Donna Andrews - Part 2 (The 1994 Nabisco Dinah Shore)
In Part 2 of our captivating four-part conversation with LPGA star and major champion Donna Andrews, we dive into the early years of her professional journey and the pivotal moments that defined her rise on tour. From navigating the road in a trusty conversion van with an atlas at her side to staying with host families across the country, Donna shares a vivid portrait of what life was like as a young pro in the pre-GPS era.
We explore the grind of rookie life, the lessons learned from traveling, qualifying, and adjusting to life on the LPGA Tour—and then we follow Donna as she breaks through for her first win at the 1993 Ping Cellular One Championship in Portland. She walks us shot-by-shot through that memorable week at Columbia Edgewater and relives the nerves, the fighter jets overhead, and the broken window that helped ease her tension en route to victory.
Her momentum builds as she quickly validates her breakthrough with a second win in Tucson just months later, then rides that confidence into her career-defining triumph at the 1994 Nabisco Dinah Shore. Donna candidly recounts the drama of that Sunday showdown with Dame Laura Davies, the wrong club that nearly derailed her, and the clutch putt that sealed her first major title. And yes—she tells the story behind restarting the now-iconic tradition of jumping into Poppie’s Pond.
With warmth, humor, and deep insight, Donna reveals how her belief in herself evolved, how friendships and rivalries shaped her, and how the unique spirit of women’s golf in the 1990s continues to resonate today.
This episode is a must-listen for fans of the LPGA, major championship lore, and the timeless stories that define the game.
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About
"FORE the Good of the Game” is a golf podcast featuring interviews with World Golf Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around the game of golf. Highlighting the positive aspects of the game, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by PGA Tour star Bruce Devlin, our podcast focuses on telling their life stories, in their voices. Join Bruce and Mike Gonzalez “FORE the Good of the Game.”
Thanks so much for listening!
Andrews, Donna
Golf Professional and Instructor
When Donna Andrews was 26, she had a decision to make. She had just sunk a six-foot birdie putt on the final hole of the 1994 Dinah Shore to clinch her first LPGA major championship. She signed her scorecard and gave a television interview, but the gallery at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., wasn’t going to let her slip back to the locker room to celebrate. There was a tradition to uphold: A dip in Poppie’s Pond.
Since 1988, when Amy Alcott convinced her caddie to spontaneously jump into the lake near Mission Hills’ 18th green, the Dinah Shore champion had taken the plunge. Andrews couldn’t turn down her chance.
“I was dry when I signed my card and did TV, but then the crowd was yelling for me to go in,” Andrews told the Washington Post. “Anything to please the crowd.”
Andrews’ major victory was of no surprise to anyone who had followed her amateur career, in particular, her success in Virginia State Golf Association events. Andrews, a native of Lynchburg, won her first VSGA Junior Girls’ Championship in 1983, starting a seven-year run of dominance on the Commonwealth’s golf scene. She won another junior girls’ title in 1984 and grabbed her first VSGA Women’s Amateur Championship title in 1985.
She won four more Women’s Amateurs before turning professional in the summer of 1989. Andrews, who played at the University of North Carolina, also won three VSGA Women’s Stroke Play Championships, leaving her with 10 career titles. She’s the only woman in VSGA history to have won 10 championships.
She won six times on t… Read More
