Patty Sheehan - Part 4 (3 More 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 well redemption it was. And uh it was actually your third win in a month, and so you were you were on a roll, you had your game going.

Patty Sheehan 0:24

Uh isn't that funny? I don't even remember that. I don't remember any of that.

Mike Gonzalez 0:28

Yeah, yeah. You had another big win, uh, although it wasn't a major officially, but you had another big win uh coming up right after that, Bruce.

Bruce Devlin 0:37

Yeah. Went to uh the Widabicks Women's British Open, huh? That's stress sort of a shame it wasn't a major then, because you know, machine would have had seven.

Patty Sheehan 0:49

Yeah, that's okay. I, you know, yeah, after watching the great tournaments that uh the men played over there for years and years, and seeing how you know, when you come down, the winner is coming down 18 and the crowds crush you in the fairway and all that stuff. It's like, wow, that is so cool, and it's so different from what we do here. Um, but I uh it was funny because I I wanted to play in the tournament, um, but I I contacted the tournament people and they said, Well, you're gonna have to come in through being an alternate or a yeah, you were the sixth alternate, I think. Yeah, I was the sixth alternate when I signed up, and I'm like, dang. Yeah, I don't know if I've ever been an alternate. Anyway, it was a little hard to do.

Bruce Devlin 1:48

US open winner, and what's up with us?

Patty Sheehan 1:52

Yeah, um, so anyway, um, you know, I get uh every week we check, and every week I get a little bit closer, fifth alternate, fourth alternate. And I get to Seattle, uh, the Seattle tournament, and I'm right there at second and first alternate, and I'm thinking, ah, how am I gonna do this if I get in? Because the tournament's the very next week. So um I figure I I find out I'm in, I send Rebecca home to pack all my warmest clothes, brain gear, everything, everything. Just bring whatever you can bring. And so she gets back and we fly over from Seattle, and uh I get there, I have no clubs, um, I'm missing a bag, you know, with clothes. I don't have any of the things that I need to, you know, carry on. So we go shopping, I buy some clothes, I go to the pro shop um the next day, and I ask the pros, hey, do you guys have any clubs I can borrow so I can at least go, you know, play a practice round? And so I buy balls, I buy gloves, I buy uh a reindeer, I buy, I get uh clubs that are D D4 swing weight, way too heavy for me. But I that's all I had. I you know, and I had to make do with what I had. And so I played a practice round, I played a pro-am uh with this guy's clubs, and then uh that afternoon after the after the pro-am came, um all my stuff showed up, and so I could uh have all my stuff before tournament play started on Thursday, which when I got to the range and I hit my own clubs, it was like, oh my god, these feel so amazing. So um I it was just uh you know, one of those weird situations where you're throwing another curveball and you have to figure out how to deal with it. And you know, it worked out. I went and watched uh a brand new movie that was out called A League of Our Own.

Mike Gonzalez 4:20

Sure, oh yeah.

Patty Sheehan 4:21

That was very inspiring to me. I thought that was the coolest thing, and um kept thinking about that as the week went on and um reverting back to, you know, these gals, they made it happen, and they were they they stuck to it and they it didn't let anything get in their way, and they were just so strong, and it was it was a very inspiring movie, and I think I kind of credit that with helping me get through the week and and being able to win. And then as I'm coming down the 18th hole, um it's a par five kind of OB left, ob right, and I'm like, and I have like nightmares about it the night before, so I'm thinking, okay, if I get in a position, I'm hitting two iron off the T. I'm gonna lay up with a seven-iron, I'm gonna hit it on and take whatever I get. And and that's exactly what I did. I I had a four-shot lead and and could kind of waltz down the 18th hole and you know, hit my two-iron and seven-iron and nine-iron. And uh it was it was amazing how the people around me that surrounded me, they were congratulating me, patting me on the back. And I mean, it was just I was crying when I when I finally got through the crowd. I mean, I I was so emotional.

Bruce Devlin 5:44

Yeah.

Patty Sheehan 5:45

That I just I was crying and and I couldn't hardly see to putt, because I, you know, I was fuzzy and anyway. Somehow I got through it. But I mean that what an experience. And I, you know, I've seen it for so many years, and and uh never even gave it a thought that I'd ever play in a a women's British open. So that was amazing.

Mike Gonzalez 6:08

Pretty cool, pretty cool. Well, the next one was a big win. You'll probably remember that one because uh that's the one that got you into the LPGA Hall of Fame.

