Angela Stanford - Part 2 (The Majors and The Solheim Cup)

Intro Music 0:07

Straight down the middle. It went straight down the middle.

Mike Gonzalez 0:13

Then it started to So it took a little while then to get that next one, didn't it?

Angela Stanford 0:19

Yeah, and again, you know, we talked about earlier adversity and and stuff like that. You know, I'd come to a point in in 2004, 2005 that I didn't know if I wanted to keep playing because you know the tour was getting better. Players are getting younger, you know, and I've been very fortunate that I've been able to see this. You know, I I've I've kind of lived watching the LPGA tour skyrocket. Um, and I've had to follow that rocket. You know, I've I've had to keep up.

Bruce Devlin 0:50

Yeah.

Angela Stanford 0:50

And um that was the moment I decided, it was the hardest decision of my life, that I I had to move away from Amy and I had to go, I had to go work with somebody else. I didn't know who it was going to be at the time, but I knew sitting on my couch and watching the Solheim Cup in 2005 from my couch was not fun. Was never it was not fun, it was never gonna happen again. And I went in and talked to Mike Wright at Shady Oaks, and of course his first question is why me? Uh and and Bruce, you know Mike. I mean, he's he's gonna he's gonna ask you all these questions that make you crazy, and really there's just one answer because I want to learn from you. That's it.

Bruce Devlin 1:36

Yeah, yeah. Well, you talk about those two years. Uh you finished 39th and 44th on the money list both those years, but like you said, after winning, you sort of think you should be able to win again, and then the next couple of years before the next victory, you were 23rd on the money list and then 19th on the money list, and still no wins. So what what changed from those four years to the next victory?

Angela Stanford 2:04

Um, you know, for me it was always my ball striking. I I didn't win much with my putter. And if if you look at my statistics in 04 and 05, it was my worst ball striking years. Um so I think Mike kind of helped me get back to hitting the ball, you know, compressing the ball. My other big thing was I, you know, being from small town Texas, uh Mike coined the term sagina sling, the big draw, the big hook. Saginaw sling. So, you know, that's what he calls it. Yeah, he calls it saginaw sling. I can move this thing right to left. And back then, that's all I hit. I I only hit a hook or a draw, and as the tour was getting better, well, obviously it needs to get long, you know, the courses are getting longer, um, the greens are more firm, um, they're starting to tuck more pins, the scoring is kind of going lower and lower. So I had to figure out how to hit it higher, and I had to figure out how to move it left to right. So I think once I accomplished that, and you could kind of see the progression through 06 and 07, and then it just kind of happened in 08, 08, and that's you know, again, how golf goes. You just never really know when it's gonna happen. Um, but I I learned how to control my golf ball, and I and I learned how to get at pens that I couldn't get at with low with a low hook. So I think that was the big thing. And you know, people talk about my putting and how it's it's it's been pretty average, but really my putting got better when my ball shining got better because that confidence just it just kind of took over everything. And and I wasn't worried about my putting when I was hitting the ball where I wanted to hit it.

Bruce Devlin 3:52

So when you bounce back into the winning uh segment again, 2008 Bell Micro LPGA Classic at Magnolia Grove location. Remember that? And also uh you won you won down in Guadalajara as well.

Angela Stanford 4:08

Oh, that golf course in Guadalajara is beautiful. I love that week.

Mike Gonzalez 4:14

Yeah, that was a win uh over among other people, Annika Sorns to me before Brittany Langby won. And that was uh, I don't know how long this tournament ran, but Lorena Ocho ran an imitational down there, didn't she?

Angela Stanford 4:27

2008 was the first year. I believe it ran through, I want to say 2013 or 2014. Uh Lorena was always the host. I think she played in a few years, but that first year was special because it was a limited field. I believe there were only 32 players, but they were the best players in the world. Uh Annika was there. It was her last kind of chance to win. Um and I remember, so again, this is another one of those zones, you know, from September of 08 through probably March of 09. Um, and there was an off-season in there, which is kind of weird. But I think I reeled off like 10 top tens in a row with three wins. And just you just don't even know what's happening. And the one in 2009, I beat Michelle Wee, which could have been Michelle Wee's first win. So now the question is, is Angela wearing the black hat? Like, is Angela you're stopping Annika for winning her last tournament, you're stopping Michelle from winning her first tournament. Um, but again, that I it's me kind of my chip on my shoulder. And you know, if it always felt like everybody wanted somebody else to win.

