Pressel is the youngest woman ever to win a major championship, conquering the field at the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship Tournament at the age of 18. Pressel, who is now 20, started playing the game when she was just 8 years old and has won 11 American Junior Golf Association events.

However, while Pressel pushes full steam ahead on each and every hole, off the fairway the fight is much more personal. Using her status as a professional golfer to draw attention to something that has impacted her deeply, earlier this year Pressel held the first annual Morgan and Friends Fight Cancer Tournament.

Morgan’s mom, Kathy Krickstein Pressel, was diagnosed with breast cancer, which later spread to her brain. During the summer of 2003, with Kathy losing her battle, Morgan took time away from the game on several occasions to be with her. On Sept. 5, 2003, Kathy died at the age of 43. Morgan was just 15 at the time.

“I wanted to form an event that not only honored my mom, but also helped to raise awareness and funding for breast cancer research and the overall fight against this terrible illness,” Pressel said. “Our family and friends lost an amazing woman in my mother, and I am determined to do whatever I can to prevent the same thing from happening to others.”

The proceeds from the event benefited the Lynn Cancer Institute’s Breast Cancer Center at the Boca Raton Community Hospital, which is close to where Morgan grew up and the place where her mother made her last stand against the disease.

The issue has been front and center for Pressel, even if it is difficult to talk about, especially with the public watching. In late 2007, she teamed up with Polo Ralph Lauren, which introduced a limited edition Pink Pony shirt designed just for Pressel to wear during LPGA events in October 2007 in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All of the proceeds from the sale of the shirt were sent to the Pink Pony Fund of the Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation, which supports cancer prevention and care. Pressel requested that the funds be directed to the Boca Raton Community Hospital.

“The fight against breast cancer is one that has touched me deeply,” Pressel said. “I feel proud to be in a position now to help raise additional support and public awareness for the continued importance of this cause.” — Chris Frankie