KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP MEDIA DAY

May 3, 2021

Roberta Bowman

Laura Newinski

Jim Richerson

Mariah Stackhouse

Press Conference

CHRISTINA LANCE: Thank you everyone for joining us. Welcome to media day for the 2021 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. My name is Christina Lance with LPGA communications, and it's my great pleasure to be with you today. We're so excited to be here together in person, a little wet but finally in person, to celebrate this June's playing of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship right here at the lovely Atlanta Athletic Club.

The championship begins just 52 days from today, but who's counting. We'll feature the best players in the world competing for a major title.

Atlanta Athletic Club has played host to numerous golf championships, including the 1981, 2001, and 2011 PGA Championships, and we're excited to add yet another major moment to this championship's storied history.

Let's start today's events with a discussion with three esteemed panelists here, leaders from the three organizations that have partnered to run this major championship. Starting on the far end we have Laura Newinski, KPMG's deputy chair and chief operating officer, in the middle, Jim Richerson, president of the PGA of America, and finally, Roberta Bowman, the LPGA's chief brand and communications officer.

Jim, we'll start with you. In 2014, these three organizations, KPMG, the PGA of America, and the LPGA came together with a shared vision to elevate this major championship, and this is now the seventh playing of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.

Are you pleased, and what are your thoughts with how things have progressed as this championship has moved together over the years?

JIM RICHERSON: Well, we're thrilled with the partnership. Seven years when the three organizations came together, it was really a unique opportunity to partner in that way with the LPGA, with KPMG, and really to do something special, I think, in women's golf.

We have a shared mission to really help future generations of women be successful, not only on the golf course but off, as well. I think our commitment as a group, as a partnership, we've done that in several ways.

Really taking the best players in the world, the best players in the women's game, and giving them this opportunity on recognizable and historic championship golf courses, and with our partner NBC and Golf Channel giving a wide platform for them to showcase their talents.

So we've been really excited about the seven years. We've been excited about some of the facilities and hosts we've been able to come to, having the best women's players in the game stack their games up against the best facilities. We did that are Aronimink last year, with Congressional next year, and having them be able to see Atlanta Athletic Club for the first time and the great golf fans in Atlanta and Georgia and to be able to experience just the great talents of these players. We're really excited not only for the partnership the last few years, but overly excited for this year and to welcome the fans back to see the best players in the game.

CHRISTINA LANCE: We are very excited to have fans back. I want to take this time to mention being here in Atlanta. Of course we're aware of the recent voting legislation that was passed last month. How do you and the partners at this championship view being here for the event?

JIM RICHERSON: Yeah, when the law was enacted we got together and had very thoughtful conversations. We talked about the three organizations and our commitment to the different programs that we have for diversity, inclusion, and the programs that we're trying to work on to bring more people into the game and to utilize the game of golf to be more inclusive.

So we're really proud of the partnership. We're proud of what we've been able to do. The PGA of America is very committed to welcoming people into the game, utilizing the game and the sport to bring more people in, and the benefits of what the game has, the benefits of the industry and the opportunities that the three of us can provide through the game to those.

So we're really excited. We got together, and we thought that the best course of action was to move forward with our commitment to the Atlanta Athletic Club, to move forward with our commitment to the City of Atlanta and Georgia, and really try to utilize the championship in a way that was positive for the community.

The economic returns to the community, the jobs, both temporary and long-term that it provides, so we thought the best course of action was to honor that commitment and we're here to do that, and we look forward to really utilizing the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in a very positive way, in a very inclusive way next month in June.

CHRISTINA LANCE: It will certainly be a great opportunity for the young faces, the next generation to see their idols in front of them.

Speaking of that, Roberta, we'll move over to you. The KPMG Women's PGA Championship always has such a deep field. It's arguably one of the strongest fields the LPGA sees all year, and I think a lot of that is due to the incredible support that KPMG and the PGA of America have put behind this event.

How have these organizations helped the LPGA Tour as we work together to enhance and grow the future of the game?

ROBERTA BOWMAN: Yeah, you know, if you are lucky in life and in business, you find partners who see something in you that you may not have seen in yourself, and through their efforts and their belief and their vision, they take you to places that you never could have imagined.

And frankly, that's how we at the LPGA view our partnership with KPMG, with PGA of America and the creation of what has become the standard for our majors and a really important view of what the future can represent.

You know, I was on the board when the decision was made to begin this partnership and to reimagine this major, and I have to say, there was some discussion among our player directors because we are, as you know, a long and storied association, very proud of our history, and there was some concern, would that history be honored.

Well, not only is it honored and celebrated, but what this championship now does is give these players a glimpse of what that future can now look like, and it is in many ways best in class in every respect.

If you are new to covering women's sports or women's golf, let me share with you just two data points. The percentage of media coverage that's devoted to women's sports is less than 4 percent. And of the $40 billion that was invested by corporations in sports sponsorships in 2019, the investment in women's sports was less than 7 percent.