Bruce Devlin 5:45

Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 5:46

Well, you certainly demonstrated you you didn't mind going low. I mean, uh you win the Bell Micro, and that was the inaugural edition. You win the inaugural edition of the Lauren Ochoa, uh, jointly holding the tournament scoring record um with a round of minus nine in 2010's final round. Uh you go down to Turtle Bay uh uh in Hawaii and beat Michelle by three at that SPS Open. Uh that was the final edition of that event, and you jointly hold scoring records there with uh three others with a round of minus seven in the opening round of this win. And then uh I think uh for the event you were at minus ten uh also that year, and that's a record.

Angela Stanford 6:27

Yeah, I I don't know. I again there it just seems like when if I could ever just get it rolling, you know, it's like any other golfer. I mean, I but I really believe the key was my ball striking. You know, I feel like I felt the most confident when I could do whatever I wanted to to the golf ball. And I knew exactly where it was going. I knew I could hit it any flag, I knew I was hitting every fairway. I mean, that kind of confidence, once you get to the putting surface, I I mean, of course you're gonna make putts. So um I for me it always started, and and I've had to learn that in my career. It it, you know, for me it always started on the T. It always started on the irons. But as you get older, you have to figure out the short game.

Bruce Devlin 7:11

So yeah, true. That's true.

Mike Gonzalez 7:14

Yeah. So you talk about uh uh you talk about this concept of the zone and this zone you were in in 08-09. Uh, Bruce, we talked to Beth Daniel yesterday, something that most people could not relate to. Uh, but in uh I think it was 8990, she went into her 13-month zone, winning 11 events, uh which is incredible to to to fathom because we know how fickle zones can be. Bruce, what was your longest zone that you recall?

Bruce Devlin 7:43

No, it wasn't very long. Uh well, I think.

Angela Stanford 7:50

But you had one.

Bruce Devlin 7:51

I did. Yeah, it was probably uh probably uh 90, uh 90, 65 and 66. Uh capping off at Colonial when the the win at Colonial was great for me. You know, having having the relationship that I had with Mr. Hogan, it was it was sure fun to win that golf tournament. Uh that was that was a thing that uh was very rewarding for me.

Mike Gonzalez 8:17

So it's awesome. You went three more years uh and now we're at the 2012 HSBC Women's Championship. That was in Singapore, so uh you didn't mind traveling to win, did you?

Angela Stanford 8:29

No, somebody said that to me the other day that you know most of my wins have come from outside of the the continental US. Um, but again, that's I think it's that mentality, you know, that it's me against the world. It's always kind of what it felt like when I, you know, when I would go on the road and um, you know, most of my Solheim cups were out of were in Europe. Uh my Curtis Cup was in Europe. So I don't know. I but I love that. Even when I was playing basketball, volleyball, softball, I loved going to other people's gyms. Like I loved going in and beating them at their home, you know, their home court or whatever. So it's probably just my mentality when I when I go into those situations. And even my caddy in Singapore that year that we won, I remember we had it was like a three playoff, three or four holes of playoff. And every time we would get on the cart and go back, he'd like, all right, come on, we're in their, we're in their gym, we're in their gym. Let's go. I'm like, okay, so he was egging me on.

Mike Gonzalez 9:32

Well, let's get to the big one then, if we can. We're now in 2018. We're at the Avion Championship and again in France. Yeah, in France, and you get your first major championship.

