After joining the JGAA in 2012 and graduating from Xavier College Prep in 2017, Emily Mahar became a Virginia Tech Hokie. She joined the team with momentum from four consecutive Arizona state high school golf titles as a Gator, four years on the academic honor roll and numerous highlights in JGAA competition.
Shortly after landing in Arizona, the Brisbane, Australia native began competing in what would turn out to be 55 JGAA events over six seasons. She started out in the Girls 13-14 division before moving up to the Girls Championship division for the final four seasons. In the latter, Mahar managed to post 9 wins, 29 top-5s and 34 top-10 finishes in only 36 tournaments entered in the Girls Championship division.
“Emily was a great player when she competed in JGAA events, and her stellar play has continued at Virginia Tech,” said Scott McNevin, executive director of the JGAA. “When she arrived from Australia before high school, we knew she had a great chance of earning a college golf scholarship.”
Mahar punctuated her JGAA career in style with two wins. First, she captured the Phoenix City Jr Championship by a whopping eight strokes with a pair of 70s. Then, a week later Mahar won the Prescott City Junior Championship with clutch play down the stretch. She shrugged off a double bogey on the 14th with birdies on 15 and 16 before piling on an eagle at the 17th to win by one stroke with rounds of 69-67.
As a Virginia Tech Hokie, Mahar picked up her first individual title at the Princess Anne Invitational in the 2019-2020 season after firing 69-69-65—203. The win helped lead the Hokies to their first-ever team championship. Her winning scores marked the first time a Virginia Tech player posted three sub-70 rounds in one event. The 65 set a new school record for the lowest single-round score, and the 203 is now the lowest three-round total in school history. All the accolades led to ACC Player of the Month honors for Mahar. She is now the Hokies’ all-time leading scorer, and her 71.00 stroke average is the Hokies’ best ever. In her 2021-22 Season, Mahar became the first women’s golfer at Virginia Tech to earn All-America Honorable Mention recognition by the WGCA, all while earning All-ACC distinction for the second straight season, becoming the first Hokie to do so. During senior year, she tied her season-best finish at the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional finishing second, which earned her a ticket to the NCAA Women’s Golf National Championship for the second year in a row – this time as an individual. The appearance allowed her to join Amanda Hollandsworth (2019) as the second Hokie to reach nationals as an individual. For icing on the cake, Mahar competed in the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur – first Tech women’s golfer to do so – carding an 8-over 152 (76-76). Mahar now competes on the Epson Tour as a rookie- the official qualifying Tour of the LPGA TOUR. Her top result is a top-25 finish at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship.