So our partners are visionaries and they are advocates and they are really leading the way, not just for the LPGA, but for all of women in athletics, as well.

Jim, you talked about the code, the code that we have cracked in this sponsorship. Great courses, great players, national television. Putting amenities around it that bring in ways for us to celebrate excellence off the golf course, as well. A championship feeling.

And there's one other thing that I'd like to mention, as well, and that is an ethic of continuous improvement. The model for the Women's Leadership Summit, and you'll talk about this, as well, Laura, is inspire greatness, and I think that's what this event is going to do this year and for every year to come.

So thank you on behalf of the LPGA.

CHRISTINA LANCE: Roberta, one of the people in the history of the LPGA and the history of the women's game who has inspired greatness is our friend Renee Powell. Renee is a retired LPGA Tour member and a teaching professional with both the LPGA Tour and the PGA of America.

Renee was a true barrier breaker, and I know, Roberta, you have some very exciting news to share about how this event is going to support Renee and her efforts to grow and diversify the game.

ROBERTA BOWMAN: Yeah, we are so excited. This is news. Laura will talk with you about some of the amenities and activities around the championship, but we are so proud to announce that on Monday, June the 28th, at the Bobby Jones course here in Atlanta, KPMG, LPGA, and the Mariah Stackhouse Foundation will be coming together to support the very first Renee Powell Clearview Legacy Benefit.

So something about Renee Powell, obviously began her career as an LPGA professional, but she has spent her life dedicated to bringing golf and all that it represents to people not just in Georgia and Ohio and in the U.S., but all the way around the world.

Her family has a singular role in the history of African-Americans in golf. When her father, Bill Powell, came home from World War II, he found he was not welcome to play at other golf courses, so he built his own.

Clearview Golf Course in east Canton, Ohio, is the only course that was designed, built, owned and operated by an African-American, and today Renee is keeping that legacy alive and well.

So Clearview is going to be celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, and we came together to support Renee in creating an endowment so that Clearview's history and its important legacy in golf and in race relations will be with us for years to come.

It's going to be a special event. It'll be not like every pro-am you've been a part of. It'll be part entertainment, part inspiration, part education, and a whole lot of fun.

We are absolutely looking forward to it. It'll be a great event. Also thanks to the support of PGA Reach, the foundation of PGA of America, we'll be doing a clinic for women of color and girls from the Atlanta community so that they too can have this opportunity to be part of the Clearview Legacy Benefit.

Very exciting news.

CHRISTINA LANCE: Thank you, Roberta, and that sounds like such an exciting way to celebrate Renee and to carry on the final work started by her father Bill.

Speaking of exciting, Laura, I know you have some exciting news to share with us about the KPMG Women's Leadership Summit. Go ahead.

LAURA NEWINSKI: Thanks so much, Christina. At KPMG we are clearly and deeply devoted to equity, diversity, and inclusion. The goal of the KPMG Women's Leadership Summit, the goal of the KPMG PGA Championship, is to advance women both on the course as well as off the course.

We have proud, proud partnerships with the LPGA Tour, with PGA of America. And to bring, as Jim was saying, as Roberta was saying, bring world-class courses to these women, to bring a top purse to these women, to bring an experience that they deserve during the week of the championship, and really to open up their eyes to the art of the possible, if we continue, as you said, Roberta, as we have continuous improvement around this important mission, accelerating women on the course.

We're also really excited to see one of our ambassadors, Mariah Stackhouse, play in the championship this year, right here in her hometown, and so we're so very proud of Mariah. We're looking forward to seeing her really do amazing things in June at the championship.

The goal that we have around the Women's Leadership Summit is also very clear. This is a goal to advance women in corporate America in the C suite. We do this by, as Roberta used the word, inspiration. We're bringing women together to be inspired, to be more and to do more, and to expect more in and out of the C suite and during their progression to success in whatever their endeavors are.

We do this specifically during the championship week at the KPMG Women's Leadership Summit. It's an important day. It's an inspirational day. It's a day that this year is going to be headlined by the director of the hit movie Wonder Woman, Patty Jenkins, as the keynote speaker.

She'll also have some amazing business leaders, Condoleezza Rice. We'll have Olympian Sydney Leroux. And of course Stacy Lewis there to help us celebrate, and again inspire women. It's going to be just an incredible day.

But what we do that day in terms of inspiring women on the golf course carries over and it has impact, and we've measured that impact. In seven years, 45 percent of the young women who have the -- the up and rising women, the future leaders that are coming to this Summit, 45 percent of them have been promoted at their places of work.

45 percent of them have been promoted by the CEOs that sent them to the Summit, and 20 percent of them into the C suite. And so Christina, we're really proud of the impact we're having, and like Roberta said, proud of the continuous improvement that we're doing in this week.

CHRISTINA LANCE: It is a lot of improvement in the C suite and helping women in the business world, but this event also supports young women and those just learning the game from a small age, including young women right here in Atlanta.