Angela Stanford 9:49

You know, I have to say the thing that I'm the most proud of is that I've been able to play this game at a high level for over 20 years. And the thing that I think is is hard outside of just competing is life, like life in general. And and some people ask, well, why didn't you win more in certain phases? Why didn't you win? Well, there was a lot going on in my life, and to be able to balance, you know, in 2009, my mom is diagnosed with breast cancer in June that year. So, you know, why don't I win again until 2012? Well, there was some adjustment there. There was there was there was something else that was more important. Um and I think sometimes we miss that about professional golfers, you know, the their lives, there's something going on in their lives. It's not just golf. So, you know, the ones that can stay at a high level and play, they they figure out how to manage those things. So, you know, fast forward to to 2018, and I'd started working with Todd Kulb, who's out of South Dakota the end of 2017. And I re I just needed a fresh, fresh look, fresh idea, fresh just everything. And I remember telling him about midway through 2018, I'm like, gosh, Todd, I I feel really great about everything. I don't understand why things aren't coming together because they should be. And I go to France. Um, I remember being scared to death, getting on the plane because I, you know, I knew I was playing good, but okay, to be perfectly honest, it's hard to go overseas. And if you miss a cut, you're just kind of hanging out in a foreign country for a couple of days, and I don't like that. I don't like downtime. So, you know, I go over there, I'm a little nervous. Play okay the first day on Thursday. I think I shot under par, but Friday's afternoon round was the round. That that day, I hit the ball as good as I've ever hit it in a major championship. And and even Saturday, you know, my putting, you know, and I think with Todd, he really focused on my short game. And again, I'm 40 at this point. I'm I'm not hitting it as well as I've always hit it. And he really kind of got a hold of my short game. And it's true. You win majors with your putter. It that's just the truth. I I'm here to tell you, that is fact.

Bruce Devlin 12:21

Yeah.

Angela Stanford 12:21

Because I because I hadn't won a major, and it was always about my ball striking. And when my putting got better, that's when I had a fight or chance. And that Saturday, I'll never forget, I was walking up the 18th, and there was a beautiful sunset, and and I I found myself again in contention for a major. And I remember, you know, my faith and my golf are tightly tied. And I remember saying, Okay, God, I don't care where this takes me, but I'm I'm still with you. Like, whatever happens, it because it's been bad every time. But whatever happens, I'm still here. I'm still with you. And it Sunday was it was it was honestly, I did not know I was leading the tournament until I walked up to the 16th T, the part three, and there's this big board that showed my face and it said T1. And it just kind of hit me like a like a ton of rocks, like, okay, you have three holes to the one thing you've been chasing your whole life. And of course, that totally gets you out of your mindset. Like you're like all and I can see the clubhouse from the 16th T. Like I can see number 18. And so I make a bad swing, I make a mess of that hole. But when I got to 17 T, I it was it was everything, and this is again talk about adversity, talk about all the things that I've had to overcome. I stood on the 17th T and I said, I'm gonna be me. I'm gonna be me, I'm gonna be a fighter, and I'm gonna do whatever I can on these last two holes. Whatever I can. Make a long putt on 17 for Birdie. I hit one of the best T-shots I've ever hit on 18, hit an amazing nine iron in there, and I just barely missed the putt. And I and I remember thinking, Oh, not again. Surely, surely not. But so yeah.

Bruce Devlin 14:27

It worked out great.

Mike Gonzalez 14:28

Bruce had alluded to that earlier because you you uh just for for our listeners to remind them, uh, before that double on 16, you were coming off eagle. So uh eagle, eagle double birdie par finish is sort of an unusual finish.

Bruce Devlin 14:45

Yeah, very unusual. Yeah.

Angela Stanford 14:48

Yeah. And I actually I I went into the clubhouse, signed my scorecard, uh, went to a ladies' room, and and I could hear people talking about where Amy was on 18. And I remember somebody said she hit it left off the T. So I thought, okay, well, she's gonna have to lay up. Well, then somebody said she didn't get it out of the rough, and then I'm thinking, okay, and then I hear she's on the front of the green, and I'm thinking, I we're gonna have to go to a playoff. Like, I'm thinking playoff. Yeah, you know, I think I struggled with how I won in the end. I struggled with watching Amy do that because Amy's a friend. Um, you never want to see somebody do that, and actually asked Mike Wright about it. I'm like, Mike, I I'm having a really hard time with this because she is one of my friends, and and that that was hard. Like that was hard to watch. And he said, you know what? Somebody had to be there, somebody had to be on top of the leaderboard when that happened, and that was you.

Mike Gonzalez 15:50

Yep, yep. I was like, okay, okay. You know, uh Amy was a pretty good college player at North Dakota State, too. She won 20 times, didn't she?