Patty Sheehan 6:18

Yeah, I I um I remember playing with um with Don Coe and uh Sherry Steinhauer, I believe I played with Sherry and and Don. John Don was always one of my favorites, and uh, you know, the Canadian girls I just love because they're so much fun to play with and they have such a great sense of humor, and um they I just love them. And so I was playing with Don and Sherry, and Sherry's a competitor. She won three Weedabixes or some crazy amount like that and in her career. Anyway um, yeah, I I played pretty well that week. I don't remember a whole lot. I do remember on the uh last day in the 13th hole, um as a par five, I uh I was in the front bunker and two and and hit it out real close and made an easy birdie there. And that kind of started um me to think that I I might be on my way to the Hall of Fame that week. Um I I was getting really excited on 17. I pulled my t-shirt left into the trees, and it's a par four with water in front of the green left, and um, you know, I'm thinking, okay, I gotta hook it around and get uh this and that. And my caddy's like car all again. Yeah, like Patty.

Bruce Devlin 7:47

We're chipping it out.

Patty Sheehan 7:48

Patty, here's what we're gonna do. You're pushing it out and you're gonna tip on, you're gonna make a putt or two putt, and you're still gonna be in the lead.

Bruce Devlin 7:59

Right?

Patty Sheehan 8:00

I'm like, yeah, okay, okay, thank you. Good point.

Bruce Devlin 8:03

We get none of this fancy business, Patty.

Patty Sheehan 8:08

I wasn't thinking clearly for I wasn't thinking clearly at all, and then um then the 18th toll, I hit a real good drive down there, and I hit a seven R and it was just pure, and I hit it like that. And yeah, that was that was a great way to finish the tournament and get into the Hall of Fame.

Bruce Devlin 8:27

That's but that didn't finish the year, did it?

Patty Sheehan 8:29

No, no, what happened after that?

Bruce Devlin 8:32

Oh, just we got another, just a major, yeah. Another major, just another major, another PGA, just your third LPG championship.

SPEAKER_01 8:40

Oh, yeah, that that was uh that was that was the next year, though, right?

Mike Gonzalez 8:45

No, that was '93. And Bethesda Country Club by one over Laurie Merton.

Patty Sheehan 8:52

Oh, yeah, right. Yeah, that was uh that was.

Mike Gonzalez 8:57

And you came back, you were trailing that tournament. You were two down after 54 there. You came back.

Patty Sheehan 9:02

Oh, good. See, I don't remember any of that. All I remember, all I remember is having like a four-footer or something on 18 and uh being so incredibly nervous, and like I was shaking, my hands were shaking. And uh Carl, he's like, You got this.

Bruce Devlin 9:23

Don't don't you've done this a thousand times.

Patty Sheehan 9:26

You've you practiced for putting on the putting green, you made millions of these. You can do this. So he uh he helps he helped me calm down a lot. He was great. Um, such a huge influence in my career. And at the end, uh he worked for me for seven years and he's still my best buddy. He's he's my kid's godfather.

Mike Gonzalez 9:48

So oh cool, yeah, great. You played the Skins game in 1994, the JC Penny LPJ Skins game at uh Stonebriar.

Bruce Devlin 9:58

In Texas.

Patty Sheehan 9:59

Yeah, Texas, yeah, Stonebriar. That was that was fun. I didn't I didn't make skin, I think, till the 18th hole, and that's when I won the whole thing.

Mike Gonzalez 10:08

Nothing like carryovers.

Patty Sheehan 10:10

What's wrong with that? Yeah, that's uh that's the tournament that I decided I was ready to to uh have kids, get kids, whatever it was gonna take to have children and have a family. That that did it for me. I'm like, you know what? I just I just won the skins game, I can have a family now.

Mike Gonzalez 10:32

There you go. Well, let's go to uh let's go to the second women's U.S. Open that you won. This is a 1994 at Indian Wood Golf and Country Club, the old course up in Michigan. It was by one over Tammy Green. Why don't you take us through that one?

SPEAKER_01 10:50

Oh um.

Mike Gonzalez 10:54

My understanding is, and it's not in the notes, but you were five behind Helen Alfredson after 36 holes.

