ATEC NCO on way to All Army Golf trials

By Yvonne Johnson, APG NewsSeptember 21, 2011

ATEC NCO on way to All Army Golf trials
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - An Aberdeen Proving Ground noncommissioned officer who has been golfing only eight years has high hopes to distinguish herself as one of the Army's elite golfers.

Master Sgt. Sheila Sango, a career counselor with the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command, has been selected to compete in the All Army Golf Trials Sept. 23 - 26 at Fort Jackson, S.C.

Twenty to 30 of the Army's top golfers will compete in the trials and the top finishers from the 72-hole event will comprise the 2011 All Army Team which will compete against teams from the Air Force, Navy and Marines in the Armed Forces Championship Sept. 28 to Oct. 1, also at the Fort Jackson Golf Club.

This is Sango's second trip to the trials. She competed in 2010 and said she hopes to do better.

"I didn't do as well as I can; it was a very humbling experience," she said. "Through the grace of God, I will do well this year."

A native of California, Sango is a 21-year veteran who came to APG in March from Hawaii. She has two combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and said she started playing golf while stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, after years of focusing only on softball.

"I used to love softball but for some reason I always enjoyed watching golf," she said.

Sango credits various coworkers and sergeants major who shared their knowledge of the game with her as she honed her skills. She said a Maryland-based international nonprofit golfing organization, along with Ruggles Golf Club manager Rick Bond and Ruggles pro Dave Correll, took her under their wings to help her along.

"Dave has been very valuable, he's given me great tips," she said. "There is no perfect swing. He takes your swing and works with that.

"The whole golf staff here has been helpful," said Sango. "They know what I'm out here trying to accomplish, and they do whatever they can to help."

Bond called Sango a great player who is driven to succeed.

"She's not just a wonderful player she's even a nicer person," he said. "She's a joy to be around and she has a tireless work ethic. Even if it's raining, she's out here working on her game. We're all pulling for her."

Deeply religious, Sango said she feels her first assignment on the East Coast is not by chance.

"I just know I'm here for a reason," she said. "I've found a nice church here and a beautiful place to perfect my game.

"I love being out here early in the mornings. Everything is quiet," explained Sango. "There's nothing here but you and nature. I see geese and deer, and I even saw a little fox out here. It's inspiring. So I just keep trying and trying. I know God will still love me whether I fail or succeed as long as I just don't quit."