Angela Stanford 16:00

Yeah, oh yeah, pretty decent. And she's a great person. I mean, awesome player, great person.

Mike Gonzalez 16:05

Yeah, so you know, uh one back was was um uh Ernst and uh Kim Seiyoung, Mo Martin, and then of course uh Amy Olsen, who really struggled at the last, and and but you were there to be the beneficiary of that. So you're age 40. I think it was your 76th appearance in a major, which maybe is still an LPGA record. You can correct us if I'm wrong.

Angela Stanford 16:29

I know I think you're correct on that. And uh so yeah, yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 16:34

That puts the two men's leaders in the dust because uh Sergio went 74 before he won the Masters in 2017, and uh Tom Kite went 73 times before he won that uh that Pebble Beach US Open in 1992.

Angela Stanford 16:52

Well, you know, I people have have said I'm pretty stubborn, so I uh I I think I've been very stubborn about my golf career. You know, I I always felt like I was a major champion, but I never had any proof, but I always believed it.

Bruce Devlin 17:07

You do now.

Angela Stanford 17:09

Yeah. I just always believe it. And I think ultimately it's been it's as much as it hurt for 20 years, 18 years, as much as it hurt every time losing. Now it's just it's been an amazing gift.

Bruce Devlin 17:25

Uh yeah.

Angela Stanford 17:26

Exemption. I get to play later into my career. Yeah, not not many professional golfers get to play into their mid 40s, especially as sure.

Mike Gonzalez 17:37

So you win a major championship, you're riding a high, but life keeps happening, and uh your mom's health struggles return.

Angela Stanford 17:47

Yeah, and I think that you know, I I just I believe that that God is in control of all this. I I've always believed that He's He's in total control of my life, and um you know I believe that you know that that was a gift too, that she got to see that. Um And then we get to 2020 and again that that was a relief that I finally won the major. I did not expect to win after that again. I I certainly did not. Um and then COVID hits uh and you know I found out in those six months of not playing that I still had that competitive spirit. Well, the end of 2020 we did play on the LBJ tour, but a lot of people didn't play, a lot of people didn't want to do the testing, um, there it was just a lot more to it, but I wanted to do it. And again, just kind of being overlooked, and you know, we get to Texas in 2020, Volunteers of America tournament gets pushed into that first weekend in December. It was cold. I mean, people don't think Texas gets cold in the winter, it's it gets real cold sometimes. So that first round in December the end of November, December, I just turned 43 years old. My birthday was November 28th. Um I remember that first round was probably the top three coldest days I've been on a golf course. And I every day I kept driving home, and every day I kept thinking, these girls are just gonna let me hang around. I'm just hanging around. Like for some reason, I'm I'm just somebody's not going low. And um winning in front of my mom for the last time was just the coolest, greatest gift I I'll ever have.

Mike Gonzalez 19:42

Yeah, I'm great.

Angela Stanford 19:43

Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 19:44

Well, uh, so that was the that was your your last win, not not necessarily your final win, but at least the most recent win, let's put it that way, in 2020, at the Volunteers of America Classic. And uh a few good players showed up because among others that you beat by two is NB Park. So uh the Yeah, she's no slouch. That's right.

Angela Stanford 20:02

Yeah. I and she had a chance to hole out on 18 or something crazy like that. So uh I I played with Jen Young Ko. I I called Jen Young Ko the New England Patriots of women's golf because she's so good, and but like you feel like she's not doing anything special, and then she you're like signing her scorecard at 65, and you're like, how did you just demolish me when I'm playing right beside you? And I, you know, it's like the Patriots did when Tom Brady was their quarterback. Like, first, you know, first half they're just filling you out, and then they kill you in the second half. So that's Jen Yanko.

Mike Gonzalez 20:39

Well, let's just look back briefly on your on your major career. Um across the majors, you had top fives in at least every major, so uh it wasn't like you weren't competitive. You were you were there. Were there any close calls you kind of looked back on and said, shoulda, woulda, coulda?