Patty Sheehan 11:03

Yeah, I I I um I don't remember a lot about it. Um I do remember playing there, I don't know, two or four, I don't remember, years prior. So I'd played there before in a in a open. Um and and um liked the golf course a lot. Uh and I don't remember a whole lot about the the first three rounds, the fourth round I'm playing with Tammy Green and uh 15th hole. We're pretty close. I don't remember exactly where we were, but I think it might have been one ahead. I'm not sure, but she had a like a 10-foot putt for Bertie on on the 15th hole, and she left it short. And um and I had I had to mark my ball and and putt out, and I and I walked up real close to her when she was putting out, and I said, I said, I can imagine that there might have been a swear word in in your under your breath on that one. And I and I you know I put it out and and um anyway um I think I I think I may have birdied 16 up some somehow I think clutch birdie on 16.

Mike Gonzalez 12:28

Yeah, you did, yeah.

Patty Sheehan 12:29

Yeah, I I remember making the six uh uh sixteenth birdie uh birdie putt there, and then seventeen is a par long par three. I hit two iron up there, pretty close. I I think I made par, but um that was pretty clutch, two iron. Um and then 18, I think I drove it into the right rough, and I the 18th green there at Indian Wood is like the biggest green I've ever seen. Um and i i in America. I I I've seen them over there in Europe, but um uh in America, this green was huge. And all I was thinking, I think I had a sh one shot lead or something, and I uh just kept thinking, just just get on the green anywhere, it's out of the rough. I'm like, I don't know, I'm nervous, just get it on the green somewhere, and I'm sure you can figure out how to putt. Anyway, my second putt was like seemed like it was five feet or something. And before I hit my putt, I just kept telling myself, you you practice these things every day, every day, every day, every day. And you've made most of them every day, every day. It's you know, the repetition. I just was trying to calm myself, the repetition, you can do this, you do this all the time. So I stepped up and I and I made the putt, and that's when I kind of let loose that I won the open because it was such a relief. Um, and and that that was a exclamation point of US Open wins for me. That was it.

Mike Gonzalez 14:16

Yeah. Well, you were you were one up after 54 holes, and I just wonder if you might remember these words of wisdom from one of your buddies.

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Hollis Stacy 14:25

One time I was um at the US Open, Patty Sheehan was going into the last day. She was leading. I had missed the cut. This was in Orion, Michigan, and she was nervous as heck. And you know, been there, done that. And I went over to Patty and I said, Patty. It's already been decided, you know. You know, being spiritual, you know. All you can do is do your best because the Lord has just already decided what has happened. And so she went out there and she to this day, she says, you know, that was probably the neatest thing anybody has ever said to me. And she went out and she golfed her ball and she played great golf and she won. So and she thanked me for that. But all you can do is your best.

Patty Sheehan 15:20

Yeah, that's true. She came up to me in the locker room and said, It's Patty, it's already been written. And I just sat there, you know, and I don't know if I heard any more that she said to me. I just thought about that and went, okay. And it really, it really calmed me down. Um because, like she said, I was really nervous. Um, but her just, you know, kindness to you know, come over and say something positive. And uh that was good, that was amazing that she would do that. And I I have. I thanked her. I thank her all the time, every time I see her. Thank you for talking to me.

Mike Gonzalez 15:59

Remind our listeners who that was.

Patty Sheehan 16:01

That was Holla Stacy.

Mike Gonzalez 16:03

Three-time winner of the US Open.

Patty Sheehan 16:06

Right, yeah. And she's pretty spiritual. I you know, I'm probably not quite as spiritual as she is, but I do have things that I believe in, and and I believe that things happen for a reason. And and losing the US Open in 90, 1990 was it happened for a reason.

Bruce Devlin 16:24

Yeah.

Patty Sheehan 16:25

And it was to get me to the next level.

Mike Gonzalez 16:27

Yeah. And to the next level you got.

Patty Sheehan 16:30

Yeah.

Bruce Devlin 16:31

Yeah, boy, isn't that the truth? After that open win in uh 95, you had two more victories, and you went to two of your favorite places, Rochester International to win for the fourth time. Right. And then the Safecoat Classic at Meridian Valley for the third time.

SPEAKER_01 16:49

Right, yeah.

Bruce Devlin 16:50

Beating Sherry Steinhauer in Rochester and uh Emily Klein uh in the Safecoat.

Patty Sheehan 16:57

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, those were two two of my big spots. I I won I won uh Rochester four, Safeco three. I think I won three in Sarasota.

Bruce Devlin 17:10

Um Jack Nicholas course, you liked it. You went a couple of times there.

