be packed. And Ganne will no longer be looked upon as an “oh, isn’t that nice” local high-school kid. She’s a Megha-watt star, low amateur in that U.S. Women’s Open who captured every heart.

“She does like to play on a big stage,” Rudolph said on Thursday afternoon. “She says to me, ‘Hey, these people had a lot of choices about what to do today and they chose to come out and watch me play golf. I might as well let them know that I know they’re here.’ That’s such a cool perspective. It’s hard to believe that she’s 17. And we probably shouldn’t forget that she’s 17, either.”

How will she handle being a known celebrity in her first professional event since that magical week in San Francisco? It’s anyone’s guess. But if you listen to her, you realize there isn’t much this kid can’t handle. Most 17-year-olds would stumble through a professional interview, filling boilerplate platitudes with “like’s,” “um’s,” “right’s” and “you know’s.” Ganne sounds like she’s done four Oprah specials and been a guest host on Golf Today.

“I don't know if I’d call it celebrity,” she said. “But I definitely have a lot more recognition in the golf world. When I go to golf courses, I can't remember the last time I didn't get recognized. But it's nothing but positivity. So, (things in my life have) changed in the best way possible. My classmates don't view me any differently, and my teachers think of me as just another student. So, the high school part, I just feel like everybody else.”

It’s only the practice round period in New Jersey. The course isn’t close to full. But Ganne is already signing autographs and posing for pictures. The smile never seems to go away.

She made the trip to Wales as an alternate for the U.S. Curtis Cup team and she played on the Junior Solheim Cup and Junior Ryder Cup teams, spending time in the grandstands and galleries at the events afterward.

“Having her in the big arena of the Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup, she caught the bug and wants more of that in her life,” Rudolph said. “We’re about to see something good.”

Ganne won’t speculate on how she’ll play. She’s already smarter than that. “It's just been a lot of traveling but nothing but good and fun events,” she said of her summer. “It's been surreal. Because of COVID, everything got postponed and pushed together. So, I've had a great few months.

“I think the coolest thing for me is when I hear someone come up and say their daughter, their son started playing golf after watching me. In the last few days, I've had some interactions with people that have been crazy to think that I've had that much of an impact.

“I've interacted with young girls that are 10, 11, 12, 13 years old and they've told me that [I have] had an impact on the way they think and what they want to do and what they want to accomplish. To think I've inspired someone, that's definitely my favorite part.”

She’s so precious, you’re almost sad for the potential corrosion you know is coming – the agents, the coaches and the hangers on who will flock to this light like a plague of moths.

“We have a very small circle and are very selective about who gets to come into the team,” Rudolph said. “It’s a family decision. At the moment, she’s fine but we know it’s coming. Her not being on social media is certainly helpful, especially to her mental health. But keeping the circle small now is really important. Adding to it in the future will be necessary but we will be careful.”

For now, it’s enough to watch the game and the demeanor of this shining star. And, like her, we can hope. And we can dream.

Megha-Watt Star Returns to ShopRite LPGA Classic

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