- Slug: Sports-LPGA Players, 630 words.
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By TYLER HANDLAN
Cronkite News
PHOENIX — Three Valley-based LPGA Tour stars gathered at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa Thursday to preview the Bank of Hope Founders Cup golf tournament coming in March.
However, rather than spending a lot of time talking about the Wildfire Golf Club course, or the current state of their games, Cristie Kerr, Cheyenne Woods and Ryann O’Toole took the discussion outside the ropes.
Kerr talked about her passion for wine. Woods discussed shopping and fashion. And O’Toole described a daredevil’s love of surfing, skateboarding and wakeboarding.
Kerr, who lives in Scottsdale, also gave the Valley a plug.
“We’ve got great golf courses, we’ve got great culture, great restaurants and we have amazing events,” Kerr said.
The 20-year tour veteran recently passed the entry-level exam to become a master sommelier. She also has her own winery in California, and two lines — Kerr Cellars and Curvature Wines.
Kerr and her husband also have a 3-year-old at home. She is a breast cancer activist — proceeds from the Curvature line go to charity. And she is an 18-time winner on the LPGA Tour, including two major championships.
It’s a lot to balance.
“I’ve always been able to take on a lot,” Kerr said. “Sometimes some of that stuff takes away from golf and sometimes it’s the other way. I love what I do, and I try to be involved with things that I have a passion for.”
O’Toole gives a whole different meaning to finding balance.
The former UCLA golfer spoke about her devotion to physical activity off the golf course.
She grew up north of Malibu, California in Agoura Hills, where she developed a passion for board games — surfboards, wakeboards and skateboards.
O’Toole already has a plan for making waves in the Arizona desert, on the course and off.
“My goal is to put a little side cash away for that nice shiny boat that I want to buy, just to be able to go somewhere and have someone pull me behind it and get away,” she said. “There might not be an ocean, but there are lakes.”
Woods, the niece of PGA star Tiger Woods, is a Valley native and played her high school golf at Xavier College Prep in Phoenix before attending Wake Forest.
She recently was named one of the “most beautiful women in golf” by Sports Illustrated.
“It’s kind of a nice change,” she said. “Usually, we have our hair tied up, hats on, hitting balls. So it’s nice to have that other side of us as a female athlete and be able to show our feminine side and show that we can be multi-dynamic.”
Woods said one of her hobbies is discovering new shops and boutiques in the Scottsdale area.
“I love being able to dress up and feel confident,” Woods said. “No matter what you have on, if it’s a golf outfit, or a rain jacket, or you’re wearing heels and a dress, that you feel confident in it.”
“I think that exudes energy, and then you are seen as beautiful from everybody on the outside.”
In March, the three golfers will turn their focus to what happens inside the ropes at Wildfire. The Founders Cup made its debut in 2011 and honors the pioneers of the LPGA Tour while raising funds for its future through LPGA-USGA Girls Golf programs. The tournament has raised more than $3 million for the programs and members of a local chapter attended the media day interviews.
Tournament officials introduced their new title sponsor, Bank of Hope, which agreed to a three-year contract beginning in 2017. It figures to keep the event on strong footing.
“Bank of Hope, I can’t think of a better sponsor to sponsor the Founders Cup and inspire all of these young girls,” Kerr said.