Patty Sheehan 17:14

Yeah, I did. And um, so I guess there's courses for horses.

Mike Gonzalez 17:20

Yeah.

Patty Sheehan 17:21

Um yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 17:23

Well, you had you had one more win in you, and it was a big one because uh it's got such wonderful history, as you you'd kind of uh alluded to at the opener, and so it's a great that we we sort of closed your victories with this one, which was the 1996 Nabisco Dinoshore at famous Mission Hills by one over three pretty good ones here: Meg Mallon, Kelly Robbins, and Anicus Ornsdom.

Patty Sheehan 17:48

That was a big one, yeah. I I grew up watching the Colgate Dinoshore on TV. Um finally went on.

Mike Gonzalez 17:59

David Foster.

Patty Sheehan 18:00

David Foster. Um I went uh to college at San Jose State that one year we all drove down and watched it during spring break. Um it was the only time I really had seen anybody that good play golf. Um, so it was it was it was a place that I had always wanted to play well. And then my parents moved down there. Um like I don't know, they had moved here, moved down here, seemed like the late 80s or something. So they lived here and I would come and practice down here sometimes, and so I kind of made this a little bit my second home. And and uh in '96, um it's when my dad started to uh his health was starting to fail. Um he uh learned that he had cirrhosis of the liver. And I wasn't sure how many more tournaments he was gonna be able to watch. So um being able to win in front of him and mom. And I had a lot of friends down here from Reno, and um it was uh I had my chance. I I I lost a chance. I I I lost in a playoff to Betsy King here uh I don't know I don't know how many years prior to that, but um but I I played really well. Um and then on 18 uh 17 I made a birdie, I hit a good shot up there, made the putt for birdie on the power 317, and then I get to 18 and I'm pretty nervous because this is one that I want, and um so I so I hit my driver uh and I pull it, and from that T by the way, it's the same T the uh championship played last week. Um anyway, I pulled my t-shot and it went, and um it ended up, you know, there's three um palm trees right in the corner of the water, right? Yeah, and there's about six feet in between those trees and the water. My ball ended up in between the trees and the water, and I had a stance. Oh yeah, and I don't know how it was like being spiritual. I was being spiritual then. I was like, thank you, Lord. Um because I had I now had a chance, and and it was a little bit of an uphill lie, but it was a good lie. So I took my four iron, I said, just get it out there in the middle of the fairway, hit my four iron, and I pushed it into the bunker, fairway bunker. So now not good, now I'm getting really wacky and and you know, I don't know what I'm I'm like losing it. I'm gonna choking. I'm choking. I don't want to choke. This is my tournament I want so bad. So then I get up there and I take my nine iron. I probably have a hundred and I don't even know, 118 yards or something to the flag. I take my nine iron and I, you know, try to get it out and I pull the heck out of it. So the pin is back right, and now I am front left on that green. I'm like, oh no.

Mike Gonzalez 21:49

Yeah, I get up there and I'm so nervous.

Patty Sheehan 21:55

I'm afraid I'm gonna whiff the putt. It's so you know, you have to take such a big swing. To hit this hundred-foot putt. And so I hit it and it gets over the rise and it comes down about, I don't know, pretty good, I guess, 12 feet away or something. And then I'm standing back, I'm waiting for Brandy Burton and whoever else I was playing with that day. I forget. And I am just, my heart is pounding out of my chest, and I'm so nervous. And I said to Carl, I said, Carl, you should feel how hard my heart is pounding out of my chest. And he says, Well, wait till you make this putt, and then you'll be able to really feel your heart.

Bruce Devlin 22:36

There you go.

Patty Sheehan 22:37

And I'm like, that was catty extraordinaire right there. Yeah, boy, what I thought in my head that I was gonna make the putt. And I did. Um, and I did a uh round off cartwheel round off type of thing, and um, that was the second time I'd done that. My first tournament and my last tournament.

Bruce Devlin 23:00

Cool. And you did, and you did it, you went for a little swim too.

Patty Sheehan 23:03

Uh well, I I walked at you know, Poppy's Pond was not a real pool by then, it was still a mucky gross.

Bruce Devlin 23:12

That's not good.

Patty Sheehan 23:13

So I'm like, yeah, and some of the players had gotten um uh infections from it, you know, from going in there.

Mike Gonzalez 23:21

It wasn't like a swimming pool.