What can you tell us about how this event is going to support them?

LAURA NEWINSKI: Yeah, so one of the other really important things that we do with 100 percent of the net proceeds from the championship, 100 percent of the proceeds from the Women's Leadership Summit are used to support the future leaders.

This is the next generation of women leaders who are going to be coming to us, and we support them with college scholarships, with mentoring programs, with leadership development programs. And as we bring this next class of KPMG future leaders to the stage, we will have hit a $3� million mark with respect to scholarships for these ladies, 122 participants, and eight of them right here from the state of Georgia. So that's very exciting.

KPMG puts this program that we think is so very important to really highlighting our investment in future leaders right in the middle of our mission around continuous learning. We talked about continuous improvement. We're all about continuous learning and we're about closing the equity gap in education.

We have another program at KPMG, decade long, we've been at it for a long time, to eradicate childhood illiteracy. So KPMG families KPMG Family for Literacy in connection with First Book has distributed millions of books across the country, over 200,000 books right here in Atlanta schools, helping children who otherwise wouldn't have access to books in their homes have that access and help close the illiteracy gap for KPMG Family for Literacy children.

So I'm really excited KPMG Family for Literacy this week, championship week, KPMG Family for Literacy us to be announcing Birdies For Books program. So to put thousands more books into the hands of Atlanta schoolchildren, we are going to be giving out 10 books for every birdie that the ladies score during championship week, and we're accountants, we've done this math.

We know that about 1,000, 1,200 birdies is what we're expecting, so at 10 books apiece, we'll be putting a lot of good reading material into the hands of kids who otherwise wouldn't have access to books in their home.

So we're really excited about that and we're hoping KPMG Family for Literacy lots of birdies that week.

CHRISTINA LANCE: My very first job ever was shelving books at the children's section of the library, so this is very dear to me, and I thank you very much KPMG Family for Literacy doing this one. I have some suggestions.

We'll take a moment and open up to those in the room here.

Q. This question is KPMG Family for Literacy Laura. What would you tell another CEO or executive who's thinking about partnering with the LPGA and why they should do that, what it's meant to KPMG?

LAURA NEWINSKI: Yeah, thanks so much KPMG Family for Literacy that question. My advice first of all would be to innovate around how to make a difference, and to innovate with an amazing partner like the LPGA Tour has been an incredible experience for us because no one of us in this partnership, the PGA of America, the LPGA Tour, had the entirety of the idea.

And so ideation, innovation, creativity, and Roberta already said it, the notion that we're going to improve this every single year, and I think the other really specific message is at the very outset a shared vision of what we're truly trying to accomplish, and staying true to that vision and consistent to that mission has been really critical to the success we've experienced.

Sign up because it's been a great partnership.

ROBERTA BOWMAN: Can I just add, Laura, you're the third executive that we have had the privilege of working through in this relationship, and every one of you takes that commitment to honor the history and make it even better. So again, thank you for that long-term support.

LAURA NEWINSKI: Absolutely.

Q. Seven years in do you have a sense of where this is on the major championship scale?

JIM RICHERSON: Well we think it's one of the best major championships in the game. The comments that we hear back from the players that's really elevated, I think, the status of majors on the LPGA Tour, and we like to think that we run some of the best championships in golf.

Kerry Haigh, our chief championships officer, is the best in the business, and it's not only our PGA Championship, it's all of our events.

We want the KPMG Women's PGA Championship to be on level and to be spoken about and thought about by all the players, the fans, the host facilities, to be the best in the game. We feel we've done that.

The partnership has come together and talked about continuous improvement, but it's to elevate the women's game, it's to elevate this championship, but it's to elevate it in really every category.

One of the reasons we made the commitment to take it to traditional major championship facilities that golf spectators have typically seen the men play on, but we wanted the women's game at the same level, to be able to participate against those historic courses, show their games, show the fans what they can do.

And their games are amazing. It's amazing the scores that the women shoot at some of the greatest golf courses in the country. But it's not just inside the ropes. It's outside the ropes. Taking it to communities that really support golf, taking it to communities that are involved in golf in ways outside the golf course, taking it with a partner to areas where they can really showcase the Women's Leadership Summit and the future leaders and the programs that they're involved with, and the new programs that they talked about like Birdies For Books.

We want to elevate it every year. We want to elevate it inside and outside the ropes with amazing partners, with our broadcast partners. We feel we're doing that, and our goal is to continue to do that each and every year to make this not only the best championship in women's golf but one of the best championships in all of golf.

Q. Roberta, you've seen this event both inside and outside. How would you put it into perspective?

ROBERTA BOWMAN: Well, when you have five majors you think of them like children where you love them all for different reasons.

But I have to say, if we were to ask the players, this would be their consensus choice just because of that continued respect for the player and the road that they have taken to get here.

It honors their journey and it tests their skill and it gives them a memory of a lifetime, and it doesn't get any better than that in our business.

