Sometimes you really have to stop and appreciate a moment, but first you have to recognize when you’re in one. Moments are all relative to what you hold dear in life. For most people, their job does not fall into that category, but for me, it would be a crime if it didn’t. As a golf reporter, I found myself having a moment last Monday. Actually, I had about 5 hours worth of them at The Villages Charity Challenge just outside of Orlando.
I received the distinct pleasure of walking the fairways with four of the LPGA’s best, including two Hall of Famers, Nancy Lopez and Betsy King. The format featured four LPGA veterans playing one round of golf. All four places paid out prize money and charity donations. First place won a house! All four women represented a different charity.
Brandie Burton and Mi Hyun Kim filled out the group. I was the only on-course reporter walking alongside the ladies for our tournament coverage. It was just us, their caddies and a couple of thousand fans. How cozy!
The day was incredibly laid back. Of course, there were some competitive juices flowing. How could there not be when you have four of the best competitors in the game playing against each other? But mostly, it was a friendly match that allowed for a lot of banter.
‘Hey Nancy. It’s good to see you. How are you feeling these days?’ I said as I walked off her yardage on the par-5 8th.
‘Good Kelly, thanks for asking. A little tired, but good.’ she said.
It’s not often that you get to walk beside a legend, especially while she’s competing. You don’t want to say too much, then again, you don’t want to let the opportunity of spending time with Nancy Lopez go to waste. She couldn’t have been any friendlier and it’s well known that this superwoman is as genuine as they come. She proceeded to tell me about her upcoming schedule, the progress of her aches and pains, and of course, she went on to tell me she’s not playing as well as she would like. But hey, she’s a Hall of Famer, I wouldn’t expect any less. Nancy makes you feel special. She looks deep into your eyes when she talks to you. I am just one of the many media members that she deals with on a daily basis, but for those few hours, I felt like the only one in the business.
It’s well documented that Nancy and Betsy King couldn’t be more different in their personalities. Nancy is extremely social, outgoing and magnetic. Betsy is a born competitor, shy in nature and more to herself. That’s what made my experience with Betsy on Monday even more special than it already was. The night before the event, I joined her at the dinner table for a meal. We exchanged stories about her college golf course where we both won the same tournament, The Furman Lady Paladin Invitational. I told her what a privilege it was to have my name on the same trophy as her. She thanked me softly as a shade of pink coated her cheeks.
The next day on the course, I was able to joke around with Betsy, and guess what, Betsy joked right back. The laid-back format of the event made it easy to get chatty with her. That’s something you normally can’t do. It’s not that she’s an unfriendly woman. In reality, they don’t come any nicer. It’s just that when she’s playing, she’s usually all business, but this Monday would prove to be different. I loved it.
The Villages Charity Challenge was a unique experience for me. It was also memorable for the fans. They were able to walk inside the ropes for much of the day and, for the most part, get autographs and ask the players questions at just about any time during the round. You can’t imagine how happy that made them. Those types of events are few and far between, especially on the LPGA. I would love to see more of them. Thanks Betsy and Nancy for making that day what it was. a moment that I’ll never forget.
