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Interview With Golfer Amy Alcott
Aired May 13, 2003 - 14:45 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Sorenstam slammed, Singh seethes, links jinxed? We'll have daily variety covered golf. That might be the headline from the latest gender controversy to rattle a major tournament.
Last month, it was the men-only policy at Augusta National. Now it is the upcoming appearance of LPGA phenom Annika Sorenstam in the Colonial Invitational, a PGA event. Tour veteran Vijay Singh says -- and we're paraphrasing here -- Sorenstam should get the L out of the PGA.
Sorenstam herself isn't commenting, but Amy Alcott will. Alcott earned a spot in the LPGA hall of fame, and she joins us today from Los Angeles.
AMY ALCOTT, LPGA: Kyra, great to talk with you.
PHILLIPS: Great to have you with us. Listen, what do you think? Should Annika go for it?
ALCOTT: Hey, I think it's a personal challenge, and I think it's great for golf. She's done everything that there is to do in women's golf. My God, she's broken 60. She's by far the greatest female golfer in the world for -- for many years now. She's consistent. She's a fabulous player. I think it's a personal challenge, and the mountain is there, and she wants to climb it.
PHILLIPS: All right, Amy. I'm going to read this quote from Vijay Singh. "I hope she misses the cut. Why? Because she doesn't belong out here. What is she going to prove by playing? It is ridiculous. She is the best woman golfer in the world, and I want to emphasize 'woman.' We have our tour of men, and they have their tour. She is taking a spot from someone in the field."
First question, Amy. Will she prove anything by playing in this tournament?
ALCOTT: Well, as I said, Kyra, I think this is a very personal thing, and I think whether she makes the cut or misses the cut, plays well, doesn't play well, I think that it's something new, it's something exciting, and it's something that's being talked about in golf. Otherwise, it wouldn't create all of this media frenzy.
I don't think it's going to be an every week occurrence. I don't think it's anything for the guys on the PGA tour to be worried about. I think it's more to have a sense of humor about it, and to just kind of welcome it, and I think she might have a few of the guys a little scared.
PHILLIPS: You mentioned something to me, and you're not going to tell me the name of that golfer, but a professional male golfer came up to you and told you what the other day at a tournament?
ALCOTT: Oh, well, I just happened to be at the L.A. Open a couple of months ago, and one of the great male players -- and they're all great. But -- asked me about what I thought about it, and I was really telling him I thought that I think it will be a great thing. If Annika wants to do this, and this is a personal thing that she wants to see how she competes against the best male players in the world, and I looked into his eyes and I -- I don't know. Maybe I'm -- I'm pretty good at reading people, but I don't know it. But I could tell there was a little bit of fear there, and a little bit of, like, wondering what to expect.
I think she's certainly going to have to elevate her game, and her short game the week of the tournament to play well, but it will be interesting, and it will be fun.
PHILLIPS: All right. It's ironic that you say L.A. Open. OK. Let's go back 58 years to the first woman who qualified to play in the PGA. Babe Zaharias, a role model -- both of ours, actually. This is someone who inspired me to play golf, along with Grandpa, of course.
Let's take a look at that and see how Babe Zaharias became such a role model for so many women. She didn't get much flak from men. If anything, they were pretty impressed that she could get out there and hang with the boys. So, could Annika Sorenstam really make a move here, and be an incredible role model for so many women, and maybe show these men, Hey, I've got something here that you should listen to?
ALCOTT: Well, I really believe both of these women have game. There's no -- there's no doubt about it. But there was only one Babe, because she had the glitz. She had the personality, and she said, Come on at me. And I, like you, Kyra, read her life story six times when I was young.
Annika has brilliant focus. She has great gifts, and excellent concentration. I think that, you know -- I don't know if this is any big statement, but I think that she is really just saying I'm the best. Where am I going to go from here? And the best place I can try this out is on the men's tour. Let me see how good I can play. Give me a chance.
And that is what people want is a chance to climb the mountain. And from the men's standpoint, they don't want women playing in their sandbox. And a lot of guys are welcoming this and thinking, Well, it will be great for one tournament.
But I just think that she's doing this, and it will really be interesting to see how her game really does stand up with all this media frenzy.
PHILLIPS: Yes. You talk about her concentration, and I know you've played with her a lot. You know her well, and you take the LPGA versus the PGA. I mean, my gosh, the PGA, there are a lot of people that show up for these events, massive media coverage, a lot of hecklers. Do you think she's got the mental game to compete and survive this? As we know, the mental game many times defeats our physical ability.
ALCOTT: I could just personally say the minute you see the people or the crowd, you're not focused. Annika has great concentration and great focus, and I think that -- I think she will elevate herself and just try to really enjoy the moment and just -- just live it and love it and it will be interesting to see who she's paired with, because that can be a big dynamic in playing a round of golf, whether there is -- whatever the vibe there -- and the feeling is. But I just...
PHILLIPS: Do you think she'll make the cut, Amy?
ALCOTT: I think she's going to have to play awfully well to make the cut. I know that par at Colonial is 70. We played the U.S. Open there. I finished second when we played the Open there, and I played great, and that was in the summertime. It's a good course for her to score on. She picked a very good golf course. Texas can be dry. Hopefully, very little wind. She is going to be hitting a lot of long irons and woods into some of these holes. So her short game is going to have to be, like, right on the money. I'm going to go out on a limb and say I think she will make the cut because I just think she wants it so much. And I just -- I'll go with Annika.
PHILLIPS: Well, Amy, I know you, of all people, when you want something that much, you do get it, and you have proved that in your career. Hall of Famer Amy Alcott, thanks so much.
ALCOTT: Kyra, thanks. Great being with you, keep swinging.
PHILLIPS: All right. I will. You know I will.
