Edmond Sante Fe’s Maili Whitehead
Junior golfer Maili Whitehead has already traveled farther with her game than many players twice her age, but the Edmond Santa Fe standout believes she is just getting started.
Whitehead, a junior for the Wolves, traces her love of golf back to watching Tiger Woods, the player she calls the GOAT and the standard she chases every day. His legacy, she said, motivates her to keep grinding on the range and on the greens. She also follows world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, drawing inspiration from the way he stays calm and executes under pressure.
In the classroom, Whitehead leans on the same focus that has shaped her golf career. Her favorite subjects are wood tech and math, and she credits teacher Mr. Felton for making school a place she looks forward to. “I am lucky to have Mr. Felton as my favorite teacher,” Whitehead said.
On the course, Whitehead’s favorite club is her putter, a choice that says a lot about how she thinks the game should be played. “I believe it’s a true game changer when you can be consistent with it,” she said. That emphasis on the short game has already paid off, as she has posted a career-low round of 73 on a day when her driver was dialed in and set up plenty of birdie looks.
Whitehead said the best part of high school golf is not just the scores, but the people she competes with every day. She loves the bond the Edmond Santa Fe girls have built, describing a strong team dynamic that makes long tournament days and early practices worth it. Away from school events, she spends much of her free time playing different courses with friends, then grabbing food afterward and reliving every shot.
That work has taken her onto a national stage. Whitehead competes on the Under Armour Junior Golf Tour and earned a trip to Nationals in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. There, she teed it up on the Arnold Palmer Course at PGA National Resort, an experience she called “beautiful” and one that showed her how far the game can take her.
Golf, Whitehead said, has taught her mind regulation, self-discipline and consistency, lessons that matter as much in life as they do on the scorecard. She has poured hours into both her swing and her putting and believes that combination can help her and Edmond Santa Fe chase big goals in the seasons ahead.
