Pressel Striking Right Balance

By DAVE HOLLANDER,

AOL

Posted: 2008-06-21 23:07:59

Filed Under: Golf

The future of women’s golf has never looked, well, younger. And at 20 years old, the youngest-ever winner of an LPGA major tournament (the Kraft Nabisco Championship, age 18) Morgan Pressel represents that future better than most. Gearing up for the LPGA U.S. Open (June 26-29), Morgan took some time to explain why we might see more black on the tour, gives advice to golf moms and admits she’d like to see a little more of the U.S. on the tour.

DAVE HOLLANDER: In an interview in the current edition of Golf for Women. You complain, kind of, that "There aren't any hot guys hanging around the LPGA Tour," Really?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Wow! Look at that first question. It’s not entirely true. I actually had quite a few of my friends give me hard time about that.

Morgan Pressel

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD - JUNE 06: Morgan Pressel hits her second shot on the 14th hole during the second round of the McDonald's LPGA Championship at Bulle Rock Golf Course on June 6, 2008 in Havre de Grace, Maryland. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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Morgan Pressel tees off on the fifth hole during the second round of the LPGA Championship golf tournament at Bulle Rock Golf Course in Havre de Grace, Md., Friday, June 6, 2008. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Morgan Pressel hits from a bunker on the 17th hole during the first round of the LPGA Championship golf tournament at Bulle Rock Golf Course in Havre de Grace, Md., Thursday, June 5, 2008. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD - JUNE 05: Morgan Pressel of the U.S. lines up a birdie attempt at the 4th hole during the first round of the 2008 McDonald's LPGA Championship held at Bulle Rock Golf Course, on June 5, 2008 in Havre de Grace, Maryland. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

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HAVRE DE GRACE, MD - JUNE 05: Morgan Pressel of the U.S. hits her second shot at the 6th hole during the first round of the 2008 McDonald's LPGA Championship held at Bulle Rock Golf Course, on June 5, 2008 in Havre de Grace, Maryland. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

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HAVRE DE GRACE, MD - JUNE 05: Morgan Pressel of the U.S. drives at the 9th hole during the first round of the 2008 McDonald's LPGA Championship held at Bulle Rock Golf Course, on June 5, 2008 in Havre de Grace, Maryland. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

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HAVRE DE GRACE, MD - JUNE 05: Morgan Pressel of the U.S. drives at the 8th hole during the first round of the 2008 McDonald's LPGA Championship held at Bulle Rock Golf Course, on June 5, 2008 in Havre de Grace, Maryland. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

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HAVRE DE GRACE, MD - JUNE 05: Morgan Pressel of the U.S. hits her second shot at the 1st hole during the first round of the 2008 McDonald's LPGA Championship held at Bulle Rock Golf Course, on June 5, 2008 in Havre de Grace, Maryland. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

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HAVRE DE GRACE, MD - JUNE 05: Morgan Pressel of the U.S. hits her third shot at the 8th hole during the first round of the 2008 McDonald's LPGA Championship held at Bulle Rock Golf Course, on June 5, 2008 in Havre de Grace, Maryland. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

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HAVRE DE GRACE, MD - JUNE 05: Morgan Pressel of the U.S. drives at the 5th hole during the first round of the 2008 McDonald's LPGA Championship held at Bulle Rock Golf Course, on June 5, 2008 in Havre de Grace, Maryland. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

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DH: Maybe there is something to it. Australian Anna Rawson, a golfer and fashion model who joined the LPGA this year, says women golfers dress too much like men. You agree?
MP: Well, I think everybody has their own style. There’s certainly different styles on tour. I think there are plenty of clothes out there for women. I’ve worked very closely with the design team at Ralph Lauren golf to design more feminine clothes. I think Polo is definitely a step ahead there, even in terms of designing skirts and dresses and things like that young women want to wear. It’s become a big side of the women’s game -- the fashion side, for sure.

DH: What is happening to loosen up the dress code on the tour?
MP: There is no dress code on tour. The only dress code is no denim.

DH: Off the course, black is usually your color of choice, from car to clothes.
MP: Definitely cars.

DH: Why don’t you and other players to show more of that fashion personality on the course?
MP: I can go either way. I love color, but I also love the classic all-black look. Usually what happens before I leave the house and I’m going out to dinner I’ll try on four or five different outfits. I’ll try the color but usually go with the conservative black. Even with Ralph Lauren being primarily a navy blue company, I said to them “Hey, can we get some black in the line?” This year -- especially thing spring -- I’ve worn quite a bit of black.

DH: Title IX has opened up golf scholarships to many of the most prestigious colleges and universities. As a result, the AJGA (American Junior Golf Association) is packed today with pre-teen girls, vying for the attention of college coaches as they try to build their "golf resume" before they’re 13. What effect is this having on women’s golf?
MP: I think it’s been phenomenal. No just strictly from title IX but from the AJGA itself. I’m a big believer in the AJGA and what it has done for me and what it has done for many girls who get from it great experiences, great scholarships to good schools or who choose to come play on tour or just go do whatever they want to do but learn life lessons through the AJGA. I think that’s really great. I know my sister is going through it right now looking at colleges. She has a great stepping-stone with AJGA.

DH: The youth movement in golf led to the rise of the golf moms and golf dads. Tell how that’s changing the vibe of the tour?
MP: You mean like moms and dads who pressure their children into the game? I think you see that no matter what it is. There’s always going to be those parents who live throu their children. Most parents do anyway. Maybe there’s a few hyper-parents. But what are you gonna do?

