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CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPNovember 20, 2019Judy RankinKaren StupplesNaples, Florida Q. How do you guys like the new format where you can be 1, you can be 60, and still walk away with this thing? KAREN STUPPLES: I think Brooke Henderson said it best yesterday when she said she's worked really hard all year to get to a certain spot, and to have that kind of wiped away was almost a little disheartening, I think. But in the big scheme of things, when you look at the big picture, you think about what the purse does for women's golf. I think it's hugely impressive, and I think you have to take personal feelings out of the equation and look at the big picture and be a little aware of that more than what it feels like to yourself. JUDY RANKIN: I love it. You know, I mean, players have known this all along. It's not like somebody told them last week, Your rank is not going to count. But I equate it a little bit to as all the people who always -- all the golf fans and all that who always say, and we've discussed it too -- when does that every man get his chance at one of these big checks? Well, these people that up at 60th getting in this field, that's not every man exactly, but in professional golf's way it is. So I think I personally find it very exciting. They probably don't even have to number people when they get in. They just have to say when the 60th player is in the field is established. You know, instead of people, one, two, three, four, they can quit that now and just... KAREN STUPPLES: Simple. JUDY RANKIN: She's in CME. No number is necessary. Except if you're like that last ten, trying to get the last ten spots. But for me, it's just the thought of walking away with that kind of check, and particularly if you're one of those players who is in the field who really killed themselves to get in the field. For me, I find it really great and exciting. KAREN STUPPLES: I think it's great, too. When you look at how Carlota Ciganda reacted to winning that Aon Risk Reward Challenge, winning that million, and what that did for her. And so I think for -- the feeling that as a woman you get of being respected for what you're doing just because of the financial gains that are now being awarded. I think the feeling all the players get when they come here is one of pride, that they have that feeling of worth, that they feel like they're worth it. I think it's a very emotional feeling for a lot of the players to know that is exactly what's going on, that there is a glint of equality then comes to this event and to the Aon Risk Reward Challenge. A lot of the sponsors now on the LPGA are stepping up to that because they see value. I believe that everybody should feel value in the workplace, and I think this is something that is pretty good that's going on right now. Q. Jin Young Ko had a pretty dominant season. Do you think that she can string that along for several seasons? We haven't seen that in a while. JUDY RANKIN: The way she plays you would have to think she can. But, you know, sometimes after you -- sometimes trying to repeat exceptional performance is harder than the first exceptional performance. So I don't know. I don't know. But, yeah, I think -- I don't know if she can top everything, but she'll certainly be a huge part of the conversation for some years to come if she wants to play, I think. KAREN STUPPLES: I think she has a very good mental approach to the game. She compartmentalizes things very well. I think she goes out there and she hits the shots individually every single time she plays. She has a great guy with her on the bag. I think they're a bit of a lethal combination. I think she definitely can continue this. Probably more so the worrying thing is that with all the extra stuff that goes on when you become No. 1, you become this dominant, is all the extra attention you get, the extra fatigue that comes along with that. I think towards the end of the season she has shown a few signs of being a bit tired. When I watched her in Korea there was a little bit of tiredness there, and then of course she got injured, had to pull out with her ankle. I think that she, as Judy was saying, the technique and everything she has going for her is really good. She has a good group of people around her coaching-wise. I think her mentality is one that could succeed throughout. Like I think she's very happy in that spot. Q. Do you think she's best equipped to potentially be, if there was going to be a stand-out, do you think it would be her or is someone else on your radar? JUDY RANKIN: You know, I know they're tired of hearing me say this, but think in little increments Nelly Korda just keeps coming along. I mean, she's already a star, but she's just got all the qualities to be amongst the very top players in the world and the game. So can't call her a dark horse except she's never been in any of those positions, but I just see her as coming on. I guess she didn't start with a splash. It was a little disappointing in fact when she very first turned pro, but I think she's gained her footing. Maybe having the sister support is an important thing out here. I can't speak to that, but I know when you have a good friend, a really good friend, there are a lot of pluses to that traveling and playing the tour. So having a sister would only be stronger. Q. She and Jessica have really similar games. What you do you all think? I'm guessing you think Nelly has something a little something extra. JUDY RANKIN: Nelly seems to have more here to me. I love Jessica. I like both of these girls and players so much. They're equally good. But I think it's one of those undefined things is what I see in Nelly. I could be absolutely wrong because Jessica has a lot of tools. Just seems to me that Nelly is a little more intense and a little more driven. Q. So nothing technique, just... JUDY RANKIN: No, not really technique. I don't think so. I don't. In fact, they look so similar when they swing the club. KAREN STUPPLES: Everything about them I think is remarkably the same. I think Judy hit the nail on the head. I think it comes down to that inner drive, what are you prepared to do extra to make it happen as much as anything. I'm not saying that Jessica doesn't have that because she does. She's a proven winner. That's how it is. But I think that in order to become No. 1 in the world or even have aspirations to become No. 1 in the world, whether you keep them secret. I think some people hate to actually say those words because when say you, I want to be No. 1 player in the world, that puts a ton of pressure on you. Even if you have aspirations of it, you need to make those little bit extra sacrifices. You need to go that little bit further to achieve them. That requires a very special type of person to be that. Q. It seems sometimes to me, too, like the older sister shows the younger one what's possible. It's almost like Serena got better than Venus because they set the bar, and Nelly is trying to get over that bar. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Or the Plishkova sisters in tennis. They look identical but they're... JUDY RANKIN: And maybe the sisters, in a way we don't understand, drive each other. You know, so wouldn't shock me if they were both in the Top 5 in the world. Wouldn't shock me. If technique matters, that could certainly be. Q. Where do you think Lexi is in that equation or discussion? JUDY RANKIN: You know, everything with Lexi is complicated. Complicated answer, because she's extremely talented. She has a great sense of the game. For her sake and for our sake watching, I hope she one day gets really consistent putting. Even though she's putted a lot better, you still kind of hold your breath a little bit. If I'm holding my breath, I got to bet she is, you know. So and then her, you know, emotions seem to -- she's got a little roller coaster thing going on, and it's kind of hard playing golf, isn't it? KAREN STUPPLES: You have to be very even. I think that's why you Jin Young Ko doing so well. She's much more on an even keel. I think even with Nelly, when you watch Nelly play, she's very even as well. I think with Lexi, obviously we know her talent, how well she drives the ball, how good she in it different situations. I think that she's at a point in her career where she's happy with who she is. I think that's a good place to be for her. I think she's stopped worrying so much about what other people think. I think when you worry about what other people think of you I think that's when you can miss those putts or you can -- I mean, I'm pretty sure that the times when she has missed those putts she was thinking, What is everybody going to say if I miss this? These thing go through your head when you're playing. I think if you just can forget all of that and just go about playing your business, it's good. As Jerry said, she is very hard on herself. I think once she can cut herself a little bit of slack out there I think it'll be a more comfortable place for her. JUDY RANKIN: Well, you know, there are other players, I'm sure if I put my head to it for a minute, in the men's world, too, that you could point to. But she's in that awkward position of everybody always analyzing everything she does, and that's hard on you mentally, I think. Q. Speaking of Ko's, Lydia is back out her this week and striking it well. Have we in four years in the women's game gotten to the point where distance is so important that it's kind of passed her by? JUDY RANKIN: It's certainly important. I'm not sure she's quite as long as she was at one time. I can tell you Tom Abbott played with her yesterday and she played perfectly. He said it's hard to play with her and understand why she's not winning. I can't answer that question, but I do know I would rather be long than not be if I were out here fighting it. (Laughter.) KAREN STUPPLES: Obviously distance helps. I think, no, not in the women's game it hasn't, primarily because of the way golf courses are designed and the way things are set up, in that most golf courses are designed to protect against the guys hitting it down too close to the green. So you end up with a lot of the trouble -- I mean, the 18th here is a prime example. Even if the player wanted to drive a ball down there a long way, a lot times they can't because the area they're hitting into is so tiny. So you see a lot of the longer players having to hit hybrids or 3-woods off the tee. Somebody like Lydia, she can just pull out driver and hit driver everywhere. Doesn't matter. Just plunk it on down there. She's not going to run out of room. She is still going to be hitting from the same spot. She is going to have be better with her longer stuff, better with her hybrids, than, say, a Lexi or Ariya Jutanugarn if you go in with a short iron. But there is always going to be courses that will suit her. I think the biggest key for her is to be content with what she has. She's never going to be one of the longest players. Stop trying. Be content with what you have; focus on what you are good in the game. I think when she did that when she was younger and she just played to her strengths, which was her short game, her creativity, she was able to achieve and succeed in a golfing environment that had the Lexi Thompsons and Ariya Jutanugarns. No, I don't think it has yet. They haven't significantly increased the distance of the courses the LPGA play. There have been a number of exceptions that have been quite long. Even then, it's proved I think at KPMG Women's PGA Championship, Hannah Green won. She's not the longest player in the world. So even though the course played long, shows that the players can still go ahead and play. So I think, no, I think she still has -- it hasn't passed her by. JUDY RANKIN: Yeah, they're different issues. Generally longer hitters are not as accurate as Lydia. But if you're not -- I mean, you can take it to great extremes, but if you're not longer you have a little less margin for error because it's harder to play through trouble. So I think it's kind of necessity is the mother of invention. You become a straighter driver because that shot from deep rough, and you're a long way back, is really hard. But then you could say about some of the long hitters that there are a number of long hitters who are not exceptional wedge players, and I think that's a shame. That's what you need to if you can hit it a long way. Q. What about the Americans? We talk about that every year on some level, that they're doing better or not. I think only two wins until October this year. Does the tour need that? Does the tour want that and maybe not need it, to have the Americans be more dominant? KAREN STUPPLES: I think it's very easy for us to sit here as American media and look at that as an issue. It's not an issue when it comes to women's golf in general because women's golf is expanding and growing into different parts of the world that probably ten years ago you wouldn't have even imagined. If you go back and look at the numbers in 2010 when Thailand first started the Honda Thailand, there was two players that had a world ranking from Thailand. Since that tournament has been going on, now you have I think something like 90 