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Other Notes from Mar-a-Lago
Grace and Hootie
There has been some talk lately of how the Asian players do not participate
with their pro-am partners, saying 'hello' and 'good-bye' to them and
not much else. Of course, this is rubbish, and all the evidence you need
that the LPGA thinks so, too, came this week, when they paired Grace Park
with a high profile celebrity in the pro-am AND the president and CEO
of the sponsor, ADT. Would the LPGA risk putting these two important people
with an unfriendly, bashful player? Of course not.
The celebrity was Darius Rucker, AKA Hootie of Hootie and the Blowfish fame (is he really Hootie? I mean, do they call him 'Hootie'? For all I know, Hootie could be the drummer ALA the Dave Clark Five, and Rucker merely a Blowfish. But I digress). Rucker is a huge golf fan, but he has never before played in an LPGA pro-am. Well, they couldn't have given him a better partner than Grace, and afterwards he gushed about the experience. "It was a blast playing with Grace", he said. "She was so helpful to me. She kept giving me tips after I would hit and on the next shot I would do better. She noticed things like a slight sway in my swing, that I was lifting my club up sometimes and we talked about how to avoid fatigue on the course. Some really helpful stuff." Rucker was quick to condemn the ignorant comments Jan Stephenson had made about the Asian golfers. "I recently read some comments reported in the media that had been made about the Asian players on Tour and I can tell you that these people must not be hanging out with Grace. She was absolutely so much fun to be with", he opined. So did he become an even bigger fan of the LPGA since he has met some of the players? You bet, especially a certain Seoul Sister name Grace. When asked if he will check out the LPGA's web site now, he replied, "In fact, as soon as I get home I will check it out and save it as a favorite. After all, I will need a good way to keep up with my girl Grace!" Well done, Grace! Another fan acquired.
Grace and Hootie (minus the Blowfish)
LPGA.COM
Hootie high fives Grace after a great shot
The CEO of ADT looks on
Check out some more pix of Grace's pro-am with Hootie!
Say what you will about Donald Trump, but the guy knows how to treat the top ladies of the LPGA the way they should be treated. For the week of the Tour Championship, he puts them all up in his exclusive resort of Mar-a-Lago, where they are pampered like they rarely are the rest of the year. They also get a special pro-am party thrown just for them, and you will notice that all the Seoul Sisters made appearances there, again disproving Stephenson, who said they avoid such parties. Lastly, each player gets her own introduction on stage during this party. Jeong Jang seemed a bit confused by all this, but went along with it good naturedly. Meanwhile, Se Ri, Grace and Hee-Won seemed to be having a lovely time. And who can blame them?
Hee-Won, Grace and Se Ri enjoy themselves at the pro-am dinner
before the tournament
The ladies await their on-stage introductions. You can see Grace and
Se Ri
among this crowd!
Jeong Jang was a bit pensive as she
awaited her introduction
But had a blast during the pro-am!