CHRISTINA LANCE: I'm going to ask Jim a question. We've seen multiple men's majors competed here, but this will be the first time the women are taking to this course at the KPMG Women's PGA.

What is it about this course that you think will provide a great challenge to these women in June?

JIM RICHERSON: Yeah, there's been an amazing history here over the years in the history of the club. Obviously our last championship from a PGA perspective in 2011, but I had the opportunity to play here last fall, as well, and see some of the recent changes.

I think one of the great things about this golf course as well as the way that Kerry Haigh usually sets it up, it doesn't favor one particular type of player. It doesn't favor the bombers and the long hitters. It doesn't favor someone that's going to hit a ton of fairways and never get in trouble. It doesn't favor a short game.

You really have to be on, I think, all aspects of your game. Your game has to be in top shape. You have to have a great game plan going in. You have to be able to stick to that game plan and not deviate and be tempted to do something outside of that.

I think traditionally we've seen some of the best players in the world at the top and on the leaderboard on the weekend, and we've had unbelievable and great champions, future Hall-of-Famers.

I don't think that this year will be any different. I think Atlanta Athletic Club is truly one of the best major tests in golf, and I think the women are going to prove that in June.

I think we're going to see the best players, the top players that are on their games all being on the leaderboard on the weekend.

CHRISTINA LANCE: We had a great battle last year between some of the greatest names in the game, and I have no doubt we'll have more this year.

I'll just ask Roberta and each of you up here to give us your final thoughts on the KPMG Women's PGA and what it means, Roberta, maybe to the golfers, Jim to your PGA members, and Laura to those of you at KPMG and the business world of what it means to support the women's game.

ROBERTA BOWMAN: There are two things that never get old in this job, and one is to bear witness to someone achieving their dream. Every Sunday it happens, but when it happens at a major, it truly is life-changing.

I will tell you Sunday of KPMG week there's going to be one person who achieves their dream here, but we have a dream within a dream happening, as well, and that is because the Sunday of KPMG marks the last event that players can qualify for the Olympics.

That motivation, that energy, that life-changing, lifelong thrill of playing the best venue and at the same time potentially earning an opportunity to represent your country, I think it's going to shape up to be one of our most exciting, unforgettable championships yet. I can't wait.

JIM RICHERSON: Well, our organization, the PGA of America, is roughly 28,000 men and women members throughout the country. They all have such a great passion and love for the game, introducing that game to new golfers, introducing it to boys and girls for the first time, seeing that joy on their face when they get that ball airborne, when they get that connection, that aha moment.

We do that through so many different programs, but those people that watch the game to be inspired by it is a big part of it, and the partnership that we've had the last seven years with the LPGA and KPMG and the way that everyone has really stepped to the plate to not only create the best championship inside the ropes but all that goes on outside the ropes, to not only promote the game but to utilize the game of golf, to promote so many other things, again, to promote the future generation of women executives, to promote literacy, to promote more inclusiveness, all the areas that as a partnership we've all gotten together and been in lockstep with, to make sure that we're utilizing the game of golf for all these important things that it can do.

We've had a history in the last seven years of doing that. We're so excited to see this continue to grow over the next several years, and we think Atlanta and Atlanta Athletic Club is another step in that direction.

LAURA NEWINSKI: Well, we have expectations and high expectations that the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and the KPMG Women's Leadership Summit will inspire and challenge and leave players and our people, young women professionals, to aspire to do great things, to aspire to amazing heights, and to know that they can do more.

But even more importantly than that, we know that these two -- that the championship week as well as the Women's Leadership Summit, will inspire leaders to make different decisions about opening those doors and knocking down those barriers and making it happen for talented women and talented players and talented future leaders to have a way to success that they didn't see before.

Inspiration and aspirations.

CHRISTINA LANCE: Thank you so very much. Appreciate your time. At this point we'll take a few minutes and reset our stage. Mariah Stackhouse is going to come up and join us. Phil Mickelson is on his way. With the weather his flight was a little delayed, but he's on the ground and on his way. So bear with us just for a moment. Thank you.

Thank you for your patience. I'll ask you to take your seats again while we begin this next portion of today's panel. We're joined by Mariah Stackhouse, a proud KPMG ambassador, a member of the LPGA Tour, as well as Roberta Bowman, the LPGA's chief brand and communications officer and the head of our diversity, equity, and inclusion task force.

We're going to start with Mariah. It's great to see you today.

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: You too.

CHRISTINA LANCE: You're an Atlanta native, grew up in this area. It's got to be pretty cool competing right here in your backyard. What does it mean for you to have the KPMG Women's PGA Championship right here in Atlanta?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: I am incredibly excited for the KPMG Women's PGA Championship to be hosted here in Atlanta at Atlanta Athletic Club.

I think pre-pandemic, it's been over 15 years since the LPGA has been in Atlanta, and anybody here who has played golf and is familiar with golf in the state of Georgia, I think there are few other states that have a stronger collection of juniors, amateurs, and people that just love and are huge fans of the game of golf.