Angela Stanford 20:56

Yeah, the there was a year at uh craft, which was the dinosaur, um, there was a huge windstorm. Uh, they called play, and I remember thinking I I was ready that I feel like I was ready that week. And then there was a huge windstorm. And I was in the wave that had to play kind of through it. And that one, um, obviously the 2003 open.

Mike Gonzalez 21:20

Yeah, sure.

Angela Stanford 21:21

Uh, but the one at Broadmoor, I believe it was 2011. I feel like that week I could have won too, but again, there was weather. Uh we got hit with the rain delay you know late. So, you know, looking back now, it all makes sense. But in the moment it was it was hard.

Mike Gonzalez 21:37

Yeah, and Bruce, you know, I mean you you can relate to this just some sometimes you catch the draw at the British Open, sometimes you don't in terms of uh weather.

Bruce Devlin 21:45

Isn't that the truth? Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 21:48

So Angela, let's talk a bit a little bit about more about your Solheim Cup experience because uh uh for you, uh you got to be right there with some of the greats in terms of appearances with six. Uh that's a Lot of uh times to represent your country, which we want you to tell us about. Uh and you had a a wide variety of captains, you know, as you look back on that, from Patty Geehan to Betsy King to Beth Daniel and on and on and on. So tell us a little bit about that experience.

Angela Stanford 22:16

By far the greatest. By far the greatest experiences you're ever going to have on a golf course, come in a Solheim Cup, and I would assume a Ryder Cup as well. Uh Curtis Cup, Walker Cups, things where you get to put on your your colors, like your nation's colors, and you get to go out, you get to be a team. And I always said, look, I get to play with 11 of the women, the best women in the world, and now they get to be my teammates for a week. Are you crazy? Like sign, sign me up every single time.

Bruce Devlin 22:49

I'm ready.

Angela Stanford 22:50

So I am very, very fortunate that, you know, again, my first one's 2003. Patty Sheehan's a captain.

Bruce Devlin 22:57

Yep.

Angela Stanford 22:58

All these older veterans that, you know, just being in the room with them. And uh, I remember my first practice round, I played with Meg and Julie, and I was hitting it everywhere. I literally hitting it all over the planet. And these two ladies are probably thinking, oh my God. What the heck? Like, yeah, how are the world did you get here? So we make the turn and Julie's like, hey, well, why don't we just let's just gamble a little bit? Like, let's just play have$10 birdies or whatever. Um, I'm still waiting for Julie's money. Yeah. If she's listening, we made that turn and we started, you know, trying to make birdies for dollars, and uh she owes me money.

Bruce Devlin 23:46

Okay.

Angela Stanford 23:47

Well she was pretty she was frustrated with me by the end of that day.

Mike Gonzalez 23:53

We're gonna have to remind her of that when we visit with her, aren't we, Bruce? That's right. We uh we will. We will. So that first one being a rookie, uh, what did it feel like going up against Annika in the singles?

Angela Stanford 24:05

I it was the closest thing I think I've ever felt to being in a lion's den. I mean, literally, we're in Sweden for the first time at first O Lime Cup. She's number one in the world. And I mean, they're literally 10 deep all the way around us the whole day. And I remember looking at my poor caddy and I'm like, let's just try to hang with her as long as we possibly can.

Bruce Devlin 24:30

I mean, sure.

Angela Stanford 24:31

Sure, I'd love to beat her, but let's let's be real, let's see how far we can take her and hope that the rest of the team is beating their people. So it didn't, I think I took her to like 16, which felt felt like a win for me, but um yeah, that that was one of the coolest experiences and moments I've ever had. Um I and I just I wanted more. So I missed the team in 05. Say I'm never gonna do that again. Uh make the team again in 2007. Now we're going back to Sweden.

unknown 25:03

Yep.

Angela Stanford 25:03

Uh I didn't play Onika that year, but that was the first time the United States had won on European soil since like 2000. Uh so that was cool.

Bruce Devlin 25:14

Yep.

Angela Stanford 25:14

And then 2009 in America is my first time to play in the States. Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 25:20

Richard's Farms in the Chicago area.

unknown 25:23

Yeah.

Angela Stanford 25:23

And had Beth Daniel. And oh, let me back up. Betsy King was our captain in 07.

Mike Gonzalez 25:28

Yeah, right.

