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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview With Stanley Johnson
Aired August 17, 2002 - 07:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Which way does it break, Stanley?
STANLEY JOHNSON, TEENS ON THE GREEN: There, there, there it is.
O'BRIEN: Oh! Oh! All right. Well, that's your introduction to -- I need some work with Stanley.
This is Stanley Johnson, that's Jenny and Mariah and we're talking about the whole concept of teens on the greens. Why don't you give us the short story on it, first of all, Stanley? The idea is to bring minorities to the golf course, correct?
JOHNSON: Absolutely. Teens on the Green is an organization that helps position young folks to receive scholarships.
O'BRIEN: And, when you say that, what do you mean? How -- position them to get scholarships? What do you -- golf scholarships?
JOHNSON: Golf scholarships, through golf.
O'BRIEN: How do you do that?
JOHNSON: Well, actually, you get them training from professionals and you help them play -- to get play -- on your good courses around the country to enable them to get to a point where they get recognition by college coaches throughout the country to receive scholarships.
O'BRIEN: And, how -- is it hard to get them on these courses, or is it -- I want you to show me up, Mariah. Get up there and show me up. Now that I've missed two putts, I want you to start nailing them.
Is it difficult to do this, are these clubs willing to do this, how does this all work out?
JOHNSON: Well, it's difficult, but we're finding that we're getting more and more courses to work with us and work with the youth. To help, you know, in that area.
O'BRIEN: Mariah, how long have you been playing golf?
MARIAH: Six years.
O'BRIEN: Six years, how old are you?
MARIAH: Eight. O'BRIEN: You started at the age of two?
MARIAH: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Wow. And you've obviously always loved it, right?
MARIAH: I like it.
O'BRIEN: You want to be a professional golfer?
MARIAH: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Wow, you're putting real well.
Now, you're starting at this age, typically, Stanley?
JOHNSON: Well, Mariah has been playing, actually, since she was two.
O'BRIEN: Yeah, she just told me that. Is it frequent that they're -- that you start them that young?
JOHNSON: Yes, they start as young as two and work on up.
O'BRIEN: Really? Really? And, what do you like most about golf, Mariah?
MARIAH: The trophies.
O'BRIEN: The trophies! You've won a lot of tournaments, so far?
MARIAH: I have 23 trophies.
O'BRIEN: Twenty-three trophies. She's doing real well, then?
JOHNSON: She's doing very well.
O'BRIEN: She's a superstar; she's going all the way, right?
JOHNSON: She's going all the way.
O'BRIEN: Is she really?
JOHNSON: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Wow. So you got to see this tape, the one where she's -- when she's huge, we'll come back...
(CROSSTALK)
JOHNSON: I remember her when she was eight.
O'BRIEN: Now, Jenny, tell me about you -- first of all, how old are you?
JOHNSON: I'm 16 years old. O'BRIEN: Come on in here, I want to see your putting. You got your putter? You're 16, how long have you been playing now?
JENNY: About five to six years.
O'BRIEN: Five to six years, and, what do you think about this sport?
JENNY: I think it's great and I love playing it and entering the tournaments and, like, you know -- it's relaxing and it's fun to do.
O'BRIEN: Relaxing, oh, come on. Is this putt going to be relaxing for you, now, in front of a national TV audience? I don't know about this -- is there a little pressure here, you know? This is good for them. Just to get them ready.
JOHNSON: It is, yes it is.
O'BRIEN: Get them ready for the PGA someday or the Masters. Here we go.
JOHNSON: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: Oh, oh! It was -- you did it with authority -- do one more time there. Stanley, I'm curious. The Tiger Woods phenomenon. Has that brought a lot of minorities to the sport? Or is that a question that's just an obvious answer. Of course that -- there you go, Jenny, that's the way to hold us.
Has Tiger Woods meant a lot to it?
JOHNSON: Tiger Woods has meant a lot to the sport of golf. It's opened the door to give a lot of minorities a chance to get involved in game knowledge and understanding of the sport itself.
O'BRIEN: Yeah. And, so, how many kids are in this program now? This is a nationwide program, how many are in it now?
JOHNSON: Well, there's approximately 382 kids involved with Teens on the Green program right now.
O'BRIEN: Yeah, yeah. And, the enthusiasm it must be kind of fun to see them progress like this. Are you -- when did you start playing golf?
JOHNSON: Well, I haven't been playing golf that long.
O'BRIEN: Yeah, you're just -- this is something that came to you recently.
JOHNSON: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
O'BRIEN: Yeah, all right ladies, give us a few more putts here and -- should I try one more before we go? Come on -- do you think I need to straighten something out? What do you think Jenny? What am I doing wrong? You got any suggestions for me, here? It's like a -- it's like a pendulum on a clock, right?
JENNY: Yeah, it's -- basically.
JOHNSON: There you go.
O'BRIEN: All right, thank you very much. Jenny, Mariah, Stanley -- the program is Teens on the Green and we wish you all well in your golf careers. We'll be watching for you both someday in the big tournaments.
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