	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

BELL MICRO LPGA CLASSIC

September 9, 2008

Susie Redman

MOBILE, ALABAMA

JASON TAYLOR: Susie, thanks for joining us today. You've been on Tour 23 years now, and now that it's a full field, you're able to join us down in Mobile. Talk about being here this week.
SUSIE REDMAN: This is pretty exciting because my dad's home golf course that he built was called Airwick Country Club, and it was on Schillinger's Road. So I grew up here and went to school in Semmes, and then I went to Julius T. Write School. So this is definitely my hometown, and this is like really familiar to me, all these hills. We used to call them ravines. So I've played a lot up and down these hills.
JASON TAYLOR: All right. Questions for Susie.

Q. Obviously the excitement of coming back, but when you started at 17, I guess, when you first went out on Tour, did you think you'd still be playing at LPGA events now, as a mother and at this young age still?
SUSIE REDMAN: I love it. I was 18 actually, and that's okay. I was I think they said back then like the third youngest ever to qualify for the LPGA Tour. And now being 42, no, I did not.
My 18-year-old son is caddying for me, and I look at him, and I kind of think to myself, boy, I don't know if I was mature or immature at that time.
But it wasn't the trend back in 1985, and now it seems like the trend is more players are playing maybe one year of college and then coming out and very much mature, and really very prepared to come out here and play on our tour.
So you know, I feel like I had to kind of grow up on the LPGA TOUR, and learn all of it, you know, and then trying to balance being a mom and trying to compete. So I kind of did that along the way, and I'm not really sure how I did it.

Q. Is the LPGA different in some ways? You talk about these players really seem mature coming out and maybe some of them going to college, but in general, the Tour, how much has that changed over the years?
SUSIE REDMAN: You know, it's changed unbelievable. When I first came out, Judy Dickinson was a close friend of mine, and we didn't have an LPGA day care and she got the LPGA day care started. And that didn't exist.
So when I came out, having a day care and getting that started was a really big issue for us, and now I think we have almost 60 children on the LPGA TOUR. So that was a big -- for being a woman athlete and being a mom, that was a big thing for us.
I think it's changed. It's so business-like, and these girls really are prepared; physically, mentally, emotionally. They're just -- you know, they're the package. And you can see them.
And you know, I kind of came out, and my dad was a club pro, owned this golf course called Airwick Golf Course, and always told me, when you grow up, the LPGA TOUR, that's your goal, your dream.
So when I was at school, I'd tell all my friends, I'm going to play on the LPGA Tour one day.
They didn't get it. They didn't know what that was. You know, we didn't have Golf Channel. Mobile Press-Register here really got my name out there for playing golf here in Mobile, and a girl playing golf was kind of big.
So I think it's really really neat that I'm playing. Hopefully I can aspire a lot of the young girls that are playing the different high schools here that it's a great dream to have to kind of come out here and enjoying the LPGA TOUR. It's a hard life, but it's a wonderful life.
You know, I've played over 440 LPGA events. I don't know if that number is exact, but you know, this was my family. I traveled with three children, and this became our little group of people that we were with week to week, and a lot of wonderful stories.
But my game, you know, obviously athletes, your game kind of -- you know, you kind of go backwards. You go up and down. So I lost my status, and then I went on a leave, maternity leave.
And so you know, I'm basically retired. But now that they have the tournament here, what a wonderful opportunity that I've had that Bell Micro has given me to come and participate. So I'm really thankful for that. It'll be a lot of fun. I'm really excited about it.

Q. With all your experience with the LPGA, the language issue has probably come up over the years. They passed a rule and then they rescinded the rule. Could you discuss the language issue when you were playing and what a language rule should say or should there be one?
SUSIE REDMAN: You know, I haven't really -- you know, I just know that our sponsors are, this is what drives us, this is why we're here, and you know, I think that we're here to make sure that our teams have a wonderful day and that we entertain them and give that golf to the people that sponsor us.
So we need that interaction to be able to give them golf tips or help them along the way or tell them what life is like on the LPGA TOUR. So I think it's really important.
You know, I think that -- I always thought that having an interpreter along the way would help. Anything that we can do just so that the people that play with all of us gets to feel what the LPGA TOUR is like.
So I'm really for whatever we have to do to make sure that they see that -- you know, I think that being a woman athlete and being able to play on this Tour is such a great experience, and I think that I'd like to see that other people can kind of feel that same energy that I have.
And I'm sure that -- I don't really have a comment about how to enforce that or whatever. So I do think that, you know, I think everybody gets it now. I think that all the players understand that it's really important that they kind of see us as just like them really and that we're just trying to play, you know, every week and be great golfers. And people want to be able to take some of that home, too, and try to better their games also.

Q. (Question inaudible. No microphone.)
SUSIE REDMAN: Well, I do. I mean -- you know, I've played in over 29 countries, and the golf course was a familiar ground to me. You could drop me anywhere around the world, and it's like, oh, this is great, playing golf, you're familiar. There's a tee box, a fairway and a green. And you can tell by people's enthusiasm, their reactions and their facial expressions and how they feel about the game. And you know, there's such a common denominator there.
So I think what we do with our sponsors on Wednesday, Pro-Ams, you know, I think in order for us to kind of show them who we are, we've gotta interact with them the best we can, but also show them that we're just like everybody else.
JASON TAYLOR: You say you're basically retired now. I'm wondering, two-part question: A, your expectations this weekend; and B, besides mom, the next phase of your life, what would you like to be doing.
SUSIE REDMAN: I guess the biggest thing is I'd like to get involved with St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. You know, my youngest son has cancer, has neuroblastoma, and I try to do as much as I can at charity events to raise money. I give back a lot of my time in that way.
I'd really like to get out there and be a spokeswoman. I'd like to see how I can generate a lot of money for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. That is my heart.
And right now I'm working and teaching at The Woodlands in Texas, and I have one more test so I can become a PGA A-1 certification so I can become a head golf professional.
Really, my goal is to get back here to Alabama and hoping to meet Dr. Bronner with the Robert Trent Jones Trail, and I really would like to come back to one of our Alabama golf courses and try to become a head golf professional there.
And I kind of see my life there and also having that always in the back of my mind, whatever I can do to raise money for St. Jude's, that will always be right there. So anything I can do to help, that's what I want to do.
And my expectations, I thought about it. Tommy's been on me about this a lot. I keep saying my golf ball needs a little engine to go a little bit farther. The golf course is going to play very long for me.
I've never been a very long ball hitter. I hit it probably 220, and I'm very honest about that. But I play from my heart, and I'm really -- you know, I'm going to say that I'm shooting for top 30, because I think that you gotta kind of shoot something very high so your intentions are set so that the energy around you kind of keeps snowballing. So I'm shooting for that. Top 30 is what I'd like to see this week.
And I'm just going to try to hit it off the first tee box and kind of let that momentum just build and build.
My dad's going to be 80. This will be the last time he gets to watch me play in an LPGA event, so I'm kind of dedicating this tournament to him, so it should be kind of cool.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297