Angela Stanford 25:29

Loved her. Absolutely loved her. She and she had Beth Daniel as an assistant. They were a perfect mix. Betsy was all business. This is what we're gonna do. Period. And Beth would kind of come in and you know, massage it a little bit and say, well, she really meant this or she really meant that.

Bruce Devlin 25:50

Soften it up a little bit.

Angela Stanford 25:51

Yeah, so they so they were great. And I and I love Betsy to this day. I love what she's doing uh with golf for Africa. So she's one of my favorite people. Um 2009, get to play for Beth. And again, Beth is awesome. You know, she's absolutely awesome. Uh, we win in America, and and I then that's that's when I realized there are some challenges to to playing in front of your home fans and the expectations. And we went out first practice round, and people are like clapping and cheering on the fourth hole. And I'm like, I I think I looked at Pat Hurst and I'm like, what are they doing here? Like, I don't understand. It's Tuesday. So um that that was a lot of fun. And then, you know, we go to Ireland in 2011. You know, as much as that was a tough year and that was a tough week, we still almost won in the end. Um so we lose there, come back, play for Rosie there, come back and play for Meg in Colorado in 2013. And, you know, as much as I say I love I love Beth and Julie and Pat, Meg is my she's my favorite. Meg Mallon has been my favorite from the get-go, and I've always looked up to her. Um I just love her, and she's been so nice to me and um anything I've ever needed. She's been right there, and and she's had struggles too with losing family members to cancer, and she just she's just always been right there. So Meg's my favorite. So I play for Meg in 2013, and I just I'm terrible. I I crumble. Like I can't I can't handle the pressure playing for my you know favorite person in the world, and and that hurt because obviously you want to play great for her. Um and then 2015 we go to we go to Germany and we have Julie as the captain and we haven't won um since it was 2009, the last time we won. Go to Germany, and you know, we're down. Like we're we're just getting killed again. And you know, when when the episode happens with Suzanne, and you know, I think that kind of fired everybody up. Um I think it helped that it was Suzanne.

Bruce Devlin 28:14

Yeah.

Angela Stanford 28:15

She's kind of a lightning rod anyway. So I don't know. We just I just went out there and you know, it it was the most magical singles day of of any Ryder Cup Solheim Cup I can I can remember. Now 1999, I understand that Ryder Cup was that probably takes the cake, but the Sunday in Germany in 2015 is pretty good.

Mike Gonzalez 28:38

Yeah, well, we had a chance to talk to uh uh probably over half of that 1999 team about that experience with uh Ben Crenshaw as the captain of Brookline. But you know, you guys were down by four, you win eight of twelve matches on Sunday, tied one, uh, to win probably the closest match to date, right? Yeah.

Angela Stanford 28:57

Oh yeah, for sure. Uh and I have chills when you were talking about 1999. I I just got chills. So it I you know, to be a part of those things that again, you have your country's colors on and and you're representing more than yourself. And for for all of us to come together on that Sunday and just put the pedal down and go, it's unlike any experience. And people say with the major win or a Solheim Cup win, they're way different things. And I I love my major win, but that win in 2015, it just, you know, growing up playing team sports and all that just takes the cake.

Mike Gonzalez 29:39

So here you are, you're you're still grinding it out on the tour. You're not getting any longer. I know I'm not. And uh you're playing against kids less than half your age.

Angela Stanford 29:51

Well, the funny thing is, I don't even realize it. Like I I forget that I'm 44. Um, and I was playing uh I was playing a practice round with Rose Zang at the AIG Women's Open. And she's I said, Rose, because she said something about her birthday or whatever. I said, Rose, how old are you? She's like, oh I'm 19. I was like, Rose, when were you born? Exactly when were you born? She said, Well, I was born in May of 2013 or May of 2003. 2003. I said, okay, May of 2003 was a month before my first victory on tour. And I've come across kids that are 24, 25, and I'm like, I'm 20 years older than you, but it's so much fun. Like I I've enjoyed being around them. Um, I tell my close friends, I said, look, don't let me be the bitter old lady. Like I I want I want what's best for my tour, I want what's best for these kids. Um, so I've loved it. I've I enjoyed being an assistant captain for Solheim in 2017. Um, and I hope to keep keep doing that. I hope I hope I'm in line for you know the captaincy at home.