So I think this is going to be an incredible opportunity for us as women to play here. I think we're going to have incredible fan engagement, and this course is just supreme. It's going to be a great week of golf.

CHRISTINA LANCE: You became a KPMG ambassador right at the start of your professional career and you've been closely involved through every step of the way in developing this championship, the Summit, and the Future Leaders program.

What does this partnership mean for you both as an athlete and as a role model?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: My partnership with KPMG has meant the world to me. When I first joined, and I call it the KPMG family, one of the things that stood out to me as a woman athlete was their commitment not only to women in the game of golf, women in sports, but women in business.

And so I felt like not just in golf values but life values I felt that we shared a passion for elevating all people in different walks of life.

So it's been incredibly inspiring for me to have an opportunity to support the various endeavors that KPMG has embarked on, and it's given me an opportunity to give back in so many ways. I have appreciated the relationship so far and can't wait to continue to foster it.

CHRISTINA LANCE: When you joined the LPGA Tour you became just the seventh African-American player to receive your LPGA Tour card. You're the only active Black player on Tour now, though there are other Black players playing on the Tour, LPGA, and Symetra. Recently you took part in the LPGA's Drive On campaign and so eloquently told your story of personal affirmation that your parents taught you from a young age, and something we've talked about today is inspiring greatness through the Women's Leadership Summit and the future leaders program.

What does it mean to you to know that you are inspiring this next generation of Black golfers and other women your age and older take up this game?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: It honestly inspires me to understand that I am an inspiration to a lot of young Black golfers playing the game. I think that I've gotten an opportunity to see those numbers growing, especially with junior and college golf right now, and I think I'm able to witness that a bit because of how social media has allowed a lot of people platforms.

But I see a lot of young girls that remind me of myself when I was little playing and playing well, and I think in larger numbers than was the case when I was playing junior golf.

I think the game is truly growing, and I'm excited to be able to continue to provide a bit of visibility along with the other players that are out on the LPGA and Symetra Tour, and I will do everything in my power to continue to uplift the young women coming up, and I'm excited for them to make their way through college and be out here, as well.

CHRISTINA LANCE: Roberta, uplift is maybe the perfect word to describe Mariah, nothing but a smile on her face and wonderful vibes, to use a cheesy word, to go all around.

I know, Roberta, you were instrumental in getting Mariah's story out on the Drive On campaign. What can you tell us about Mariah and what she brings to the LPGA, the PGA of America, KPMG, and the game of golf?

ROBERTA BOWMAN: There's an expression that you cannot be what you do not see. The game of golf has had a challenge when it comes to bringing diversity, equity, and inclusion and different faces, different voices into the game.

So in addition to the expectation for excellent play that all of our pros bring to the course, Mariah does have sort of a special opportunity there, and that is to be that role model and create that sense of possibility for people.

Christina, you mentioned the Drive On campaign, and I do encourage you if you have an opportunity, take an opportunity to look at Mariah's Drive On story because there's something really special there. It is this notion of inspiring the seed of possibility to other people.

If we can just transition a bit, we're going to have that opportunity here on June the 28th. It's a couple of things that I know are very important to you. One is Renee Powell.

Honestly, Renee is a new relationship to me. I feel like we are twins from different mothers, though. She is so remarkable, and her journey has been so special. Tell people a little bit about Renee and what she's meant to you.

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: So for those who aren't familiar with Renee Powell, she was the second Black woman to play on the LPGA Tour and had a great career, and at that time really fought through a lot of adversity. At the time that she played on the LPGA Tour she really fought through a lot of adversity to chase that dream and continue to knock down barriers and make it a lot easier for the generation that came after and myself and my peers that are out here right now.

I think what's incredibly special about the event that we're going to do, the Renee Powell Clearview Legacy Benefit. When her father, World War II veteran, came back to America, found that he was not welcome at a lot of golf courses, and so built a course himself.

And Renee has continued that legacy and has kept that course up and going, and also their foundation, to continue to grow the game of golf, and I'm incredibly excited to partner with the LPGA and KPMG in that endeavor and provide support and acknowledgment to the beauty of that legacy that I think has long overdue acknowledgment and support from the golf community.

So that's going to be held at Bobby Jones Golf Course the Monday after the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Myself, a few other LPGA pros and some girls' golf juniors are going to kind of host the event as it goes through the day, and there are going to be a lot of activities and just general raising support and funds for Renee and her and her father's legacy, and I couldn't be more humbled and excited to offer my support to that.

ROBERTA BOWMAN: That's great. We're so excited, as well. I know you're a native daughter of this area, but there may be some people here that don't know about your journey through golf. Take us through that. Who introduced you to the game, and let's just trace your career to the LPGA.

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: Absolutely. Yes, I started playing the game of golf at two. I was a daddy's girl and followed him everywhere he went, and so that meant the golf course.