players from Thailand that have a world ranking. It's exploded significantly because of the access it women's golf. In terms of growing the game, this is where it's happening. This is absolutely growing the game, what the LPGA is. We're all desperate here in America for a dominant American player to be that so we have a champion every week to root for. We talk needle movers at KPMG. They're in every country. Ariya Jutanugarn, needle mover in Thailand; Jin Young Ko, needle mover in in Korea; Lexi Thompson now Nelly Korda is a bit of a needle mover here. It was Michelle Wie when she was playing. And so the people that are your needle movers in these different countries, you want them to expand and play well and do well. And that's not wrong of us to want that, but from the LPGA's perspective they're doing just fine by having this world, global tour. Every market that they go to there is someone that people want to root for. That's huge in terms of where they are placed in the marketplace. JUDY RANKIN: Well, the fans think you need some really strong American players. That's just -- that's understood, because people tell you all the time. They have a really hard time when they can't pronounce a name. Yet probably the real true golf fans have less of an issue with it because they can watch and admire the skill of people and the competition. But it hurts with the casual fan. There is no doubt about it. I congratulate the vast majority of the international players because they try hard. They try hard to welcome American fans, to be kind of good golf citizens, whatever that is. They are donating big time money in this country and all these things to try to make their place more amenable to the fan. I do think they won a lot of people over. I can tell you -- I mean, I know people who have played in pro-ams with Shanshan, they're her fan for life, you know. But, yeah, you can't deny it's a problem, but you also would not want to have this tour and not have the best in the world, would you? So... Q. Speaking of a world tour, Judy, you were around when the LPGA had the first commissioner and you've seen -- I assume you were around when the first commissioner came. JUDY RANKIN: Well, I played nine tournaments in 1962. Talking about money, my first check was $50 and my first win was $1,875, so I think this is pretty spectacular. (Laughter.) Q. What year was that? JUDY RANKIN: My first win was in 1968 and my first check was 1962. Somebody would have to research that. In my memory, and I could be all wrong, when I went over the $100,000 mark in '76, I think we were only playing for $4 million. Q. Total? JUDY RANKIN: I think. I may be wrong. Somebody would have to check me on that. Q. We now have the longest tenured commissioner in history and he's signed on for a lot longer. What do you think, and are you happy with where the tour is in that regard? JUDY RANKIN: I think very much so. It's hard, very hard to complain. It always has been and always will be tough for those sort of at the bottom of the chain who don't get as much playing time. You know, their eligibility only gets them in a few events here and there, and then they're trying to amass the money to get out of that slot. But it's always been that way. A lot of players would like to see something done about that, more full field events, more events where 144 get to tee off, but I don't think you're ever going to completely solve that problem. There are only ever going to be 50 in the top 50. Never going to solve that problem. Q. Play better. JUDY RANKIN: Yeah. Well, but sometimes it's not even just play better. You need to get to play more. I have been a fan and nobody has ever addressed it, but I still think when you get that card the first time that I would like to see you be secured for two years and see if you can't learn and get on your feet. If you can't after two years, then that's not anybody else's fault. But I think first you have everything that's new and you're still trying to prove -- whether you are inside of you or not -- but you're still trying to prove that you're good enough, and you're under the pressure that you might not get to play next year. So I just have always thought that was a fair way to give people their shot. Nobody has ever taken it up, so... (laughter.) KAREN STUPPLES: Then you have the flip side of that in that you have your Jennifer Kupchos who started halfway through the year and has made it all the way to this event. If you have enough talent, ability, skill, you're going to find a way to make it happen. You play well and you do that. Then there is also a feeling of sometimes when your back is up against the wall, the players that have what it takes seem to come through as well. So... Q. On Kupcho, were you surprised by how quickly she was able to transition on the tour? It was kind of a risky choice obviously. KAREN STUPPLES: And notice was taken this year. The amateurs that have come through Q-school have decided to go back to college and do the same thing. I think a lot of them saw how hard it was for both Maria Fassi and her at the start. I think that with Jennifer, she started off tough. I think it was hard for her at first. I think that she, as to Judy's point about getting used to playing, the deeper into the season she got the more used to playing, the better she became. She is starting to have some great results and starting to get used to it. It is a very different thing going from amateur to professional golf. I think that it was -- it's really quite a remarkable achievement what she has done to get through to this and go through those Asia events and be successful there, too. Very impressive. JUDY RANKIN: I wasn't terribly surprised, because it seems like some of the best in the college game, amateur game, they get so many semi-professional experiences with U.S. Open play, with invitations to LPGA events, and the different things that they can play in. They're not as rookie as a lot of people have been over the years, so I wasn't terribly surprised -- I was actually a little bit surprised she didn't start a little faster. I was surprised by Maria Fassi, only because it was such a consistent struggle. You know, I just thought one week or two weeks something really good would pop up. But I think she's had that experience now and she kind of lived through it. I bet it'll be better now. Everybody is whispering like this is some big financial meeting. Q. Anybody? Everybody good? Okay. Thank you very much, everybody. KAREN STUPPLES: Perfect. JUDY RANKIN: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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