Bruce Devlin 31:07

So um we'll see. We talked earlier about your being an inductee into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame with Mike Wright, and that obviously was a thrill. But tell us a little bit about the Angela Stanford Foundation. I know you that's one of your great joys in serving in that capacity.

Angela Stanford 31:28

Yes, we started the Angela Stanford Foundation in 2009. Uh, we give scholarships to kids with cancer or family members with cancer. Started mostly because of my mom. Um, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, you know, if she would have been diagnosed when I was a senior in high school or my brother's a senior in high school, we're probably not going to college. I mean, we just we didn't have the financial means to do that. So we're searching for those kids that they're almost too rich but too poor. You know, they kind of fall in that middle class where they're not getting much assistance. Um, and the government's telling them that they're rich enough to to go to school. So uh we're trying to help those kids. And we also had a board member pass away from cancer in 2010. So I was close to her kids, and you know, it just made sense that I've always wanted to help kids, and I I didn't think that cancer would be involved, but um it has been, and it and it's been a blessing. I you know, this year's been really hard. My mom passed away in March, and um we had our scholarship dinner, and for the first time I was there without her.

Bruce Devlin 32:37

So yeah, that's tough.

Angela Stanford 32:40

Yeah, and we have we have our golf tournament coming up in October. That'll be the first time without her, so that's great.

Mike Gonzalez 32:48

It's tough to get through that cycle of first, isn't it? Uh which we all have to kind of start. Very hard. Yeah. So, Bruce, um we have uh uh at least three questions that we like to ask our guests. Uh you want to get started?

Bruce Devlin 33:04

Uh if you had a mulligan, where would you like to take that mulligan?

Angela Stanford 33:14

Uh see, mine would be could I take it away from somebody?

Mike Gonzalez 33:20

No, okay. Jack Nicholas did, as a matter of fact. That's what he came up with with somebody else's shot. Yeah, that's right.

Angela Stanford 33:28

I because I would take that putt away from Hillary in 2003.

Mike Gonzalez 33:33

There you go. There you go. That's a good one. So, okay, so you're 20 years old again. But you know what you know now. What would you do differently?

Angela Stanford 33:48

Um I think I would just be more patient. You know, I I think sometimes my impatient be me being impatient got me in trouble. You know, if if somebody said, Look, you're gonna have this wonderful career, you're gonna get to win a major late in your career. I I think I would have relaxed a little bit. You know, I I feel like I try not to live with any regrets. Um but I think sometimes I just I pressed so hard that I got myself in trouble. And I I think, you know, hindsight's 2020, but if I would have known all of this, I think I just would have relaxed and I would have been a lot more patient and I probably would have w won a little bit more.

Bruce Devlin 34:30

There you go. So the last question how would you like to be remembered?

Angela Stanford 34:37

Oh um I I hope people remember me as one of the good ones, you know, one of the the good people, the good who wanted the best for their tour, who wanted the best for their competitors, who you know, I I think it's hard when you're in the middle of it and you're trying to compete with people, but I hope that people can say she helped the tour instead of she took away from the tour. Um, you know, because I'm I'm learning it takes a lot of people to build a tour, it takes a few to tear it down. Um I don't I don't I want to be in the masses of people that made my tour better.

Bruce Devlin 35:17

There you go.

Mike Gonzalez 35:18

Bruce, that's a great place to leave it to visiting with major champion Angela Stanford.

Bruce Devlin 35:25

Yeah, thank you, Angela. It's been fun having you with us, and uh I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

Angela Stanford 35:31

It's been an honor to get to get the call from you guys and get to be a part of this project. So thank you very much.

Mike Gonzalez 35:38

Thanks for being with us and continued good luck.

Intro Music 35:41

Thank you.

Mike Gonzalez 35:43

Thank you for listening to another episode of For the Good of the Game. And please, wherever you listen to your podcast on Apple and Spotify, if you like what you hear, please subscribe, spread the word, and tell your friends until we tee it up again for the good of the game, so long everybody fairway.

Intro Music 36:18

My head is as long as you're still in the stage you're okay.