But I grew up playing right here in the Atlanta area. Got my start at an inner city course downtown and grew from there.

When I think about rising among the junior ranks, and I played local tours here, and my dad was very intentional about that journey and he wouldn't let me advance to the next level until he felt that I was the best at that level, so it was local, then it was state, then it was regional, and then continuing on to American Junior Golf finally towards the end of my junior career.

But there is so much quality junior golf right here in the state of Georgia. I honestly -- there are few other states that I think it's better to develop a junior golfer.

My love for the game of golf in this city and in this state is so strong, which makes me even more excited for the LPGA to return here, and it prepared me for a great career at Stanford University and now into the LPGA.

Just incredibly excited to share this state with the LPGA again, and honestly, hopefully, inspire us to potentially get another annual tournament right back here in Atlanta.

ROBERTA BOWMAN: Well, that would be great. I would say challenge heard at this point. So that's great.

Mariah, Christina mentioned the affirmation, and you and I have done a number of these, and I have just been so impressed with how your parents helped you develop self-confidence, not just on the golf course but in life.

Would you mind just sharing a little bit about that? I know it's very personal, but through these we've teased it out of you, and it's such an impressive way to inspire confidence.

Talk to us about it.

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: When I was a young girl my parents created an affirmation for me that I would repeat to myself in the morning every day before I went to school, and that affirmation was four paragraphs long and it focused on a few things.

One, me being a confident young Black woman, a confident person, and a confident athlete. To give you an idea of what that affirmation sounded like, I'll share a couple of lines. One of my favorites is "I know that I can do anything I set my mind to. I am a very proud person with my own ideas and my own direction in life."

I think that repeating this to myself in the morning every day growing up and still to this day, what it does is life undoubtedly, it gets hard, and it's easy to go through moments of doubt and difficult situations, and so that affirmation has always provided me strength and confidence and the understanding that I can see my way through any of the challenges that come my way, and that has been instrumental.

ROBERTA BOWMAN: Well, thank you for that. My last question before we transition to the demonstration is you spend 10 minutes with Mariah Stackhouse and you are very clear that she could be doing anything she wants in life and she would excel at it.

What is it about golf? Why did you decide to dedicate this stage of your life to golf?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: I think there are a number of answers to that question, Roberta, but I think it all boils down to growing up and that being the sport that I played with my dad, and it bonded us together, and as I developed as a junior golfer, he eventually became my coach and just focused on continuing to grow my abilities in this game.

It's taken me so many places. I think that I've always been someone who enjoyed learning and being a student, and you can never master golf, and so there's always something to work on, always something new in my game to tighten up, whether that be technical, mental, et cetera, and I think that I love the challenge that it brings and the fact that it takes me all over the world.

ROBERTA BOWMAN: Christina, back to you.

CHRISTINA LANCE: Thank you, ladies. If we have any questions from the media in the room, please raise your hand and let me know.

Q. Today might be the first time someone heard the words Mariah Stackhouse Foundation. Can you tell us about the foundation and what it does?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: Yes. So with the Mariah Stackhouse Foundation, it's almost finalized. I'm not going to give too much until I've got that done, but I have been looking for a way to be intentional in how I can give back to the golf community, and not just the golf community, but to communities in general that I feel like have not only supported me but are deserving of the acknowledgment and support that I can offer.

When the LPGA and the KPMG and I started talking about ways to honor Renee Powell, I think that's when it started to click for me that it was time for me to take this next step and a new journey to add on right now, and so that's kind of how we came to form the foundation, and I'm incredibly excited to start doing that.

Q. When you say giving back, you mentioned that you're going to be working with Renee. What are the other objectives that you have for the foundation?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: I want to make sure everything is legally finalized before I start talking about it too much, but, yeah, there will be quite a few things that I don't want to just be in golf. I want to be able to give back broadly.

Q. What's your history at Atlanta Athletic Club; how often have you played there, and how far away are you now from your home-home where you grew up?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: I grew up in Riverdale, Georgia, so that's just on the south side of the city near the airport, maybe about 45 minutes on a day with no traffic. And actually fun fact: My old coach that I took lessons with for over 15 years was based right here out of Atlanta Athletic Club, and though I didn't play the course that much growing up, I definitely spent hours and hours and hours on these practice facilities working with him.

This definitely feels very much like a home event to me. Over the past few months I've gotten to play the course a few times and I will continue to try to play it as many times as I can headed into the KPMG, so this will definitely feel very much like a home event.

Q. Does it suit your game do you feel like?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: Absolutely. I love this course. I think Jim said it earlier best that there's no area of your game that can be off on this course. There are going to be some tight tee shots, some really challenging approach shots, and some greens that you have to really place yourself on the right tier or right levels in order to have an opportunity for birdie or really even a steady, easy-going par.

I think we're going to see this course test everyone, and like all KPMG's Women's PGA Championships, you're going to have to rise that week and play your absolute best golf to play well here.

