Scottsdale, Arizona, United States: Monique ‘Mo’ Gesualdi has been named ‘2024 Troon Coach of the Year’ by Troon’s Education and Player Development team.

Gesualdi, PGA and LPGA Director of Instruction at St Johns Golf & Country Club in St Augustine, Florida, oversees the golf instruction programme at the club’s Golf Academy while coaching juniors, women and men to reach their highest potential by getting their mind, body and swing all working together.

Tim Mahoney, Troon’s Global Director of Education and Coaching, said: “We received over 25 nominations for our Coach of the Year Award, with top instructors such as Joe Hallet at Vanderbilt Legends Club, Lindy LaBauve from Westin Kierland Resort and Spa, Doug Hammer from Troon North, and David Curtis from Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort all nominated.

“This is an indication of the depth of quality and caring teaching professionals at Troon-managed facilities. Monique exemplifies the characteristics of the elite coach: humility, motivator, caring, listener and relationship builder. This award could be named after Monique. Congratulations Mo!”

Gesualdi has been Director of Instruction at St. Johns Golf & Country Club since May of 2021 and is a two-time winner of the North Florida PGA Youth Player Development Award Winner (2023, 2024).

In her teaching, ‘Coach Mo’ takes a holistic coaching approach, focusing on understanding each player’s individual swing tendencies, physical condition, mental approach, nutritional habits, and other factors. This approach aims to optimise performance by addressing all aspects of a player’s development.

Gesualdi believes in ensuring cohesion among the developmental team, parents, and the player is essential for the player’s success. This unified approach plays a pivotal role in achieving goals and maximising potential. When not on the practice tee, Gesualdi hosts the Coach Mo Podcast.

“Mo represents everything we look for in coach,” said Steve Loesher, PGA and Troon Director of Player Development. “She connects with her students and her coaches, is innovative, hardworking, and is always looking to improve and grow.”

A Florida native, Gesualdi had a successful junior and high school golf career, before moving on to play collegiately at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. As a junior golfer she was a two-time AJGA All-American (2002, 2003), won back-to-back national championships at the Women’s Western Junior (2002, 2003), and was two-time St Augustine Record and Florida Times Union Player of the Year.

The St Augustine Record also recognised Gesualdi as the ‘Athlete of the Decade’ for girls’ golf for the 2000s for St Johns County. While at Furman, Gesualdi had one individual and two team wins, was selected as a First Team All-American in her sophomore year, and was named Southern Conference Player of the Month (October 2004).

In the spring of 2012, Gesualdi received a life-saving liver transplant, followed shortly by two miraculous craniotomies to remove a lethal fungal infection (invasive aspergillosis) that developed in her brain while immune-suppressed in the hospital.

Her doctor said at the time: “You can count on one hand, world-wide, the number of immuno-compromised patients who have survived this infection.” Invasive aspergillus is associated with very poor response rates, leading to nearly 90 per cent mortality rates in liver transplant patients. 

*Troon is an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.