Patty Sheehan 23:23

I don't want to go in there, but I'm like, I have to. So I take off my shoes, my belt, um, and and socks, and I walk in there with a trophy. I didn't get my head under that water or anything.

Bruce Devlin 23:35

I just yeah, good idea.

Patty Sheehan 23:37

So that's that was you know my attempt at celebration in the in the mucky water. Um, and consequently, since then I've gotten to jump in twice. Um, I've been asked to jump in cool twice. So I I got to redeem that special memory. And I the last time I went in, I did a flip.

Mike Gonzalez 23:58

Cool.

Bruce Devlin 23:59

Cool.

Patty Sheehan 24:00

Last year at the tournament.

Bruce Devlin 24:01

Why not? Right? Why not?

Mike Gonzalez 24:03

Why not say goodbye to Mission Hills for that tournament, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Patty Sheehan 24:08

It was sad, yep. There's a lot of people that are pretty upset about it.

Mike Gonzalez 24:13

So, Patty, let's talk a little bit about Solheim Cup. Uh, as a player, I think you were able to participate uh four times and then uh uh as captain uh in 2002 and 2003. So you had the pleasure of playing on the inaugural team captain by none other than Kathy Whitworth.

Patty Sheehan 24:34

Yeah, that was so much fun. Um, you know, we had no idea what we were doing. Uh we're this we're you know, she and she was so funny and she was so humble and um she was just great, and you know, we all thought we were pretty hot stuff. Uh the American team did, and and we we played really well and and we beat them very soundly. Um, but just being with Witt um was wonderful. Early in the week, she you know, we had all of our uniforms in our room, and and uh she called Rebecca and me into her room and she's like, Hey, I'm just wondering if you guys can help me, you know, choose which uniforms for which day. Well, I I guess we could. I have never done that before. And I thought that was your job, Witt. But like, well, I want to get some input from you guys. So uh yeah, I was she was she was great, she she had wonderful words of encouragement, and she was right out there on the tees giving us advice, you know, what other people were hitting, and you know, at that time that they were only allowing one captain, and and that was it. Um they had eight players and really didn't need any more than one captain, and she was wonderful.

Mike Gonzalez 26:07

Yeah. Did you have any idea back in 1990 what this event was gonna become?

Patty Sheehan 26:12

No, we didn't. We didn't we didn't realize it was gonna become anything, um, because it was brand new. We weren't sure how long the Solheims were gonna be involved and you know if it was gonna be something that would take off if the American or if the if the golfing public would like it. Um but apparently they did, and it's it's a wonderful, incredible uh event uh that I'm actually gonna go over to in Spain this year. And I've never been to Spain, and I really look forward to the trip.

Mike Gonzalez 26:48

Ah, cool, cool. Yeah, you played go ahead, Rip Bruce. Sorry.

Bruce Devlin 26:52

Uh I was gonna say Mr. Solheim uh is quite uh interesting individual, has had a has got his stamp on this game of golf for sure.

Patty Sheehan 27:01

He does. Uh he he is a he was a brilliant, brilliant guy. And yeah, um, you know, just as meek and mild and kind as as they come and loved women's golf and really supported women's golf. And you know, we're so grateful to the Solheim family um for making this event as big and and as popular as it is.

Mike Gonzalez 27:29

Was captaining harder or easier than playing in the event?

Patty Sheehan 27:32

Way easier. No question about it.

Mike Gonzalez 27:35

You didn't hit any shots?

Patty Sheehan 27:37

I didn't miss a shot. It was great. All right, you guys, go play, win your point.

Mike Gonzalez 27:44

Yeah, yeah, do your thing, huh?

Patty Sheehan 27:46

Yeah, it was fun. I I enjoyed it. Um being in Interlochen, what a great course that was, too, uh outside Minneapolis. Uh wonderful event. And we came from way behind to to win on the last day. Uh that was that made me look really smart, but you know, the guys, the gals that played uh won their points and came from behind. It was it was really special. And I appreciated them, you know, dedicating their win and and and doing everything they could to get their points. So it was great, a great experience. I loved being a captain. Um I I enjoyed playing too, but it was nerve-wracking. Um, you know, and I I was like I've said many times, the nervous type. I'd get really jumpy and nervous and stuff, and and it was, you know, playing for your country is a different animal.

Mike Gonzalez 28:45

Yeah. Yeah. That adds a little pressure, doesn't it?

Patty Sheehan 28:48

Yeah. I had enough pressure. I put enough pressure on myself. I I didn't need any more, but it sure was a a huge load to carry and represent your country.

