Noreen Moehler, right, 2010 U.S. Curtis Cup captain, talks on Wednesday with University of Houston-Victoria golfers Whitley Patterson, left, and Lynde Smith.

The biggest advice 2010 U.S. Curtis Cup captain Noreen Mohler could share with members of the University of Houston-Victoria golf team on Wednesday was to take full advantage of all the opportunities golf will provide them.

“You’re going to meet a lot of people along the way that will impact your life and you’re going to make a lot friends so take advantage of the opportunities and make the most of them,” Mohler said while visiting with the UHV men’s and women’s teams at Victoria Country Club.

Mohler grew up in a golfing family and was introduced to the game by her father. Like many, she wasn’t really fond of the game until she played in and won her first-ever tournament at the age of 12.

“It clicked for me when I was 12,” Mohler said. “My dad entered me in a tournament and I won by 20 shots and I thought this is kind of fun and it took off from there.”

That tournament opportunity has led to a long and prestigious golf career for the Massachusetts native.

Mohler, who had a stellar amateur career, was a member of the 1978 Curtis Cup championship team and played on the LPGA Tour in 1984 and 1985. She has also played in five U.S. Women’s Opens and participated in seven U.S. Women’s Amateur events and four U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur events.

This past June, she captained the U.S. Curtis Cup team to its seventh straight title over the Great Britain-Ireland team with a 12.5 to 7.5 victory.

Not having the opportunities to play high school or college golf, Mohler says the women’s game has come a long way since those days.

“There weren’t a lot of opportunities for women when I started playing,” Mohler said. “But if you just focus on college golf there are so many opportunities now for college age women to play college golf than when I was in college. To have an upstart program like this at UHV - what a great opportunity it is for them.

“Not to put the men aside but there are a lot more opportunities now for women in the game.”     Mohler also feels that UHV head golf coach Brian Williamson has the program started off in the right direction.

“Brian has a lot of great ideas and really wants to make the program and these kids feel like a family and that’s how they need to feel, both the men’s and women’s teams,” Mohler said. “Here they are teenagers away from home and having to deal with time management, trying to play a varsity sport and trying to advance their education, they have a lot going on. Just to feel like they have people they can lean on here, I think that is huge.”

Mohler was also to be the guest speaker at the 2010 UHV golf scholarship luncheon on Thursday at the UHV Multi-Purpose Room. The luncheon is specially designed to allow those who have donated to the golf scholarship fund an opportunity to meet and mingle with the inaugural class of UHV golf scholarship recipients.