Did You See That?

In this photo provided by the USGA, a black bear runs across the 13th fairway during the second round of the 2008 U.S. Senior Open Championship at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Friday, August 1, 2008. (John Mummert, USGA/AP)

John Mummert, USGA/AP

Australia's Sophie Edington balances a water bottle on her forehead during a training session in the Olympic Aquatic Center at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Tuesday, August 4, 2008. (David J. Phillip,AP)

David J. Phillip, AP

Flames rise around Chrissy Wallace's car after a crash in turn one the ARCA RE/MAX Series Pennsylvania 200 auto race at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., Saturday, Aug. 2, 2008. After the fire burned out, Wallace restarted her car and drove to the garage. (Russ Hamilton, AP)

Russ Hamilton, AP

Mike Mason competes in the Moto X Freestyle Final during X Games 14 on August 2, 2008 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. (Jonathan Moore, Getty Images)

Jonathan Moore, Getty Images

Houston Astros' Hunter Pence (9) and Mark Loretta, center, score to tie up the game as New York Mets catcher Ramon Castro (11) loses the ball in the ninth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 2, 2008, in Houston. The Astros went on to win 5-4 in 10 innings. (Pat Sullivan, AP)

Pat Sullivan, AP

Ideye Brown (R) of FC Neuchatel Xamax fights for the ball with FC Aarau's Frederic Page (C) and goalkeeper Ivan Benito during their Super League soccer match in Neuchatel August 2, 2008. (Stefan Wermuth, Reuters)

Stefan Wermuth, Reuters

A diver practices at the National Aquatics Center ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 3, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Jamie Squire, Getty Images)

Jamie Squire, Getty Images

Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Office Depot Ford, celebrates with a back flip after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at the Pocono Raceway on August 3, 2008 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Jim McIsaac, Getty Images)

Jim McIsaac, Getty Images

U.S. Olympic basketball team center Dwight Howard makes a slam dunk during a match against Lithuania in Macau, Friday, Aug. 1, 2008. (Kin Cheung, AP)

Kin Cheung, AP

Green Bay Packers safety Atari Bigby rides a small borrowed bicycle a block from Lambeau Field to Clark Hinkle Field for training camp in Green Bay, Wisconsin August 1, 2008. (Allen Fredrickson, Reuters)

Allen Fredrickson, Reuters

DH: What I worry about is that these over-involved parents are turning what should be a fun activity into a high-pressure grind that has all of the enjoyment of preparing for the SAT, and it starts at age 9. How can that be good for golf?
MP: I think the parents just need to understand that it needs to be fun for their children. That’s the most important part. If it’s not fun, kids won’t like it anyway and they’ll burn out early. Just make sure that they realize at the end of the day it is just a game. What’s important is if you want your children to do well you have to give them the best opportunity to do that. That’s very important -- getting them the right coaching and giving them the right opportunities but you gotta make sure they’re still enjoying it. The travel is tough. Missing school especially when your traveling for tournaments is difficult. So you need to remember to balance all of that.

DH: Maybe young pro golfers could read a book while traveling. Novelist Dan Jenkins, author of the best golf fiction ever, has a new novel "The Franchise Babe" which looks amusingly at LPGA golf moms and what he calls "Lolita golf." How many copies have you seen floating around the tour?
MP: I haven’t seen any yet. Now that I know I’ll keep my eye open.

DH: Jenkins says women’s golf is in a golden age. But with Annika Sorenstam stepping down, how will the tour change?
MP: There‘s a constant transition in the tour between the new faces we have and especially we’ll lose a great one in Annika. She’s trained a lot girls to play very, very well because she raised the bar so high. The level of play is only getting more impressive. There are plenty of younger new talents to carry the tour forward. Plenty are waiting to be the next Annika Sorenstam and Lorena [Ochoa] is probably at the top of that list.

DH: Last year, after winning the Kraft Nabisco on the day before Passover you said "I'm proud of being Jewish, but those are two different things … Golf is something I do. Judaism is something I believe in." Do too many athletes gratuitously give thanks to god after every home run or touchdown?
MP: I can’t comment on anybody’s personal beliefs. That’s just who they are and how they were brought up and what they believe in. Everybody is different.

DH: It’s been said “there’s no crying baseball,” but you’re known to give a good cry. Terrell Owens cries a lot. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen kisses his players. Will your crying inspire other sports to be more open about their emotions?
MP: That’s just me. It’s not something I try to do. It’s just my personality. It’s the way I’ve always been. I know it’s the way my mother was. I don’t know how if it will affect anybody else at all. It’s just me. I don’t know what else to say. (laughing)

DH: You seem very content with where you are, who you are and what you’re doing. Is there anything about the tour or golf you’d like to see change?
MP: I think the international expansion of our players is impressive. It shows the LPGA has the best players from around the world. But the international expansion in terms of events – we need to do more and more domestic events. That would be my hope for the tour in the coming year. It’s not easy with the state of the economy in the United States. Hopefully, with the growing population in the LPGA tour and in women’s golf in the U.S. general we can move forward with that.

Dave Hollander is the author of 52 WEEKS: Interviews with Champions! and blogs for The Huffington Post. Info at: www.davehollander.com

2008-06-20 12:01:26