Mike Gonzalez 28:58

Yeah, yeah. So you retired uh uh from uh the regular tour, but you played uh you played a few events on the Legends tour, didn't you?

Patty Sheehan 29:07

I did. I I I uh you know, I went home um just uh another sidebar, I I went home, uh retired from the tour because I was out playing uh tournaments and I was miserable because I had two young children. Um and they traveled with me quite a bit. Uh, but I when I was when I was at the golf course, I felt like I needed to be home with them. And when I was home with them, I felt like I should be out practicing and playing. And so I had this real um mess of uh uh emotions. Um I couldn't seem to get you know my priorities straight when they needed to be, you know, and compartmentalize everything and do one at a time and then go home and be good at that. And so I just couldn't do it. And I said, there's something's gotta give. I was crying on the golf course, trying to play golf, and I said, I'm miserable out here. I gotta go home. Um, something's gotta give, and it's not gonna be my family. So I went home after 20 20 solid years of playing the tour. Uh, best thing I ever did was to go home and be with the kids. Um, I did primarily everything with them. I took them to school. I was a crossing guard at school. Um, nobody got killed on my watch, thank God. But I did still want to compete a little bit, and and as as rusty as I got, I still tried, but then I got to a point where it's like, I I just can't even compete out here anymore either. So I'm gonna I'm just gonna go home and I'm gonna I'm gonna be retired. That's it. I'm done.

Mike Gonzalez 31:00

So what what fills the days and the time uh in retirement? What do you enjoy doing and what what keeps you active?

Patty Sheehan 31:07

Uh I enjoy doing nothing.

Mike Gonzalez 31:09

Good. I love that. There you go.

Intro Music 31:11

Yeah.

Patty Sheehan 31:12

Um I enjoy reading. Uh I I love to garden, and I've I've always loved to garden. Um in my our house up in Reno, I had a huge vegetable garden, and I just love that. And that was my that was my grounding, you know, get out and dig in the dirt. And I love that. I don't have that anymore, but I still get out and do some gardening. Um, I've got a place here in in Mission Hills and Palm Springs and take care of a few things in the garden. Um I have a place in Tahoe. I don't have any responsibility. Um, it's all natural outside the cabin, so I don't have to worry about anything there. But I I have a place in um Santa Barbara too, and and beautiful gardens in there. And uh so I tend to those a little bit. And um I play two or three times a week if I can.

Bruce Devlin 32:07

Yeah.

Patty Sheehan 32:07

Um, I enjoy playing in nice weather. I don't enjoy playing in rain no. I won't play in rain anymore. I don't have to play in rain anymore. Um, but I love it.

Bruce Devlin 32:18

Does it have does it have to be as warm as your age to play?

Patty Sheehan 32:25

I never thought about that, but that's a good point. Yes, it's it's as warm as my age.

Bruce Devlin 32:31

Yeah, it's it's close for me, I'd say. And for those of you who don't know, Patty is a uh honorary master gardener as well.

Patty Sheehan 32:41

Yeah, I somebody gave me that title. I don't remember who, but I appreciate it. I'm I'm really I don't know that much about it. I just know that I love digging in the dirt and I had composts, and you know, I tried to do my best. And they gave me this book, it's about this thick, you know, of being a master gardener. Never studied it, never looked into it really much, but I've really enjoyed doing that. And um I I love to get out and play golf now with my friends. Um, I've met some good people, some good players down here at Mission Hills. They're low handicaps, and every time I play with them, they beat me. So I've got to start playing and practicing a little bit more if I don't want to keep losing those dollar bills.

Mike Gonzalez 33:26

Uh well, I'll tell you what, Bruce, uh, if we had an extra half an hour, we could read through all of the awards and accolades that have been bestowed upon Patty Schubert.

Bruce Devlin 33:35

Quite unbelievable.

Mike Gonzalez 33:36

I mean, some of the some of the highlights, I guess. We talked about the Sports Illustrated Sports Person of the Year in 1987, but uh, you know, LPGA Hall of Fame, World Golf Hall of Fame inductee in 1993. I think the Patty Berg Award is pretty cool.

