Kennedy Meissner is not just a supportive partner to PGA Tour pro Mac Meissner but also a golfer and a giving soul in her own right. Originally from Texas, she holds a degree in Applied Physiology and Sports Management from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where she first made her mark on the women’s golf team. But Kennedy’s world has never been limited just to the golf course.

As a student, she was deeply connected with the community and traveled to El Salvador to lead a group of four high school girls on a mission trip. She taught in local classrooms with nothing but translators and her own initiative to rely on. That spirit of showing up for others runs through everything she does and has remained a defining part of who she is.

That same chapter at SMU also shaped her personal life. Mac Meissner and Kennedy met as students at the university, got engaged at Pebble Beach in November 2022, and married on December 3, 2023, at Fort Worth Love in Fort Worth, Texas. While Mac has always kept much of his personal life close to his chest, he has never been shy about expressing what Kennedy means to him.

“She has been my biggest supporter,” he said after earning his PGA Tour card.

Who is Kennedy Meissner?

Kennedy Petitgo Meissner grew up in Texas and completed her schooling at Texas Connections Academy in Houston before enrolling at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Before she ever thought about sport management or business school, Kennedy was a golfer focused on competing at the highest level. At SMU, she spent five seasons on the NCAA women’s golf team and built one of the most accomplished careers in Mustangs history.

During her collegiate career, Kennedy ranked fifth in SMU’s all-time career scoring average at 75.32 and fifth in career par-or-better rounds. Her success extended beyond the golf course as well, earning her four AAC All-Academic Team selections. By the time her playing career was nearing its end, she had already established herself as one of the standout golfers in program history. However, her journey was not without challenges.

Kennedy admitted that her senior year was particularly difficult, as she struggled mentally and found herself ranked as low as 75th during a stretch of tournaments. With the support of her coaches, family, and mental coach, she gradually regained her confidence and form.

Her perseverance paid off at the AAC Championship in Pinehurst, North Carolina, where she shot even par in her final rounds and edged AAC Player of the Year Tunrada Piddon by a single stroke to claim her first career individual title. The victory made her only the third SMU women’s golfer to win a conference individual championship.

Following her success in the course, Kennedy graduated in 2021. She later returned to SMU to pursue a master’s degree at the Cox School of Business, continuing to expand her horizons beyond golf. By the time she completed her studies, she had also secured a position at JPMorgan Chase as a summer analyst in internal audit, marking the beginning of her professional career away from competitive golf.

Kennedy Meissner’s professional golf career.

After wrapping up her college career, Kennedy did not step away from the game, but she went on to compete professionally on the LPGA from May 2022 to July 2023. She then transitioned to working for the community.

Since August 2021, Kennedy has been working as an account manager at the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation in Dallas. She took this role even while she was still competing professionally. The foundation is built around the legacy of Payne Stewart, a two-time U.S. Open champion and 1989 PGA Championship winner who also happened to study and play his college golf at SMU.

Kennedy has also always shown up for work in communities, and during her time at SMU, she volunteered regularly for the First Tee of Greater Dallas. She worked in the after-school program and spent time with kids who were just finding the relationship with golf and the values that came with it.

Through it all, Mac’s and Kennedy’s relationship has grown stronger over time, and they have shared a warm bond since they were students at SMU. In fact, when Mac was grinding his way through the Korn Ferry Tour stretch in 2022, Kennedy was right there with him. The two have always been a support to each other, as golfers and as life partners.