Q. You played a lot of tournaments without fans now. You ought to be holding your breath that some of your loved ones can come out and watch you play. How many tickets do you think you might need for the championship?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: (Laughing) I hope that they're going to work with me because I have a lot of people interested in coming out to this event. It will be no less than 50 directly coming through me and probably more.

Like I said, there hasn't been an LPGA event pre-pandemic that's been here in over 15 years, and my friends and family are just so excited to have a tournament back in the area.

CHRISTINA LANCE: Thank you, Mariah, thank you, Roberta. Change our stage again to do the golf demonstration, and Phil will be here shortly so you'll have a moment to ask him some questions, as well.

Thanks so much for your patience while we reset the stage. I do want to let everyone know we do unfortunately have to tell you that Phil Mickelson is not going to be able to join us today. From what we understand he's circling directly above us and sends his regards and a wave but unfortunately doesn't have a parachute pack and the FAA won't let him land.

But he sends his regards and his regrets and certainly best wishes for the championship. But this means we get to focus all of our time and attention on Ms. Stackhouse. Mariah, thanks so much for doing this. We're going to let you take us through a demo of how you warm up for a round on the course.

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: Hi, everyone. Thanks for coming out today. So I'll just kind of give you all a brief idea of what my warmup routine looks like on the course. If you guys want to see anything specific, have any ideas, feel free to interact at any time during the demonstration.

The first thing I do actually, and I went inside just before this is do a little body warmup. So I like to crack my back a bit, loosen my glute muscles, activate the glutes, activate my core. So a little bit of stretching, a little bit of a workout routine just to get my body warmed up first and foremost.

And I think I started to need to do that about two or three years ago, and I'm like, Dang, I used to show up to the golf course, head straight to the range. I can't do that anymore. A few years on the road tightened me up.

I actually always pull out a specific number of balls for my warmup, and I hit every other iron as I go through the bag. And so I start off with my 60-degree, hit a few chip shots, start off with a couple that are about 50-yard shots and I'll hit the first four that distance, and I like to max out with my 60-degree at about 75 yards.

So I'll hit a few that distance and I'll know that I'm nice and warmed up. Nice, easy shots, and I'll move through the bag just like that.

What I'm doing is I'll pick out a couple points and move through my wedges just like that. So I will go 60, 50, 9- 7-, and 5-iron. All I'm doing for my warmup, everybody is different, but I like to look at my warmup as an opportunity to loosen my body, nothing more.

If I hit every shot perfect on my warmup, great. If I mis-hit every shot, no problem, because that does not determine how I'm going to hit it on the golf course.

Fun fact actually about that: The best and lowest round that I ever had during my college career I had a bit of a hotel debacle with my mom. She was in town and I stayed with her for that event, so I missed most of my warmup, got to the team huddle late and everything, incredibly flustered, went down and had about eight minutes to hit on the range, two putts and had to walk straight to the tee, and shot a 61 that day.

So ever since then I don't put too much of a stress on how I hit it in my warmup and how much time. I just want to get my body loose.

Q. Do you change up your routine or are you pretty much set in what you do?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: Pretty much set in what I do. Now if I'm running behind the number of balls I hit will change from seven to five, and that's pretty much the only difference, the only change I'll ever make in my warmup.

I always start with the range. I always start with the range, then I'll go chip for a few minutes and close with my putting and head to the first tee.

Anybody have any specific questions, warmup, shot?

Q. You're always going to have a morning wave tee time and an afternoon wave tee time. Which one do you prefer to have first?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: I think I'm one of the few people who prefers to have an afternoon-morning, and my thought process with that is you keep going, you get into a rhythm. Thursday afternoon you wake right up and you continue, and then you get a bit of a break before the weekend.

And I feel like I can kind of reset and have an opportunity to breathe, pause, and head into that.

Q. What was your favorite club when you were a kid, and what is it now? Has it changed?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: No, it's actually pretty much the same. When I was a kid it was all my 7-iron and my driver. Now it's my 8-iron and my driver, but still pretty consistent.

Q. If you're working on something in your golf game, do you take those thoughts to your warmup?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: Absolutely. That's about the only time where I'll think about something technical when I'm doing my warmup, and I'm very specific about that on the range, because when I'm on the course I might give something a little bit of focus on my practice shots or my practice swings before I'm about to hit, but my No. 1 rule with myself is that everything that's technical has to be left on the range and left in that pre-shot routine. I won't allow myself to think about any of that hitting the actual shot and just be target focused. Easier said than done sometimes, but...

Q. You mentioned you've practiced here a lot and that your coach was here. In fact, I believe your picture is inside the room right here. But you mentioned growing up here in Georgia, Georgia State Golf Association and the amateur days coming up, you won the state team championship. Who are some of the people here in Georgia that have been mentors to you as you've made your way up?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: Quite a few people. Definitely spent a lot of time right here actually in this very bay. I took probably an uncountable number of lessons and weekends spent right here on this practice facility, range back there, range over here, short game area.