Patty Sheehan 33:51

That was special. Yeah, I I knew Patty, and you know, she uh it's funny. I I've got a story about Patty that um uh I was at uh at Bethesda for the women's um uh LPJ Championship, the one that I won, and I was uh um playing a practice round uh and I was snap hooking everything, it was plain terrible. And I came, I I played the back nine first in a practice round and came up to the first T, and who's sitting in the bleachers all by herself but Patty Berg? And I said, Oh, Patty, I need a lesson. And so all right, well, you know, hit a couple off the first tee, let me see what you're doing. So I did, and I snapped a couple off of the tee, and I'm like, that's what I'm doing. And so she was getting an award that evening, and so we all show up, you know, for dinner and and hear Patty speak and and her funny jokes and everything. But she came up to me uh that night and she tapped me on the shoulder and she was short, she's like this tall to me, and I'm short. Yeah, she's tapping me on the shoulder, and she's like, Patty, I've been thinking about your swing. And I have she says, Yeah, you need to learn to cut the ball. You're right, I do need to learn to cut the ball. And she says, and another thing, you need to check your posture in the mirror. I'm like, okay, I'll do that. Something else, but she was so cute and she was so thoughtful about it, and she thought about it all day, trying to figure out what she could say to me that would help me. And I ended up winning the tournament that week.

Mike Gonzalez 35:43

How cool is that! Yeah, nice, that's nice.

Patty Sheehan 35:46

She straightened me out.

Mike Gonzalez 35:48

As as we wrap up, Bruce, as you know, we always have three questions that we like to ask our guests, and I'm gonna let you know, I'm gonna let you go first, and I think I might know the answer.

Bruce Devlin 36:00

So, my first question is if you knew what you know now when you first went out on the tour, what would you do differently? Uh I would probably or would you?

Patty Sheehan 36:17

I I I wouldn't do a whole lot different, but I would probably do more sightseeing. Um, I traveled around around and didn't get to see very much, but airports, hotels, and golf courses. And I was in some spectacular places, and I didn't get to see what uh is there. So I would have taken a little bit of time to do that.

Mike Gonzalez 36:41

That's a great answer. That's a great answer. Unique. If you've not heard that, I think that's a great answer. And it's it's not what I expected. I thought you might say something about I would I would have managed taken care of my body, you know, throughout the a round of golf and learned a little bit more about you know maintaining that level level kind of uh uh being to avoid uh you know what's happened a few times when you said you ran out of gas.

Patty Sheehan 37:06

Yeah, I mean that's that that's a good answer too.

Bruce Devlin 37:09

Um but I unlock your first one.

Patty Sheehan 37:12

Thank you. I've always regretted that I didn't get to see more than I saw.

Mike Gonzalez 37:15

Yeah, yeah. That's wonderful. All right, we're gonna give you one career mulligan. Where do you take it?

Patty Sheehan 37:22

Oh man. Uh there could be a lot of them. I I I I need a lot of mulligans. Um I don't know. I think maybe uh the first time I had a chance to win the dinosaur uh when I three-putted to lose to Betsy King in the playoff. That that it was a look like a three-foot putt, and I missed it. So maybe that. I don't know if I'd have won, but you know.

Mike Gonzalez 37:50

Yeah, that could have made a big difference though.

Patty Sheehan 37:52

Yeah, that was that was would have been a good one to have.

Bruce Devlin 37:57

Last one. You ready?

Patty Sheehan 37:59

Yeah.

Bruce Devlin 38:00

How would you like people to remember Patty Sheehan?

Patty Sheehan 38:05

Um I think I would I I think I I would hope that people remember me as being um fun to play with, um easy to be around.

Bruce Devlin 38:21

Uh and one hell of a player.

Patty Sheehan 38:28

Hopefully humble. Um yeah, a good player, but I I you know I think those other qualities are are more important than being a a a good player.

Bruce Devlin 38:39

Well, uh all I can say is uh you've had a fabulous career. You've given of your time today to Mike and I. Like, I mean, it's been wonderful, Patty. Thank you so much for your time and uh uh Godspeed.

Patty Sheehan 38:53

Thank you, Bruce, and I have enjoyed meeting you, even though we're uh not face to face. I can see you and it and I've always admired you. And Mike, thank you so much for helping me uh learn a couple of things about my computer and setting us this thing up, and I really appreciate that. And I really appreciate you guys asking me to be on, and and I'm I'm very grateful for that.

Mike Gonzalez 39:17

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.

Intro Music 39:38

Whack down the fairway. It went smack down the fairway, and it started to slic just smitch off line. It headed for two, but it bounced off nine. My caddies, as long as you're still in the state, you're okay.