ALCOTT: OK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 13, 2003 - 14:45 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Sorenstam slammed, Singh seethes, links jinxed? We'll have daily variety covered golf. That might be the headline from the latest gender controversy to rattle a major tournament.
Last month, it was the men-only policy at Augusta National. Now it is the upcoming appearance of LPGA phenom Annika Sorenstam in the Colonial Invitational, a PGA event. Tour veteran Vijay Singh says -- and we're paraphrasing here -- Sorenstam should get the L out of the PGA.
Sorenstam herself isn't commenting, but Amy Alcott will. Alcott earned a spot in the LPGA hall of fame, and she joins us today from Los Angeles.
AMY ALCOTT, LPGA: Kyra, great to talk with you.
PHILLIPS: Great to have you with us. Listen, what do you think? Should Annika go for it?
ALCOTT: Hey, I think it's a personal challenge, and I think it's great for golf. She's done everything that there is to do in women's golf. My God, she's broken 60. She's by far the greatest female golfer in the world for -- for many years now. She's consistent. She's a fabulous player. I think it's a personal challenge, and the mountain is there, and she wants to climb it.
PHILLIPS: All right, Amy. I'm going to read this quote from Vijay Singh. "I hope she misses the cut. Why? Because she doesn't belong out here. What is she going to prove by playing? It is ridiculous. She is the best woman golfer in the world, and I want to emphasize 'woman.' We have our tour of men, and they have their tour. She is taking a spot from someone in the field."
First question, Amy. Will she prove anything by playing in this tournament?
ALCOTT: Well, as I said, Kyra, I think this is a very personal thing, and I think whether she makes the cut or misses the cut, plays well, doesn't play well, I think that it's something new, it's something exciting, and it's something that's being talked about in golf. Otherwise, it wouldn't create all of this media frenzy.
I don't think it's going to be an every week occurrence. I don't think it's anything for the guys on the PGA tour to be worried about. I think it's more to have a sense of humor about it, and to just kind of welcome it, and I think she might have a few of the guys a little scared.
PHILLIPS: You mentioned something to me, and you're not going to tell me the name of that golfer, but a professional male golfer came up to you and told you what the other day at a tournament?
ALCOTT: Oh, well, I just happened to be at the L.A. Open a couple of months ago, and one of the great male players -- and they're all great. But -- asked me about what I thought about it, and I was really telling him I thought that I think it will be a great thing. If Annika wants to do this, and this is a personal thing that she wants to see how she competes against the best male players in the world, and I looked into his eyes and I -- I don't know. Maybe I'm -- I'm pretty good at reading people, but I don't know it. But I could tell there was a little bit of fear there, and a little bit of, like, wondering what to expect.
I think she's certainly going to have to elevate her game, and her short game the week of the tournament to play well, but it will be interesting, and it will be fun.
PHILLIPS: All right. It's ironic that you say L.A. Open. OK. Let's go back 58 years to the first woman who qualified to play in the PGA. Babe Zaharias, a role model -- both of ours, actually. This is someone who inspired me to play golf, along with Grandpa, of course.
Let's take a look at that and see how Babe Zaharias became such a role model for so many women. She didn't get much flak from men. If anything, they were pretty impressed that she could get out there and hang with the boys. So, could Annika Sorenstam really make a move here, and be an incredible role model for so many women, and maybe show these men, Hey, I've got something here that you should listen to?
ALCOTT: Well, I really believe both of these women have game. There's no -- there's no doubt about it. But there was only one Babe, because she had the glitz. She had the personality, and she said, Come on at me. And I, like you, Kyra, read her life story six times when I was young.
Annika has brilliant focus. She has great gifts, and excellent concentration. I think that, you know -- I don't know if this is any big statement, but I think that she is really just saying I'm the best. Where am I going to go from here? And the best place I can try this out is on the men's tour. Let me see how good I can play. Give me a chance.
And that is what people want is a chance to climb the mountain. And from the men's standpoint, they don't want women playing in their sandbox. And a lot of guys are welcoming this and thinking, Well, it will be great for one tournament.
But I just think that she's doing this, and it will really be interesting to see how her game really does stand up with all this media frenzy.
PHILLIPS: Yes. You talk about her concentration, and I know you've played with her a lot. You know her well, and you take the LPGA versus the PGA. I mean, my gosh, the PGA, there are a lot of people that show up for these events, massive media coverage, a lot of hecklers. Do you think she's got the mental game to compete and survive this? As we know, the mental game many times defeats our physical ability.
ALCOTT: I could just personally say the minute you see the people or the crowd, you're not focused. Annika has great concentration and great focus, and I think that -- I think she will elevate herself and just try to really enjoy the moment and just -- just live it and love it and it will be interesting to see who she's paired with, because that can be a big dynamic in playing a round of golf, whether there is -- whatever the vibe there -- and the feeling is. But I just...
PHILLIPS: Do you think she'll make the cut, Amy?
ALCOTT: I think she's going to have to play awfully well to make the cut. I know that par at Colonial is 70. We played the U.S. Open there. I finished second when we played the Open there, and I played great, and that was in the summertime. It's a good course for her to score on. She picked a very good golf course. Texas can be dry. Hopefully, very little wind. She is going to be hitting a lot of long irons and woods into some of these holes. So her short game is going to have to be, like, right on the money. I'm going to go out on a limb and say I think she will make the cut because I just think she wants it so much. And I just -- I'll go with Annika.
PHILLIPS: Well, Amy, I know you, of all people, when you want something that much, you do get it, and you have proved that in your career. Hall of Famer Amy Alcott, thanks so much.
ALCOTT: Kyra, thanks. Great being with you, keep swinging.
PHILLIPS: All right. I will. You know I will.
ALCOTT: OK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