Then some of the mentors that I've had in the game of golf growing up through Georgia, a lady named LaJean Gould who has a foundation for young golfers, especially in minority communities and some summer camps that she would do for us or host for us. I spent a lot of time there in the summertime.

One of my coolest mentors actually here in the state of Georgia is Olympian long jumper named Ralph Boston who played at a couple of the clubs that I have played at on the south side of Atlanta growing up and got to kind of foster that relationship. What a champion that guy is, and Papa Boston is what I call him.

I mean, gosh, golf, sports, Georgia just has so much of everything and it's an incredibly great place to grow up as a young athlete.

CHRISTINA LANCE: Over here we've got some hickory clubs. I think these are clubs that are pretty similar to throw-backs to the early years of golf club technology. Bobby Jones himself used similar back in his day. How does that just look different from those fancy PXGs you've got in your bag?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: Gosh, let's take a look at these grooves. I have never hit hickory clubs, so this is going to be an interesting experience. I'm imagining this is -- we're going to call this a 56-degree wedge maybe, 55? Let's see.

CHRISTINA LANCE: Ladies and gentlemen, a first, and it's on camera. No pressure.

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: I'll make it happen.

CHRISTINA LANCE: What are your thoughts?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: There's clearly different standards. I definitely could never hit a club that high, so definitely some different technology or lack thereof.

CHRISTINA LANCE: Exactly. It's amazing to see what the technology has done for the game.

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: Absolutely. I mean, that even feels interesting. Let's see. I like it, though. Don't hate it.

Oh, never mind. I take that back. No consistency. All right, so that was a wedge. Let's switch to what looks like it would be a 6-iron, 5-iron maybe.

CHRISTINA LANCE: How far would you normally hit your 6-iron?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: I would hit my 6-iron about 163. I think this flag over here on the right looks like actually one of those might be within 6-iron distance, so let's see how this stacks up.

CHRISTINA LANCE: You laughed.

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: No power behind that whatsoever. We'll give it another go.

CHRISTINA LANCE: Is this making you more thankful for what we have?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: Yes, it is. Especially at my 5'3" I need all the technology I can get.

That might push 130.

CHRISTINA LANCE: One more?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: A driver we've got here. Oh, my goodness. Is this a driver?

CHRISTINA LANCE: It looks like what I would call a driver.

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: All right. I'm going to put a little tee in here.

CHRISTINA LANCE: So you've said the driver is one of your favorite clubs.

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: It is.

CHRISTINA LANCE: Will the hickory driver become the favorite club?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: Let's pick a new target. I'm going to go back and look at what I was hitting the 3-wood at earlier and see if I can get the same distance as my 3-wood.

Oh, my goodness, the height.

CHRISTINA LANCE: What do you think?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: I'll keep my driver. It was a fun little treat.

CHRISTINA LANCE: You mentioned the technology and how much it helps you, but I think it's certainly also fair to say that players are certainly far more athletic and things have just changed over the years.

We're seeing distance come into the game with Patty Tavatanakit and these bombers, but you still need the touch around the greens. How do the athleticism and the technology marry on the Tour right now?

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: I think when you get players who are in the gym working with trainers to strengthen the parts of your body that really add strength and speed to your swing, so that would be core focused, glute focused and that lower body power, when you couple that with the technological advances we've made in the game, you get a club fitted perfectly for you. There's no limit to how far you can hit it. I think we see a lot of women on Tour now who are pushing 290, 290 plus, above 300 consistently now, and I think the number of women you see hitting that distance continues to rise every year.

I know particularly a lot of the rookies in the class this year, they hit the ball a long way. I'm always in the gym working on that. I definitely am a smaller person, so I want to pack as big a punch as I can in the gym and hope that translates on to the golf course a little more power for me.

CHRISTINA LANCE: You mentioned a smaller person. You look at someone like Mo Martin who is shorter than you are, teenier than you are, yet has a major title as one of the shortest hitters on the course. You have to truly be a well-rounded player.

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: Absolutely, and I will say Mo is one of the best putters on Tour, and so there are ways you might lack an advantage in one area you can make up for in having a great short game, putting it really well.

She probably hits every fairway on the course. And so yeah, I think that's what makes golf special, right? There's no one way to get it done, and despite whether or not a course favors longer hitters, it's all about the strategy.

CHRISTINA LANCE: At the end of the day everyone has got to get the ball in the hole. Just a matter of how you get it there.

Do we have any questions for Mariah before we close things up?

Well, Mariah, I think it's safe to say PXG has still got you, but it had to be fun to at least try some of this technology.

MARIAH STACKHOUSE: This definitely was. I think it would be fun to go play a 9-hole course somewhere and see what that experience would be like with hickory clubs.

CHRISTINA LANCE: Thank you so much. If you want the opportunity to chat one-on-one with Mariah, let myself or anyone at the PGA of America people know. Thank you so very much for joining us today.