Sherri Steinhauer - Part 1 (The Early Years and the 1992 du Maurier Classic)

Intro Music 0:07

Straight down the middle. It went straight down the middle. Then it started to play.

Mike Gonzalez 0:16

Welcome to another edition of FORE the Good of the Game and Bruce Devlin. A couple things come to mind. First of all, this is, I believe, our fourth player, accomplished player, very accomplished player from the state of Wisconsin. And secondly, this lady is probably the most, I would say, serious pickleball player that we've had on the program.

Bruce Devlin 0:38

Yeah, how about that? Well, you know, some she she's a uh she's won ten times uh professionally, eight of them on the uh LPGA, two major championships, but we're gonna get into something today where I think we could probably count her as a four-time major champion. Uh and we are so glad to have her. Wisconsin Daddy went to the University of Texas. Sherry Steinhauer, thank you for joining Mike and I. We look forward to chatting with you today. And again, thanks for joining us.

Sherri Steinhauer 1:12

Well, thank you, Bruce. Thank you, Mike. Thanks so much for having me. I look forward to this and just love what you guys are doing. I've uh listened to quite a few of your episodes, and and they are fascinating. I have uh really enjoyed them. So looking forward to this.

Mike Gonzalez 1:29

Well, we we certainly are too. And uh for our listeners, I'll mention the other Wisconsinites that I alluded to. I'm sure Sherry is good buds with all of them, starting off with Martha Nowsey, who was a major champion, won the 94 de Maurier, and then uh Andy North, who, as most people recall, won a couple of U.S. opens in 1978 and 1985. Uh, and then Steve Stricker, who was our most recent winning Ryder Cup captain.

Bruce Devlin 1:54

Yeah, how do they how do they make him so good in Wisconsin? That's what I'd like to know. You ought to get to play four months of the year.

Sherri Steinhauer 2:02

I know, I don't, I don't understand it either. I guess you've got to come drink the water, but uh, we're very, very fortunate. Um, the players that have come out, and they're all dear friends of mine, and and uh just really proud of what Wisconsin has produced.

Mike Gonzalez 2:18

Absolutely. I think before we finish, we'll certainly touch on what's happened with golf in Wisconsin because it's been quite exciting lately and uh it's becoming one of uh one of the golf mechas, I guess, around the world, really, in terms of the quality of the golf, the quality of the golf courses, the number of major events they're hosting. Uh we'll talk about Manuel De La Torre, who was the great, great teacher from Milwaukee Country Club that uh uh impacted at least two of the four of you, and we'll get into that in terms of uh some of the teaching. But Sherry, we like to just kind of go back to the beginning. We know you were born in Madison, Wisconsin, and we'd like to just kind of have you take us through your early life, how you got exposed to the game, a little bit about how family might have been involved, and so forth.

Sherri Steinhauer 3:05

Yeah, I was uh very lucky. Um had four older brothers, and my mom and dad played the game, and I came, my four brothers came, my mom had them in five years, four boys in five years, and uh I came five years later. So they the oldest brother didn't play as much golf, but the other the other three did. And um uh and the reason is is because they didn't join the club until later, and and so he he was into baseball and other sports and all. But by the time I was about six, they were at the club and they were playing, and I had the choice that mom would say, Do you want to stay home with a babysitter or do you want to come to the golf course with the family? And I said, Well, I want to come to the golf course. So that's how I got introduced to it. And what happened was I used to watch my brothers and I used to watch them hit the way they hit the ball and the way when they hit it in the trees and how they would hit it out. Really, I just found that amazing how they would hit these shots. And as I got older, that's what I would do. I would go in the trees and practice all this, all these shots and all. But um, so I got started through my brothers, and then uh we had an amazing junior program when uh, you know, growing up, and when I was eight years old, I was a I was a two-holer. And I can remember uh my first day on a Friday morning, and we would all go and you go down to the driving range, and our pro would walk up and down the range and give lessons to all of us juniors and just give us a tip before we would we would go out. And so that day, um, you know, he I noticed that he had taken a taken a liking to me, which was um that that uh felt real good for me and and thought maybe, you know, I maybe I'm good at this or whatever. And I went out my first day and I played the two-holer and I win. And at that time you want to dime. And so I took that dime and I came home for dinner and I told my dad I wanted to add to the family finances, and I gave my dad that dime, and um, I'm sure that went a long way, but uh that really instilled the the fire in me. I just thought that was the greatest thing, and uh by the time I was 12, that's when I knew I wanted to be a professional golfer, and and that's how I got started.

Bruce Devlin 5:42

Yeah, that early. You know, we we've we we found a lot of our great players play other sports. Did you did you play any of the other sports as a young lady?

Sherri Steinhauer 5:52

I did. I played basketball, um, really enjoyed that. I loved the team aspect of of basketball, and it gave me a different perspective of sports, of a different sport, and which I think was very helpful with with golf. And then you go to this individual sport, and uh I I enjoyed the individuality of the game of golf. It was all me. You know, if anything went wrong, it was I only had one person to blame, and that that was myself. So, but uh playing with the teammates was was very important and learning how to how to do that too. So I played basketball and then I tried softball, but I I just kept hitting under the ball. I could I, you know, I really am pretty good hand-eye, but softball, I just wasn't a good batter. You know, I was good at throwing and all that, but I wasn't a very good batter. So I played a little bit, but not much. Basketball was my other sport.

Mike Gonzalez 6:51

So as a youngster, as your game sort of progressed and you got better, was it sort of a linear progression or were there step changes and sort of aha moments as you started figuring out parts of the game?

Sherri Steinhauer 7:04

Yeah, I think um, you know, the aha aha moment for me, like I said, was when I was 12 years old. I played in the um state uh state junior championship, and I qualified for the championship flight. I think I shot like 80 or 81, but I qualified for the championship flight, and then it went into match play, and I played against this gal Andrea Welch, and it was my first match, and um we went all the way to 18 and it was a playoff. And the first hole is a dog leg left. And the reason I know this, it was at my home club, so I I I I remember this very well. And the first hole was a dog leg left par four. And I said to my mom, I said, Mom, what I said, I can't get past the corner, and Andrea can get past the corner and hit it in two. And my mom said, just go ahead, just play how you play and do the best you can. And I hit it down, next one I had to hit around the corner, then on the green, and I two putted for five, and she hit it on in two and made four and and beat me. But I knew right then that that's what I wanted to do. And I still remember being interviewed by I can still remember his name, Mike Lucas, the reporter, and him asking me, and I said I want to be a professional golfer. So that's when that's when it was all set in motion, and then I just my life was just everything was geared around golf and and and you know, all the steps to get there. Now I was very fortunate because at Nakoma Golf Club, our pro there, Alan Mitchell, who I said on those Friday mornings took an interest in me, and he continued to take an interest in me. And he was uh at that point my only my only teacher. And um so he really helped me along the way. And he he guided me on what tournaments to play in, and uh I decided I wanted to go play nationally, and and he helped me with that to figure out which tournaments and and helped me with getting into into college. He wrote, you know, a letter and and helped me decide which college I want to go to. So um Alan Mitchell was extremely influential in me as a as a youngster.

Mike Gonzalez 9:24

So you were you able to play in high school on a on a women's team, or did they have a women's team at your high school?

Sherri Steinhauer 9:30

Yes, they did. And it's funny, I was just uh texting with a gal from Milwaukee who played on another team in Milwaukee uh at the same time that I did. And we were talking about how incredibly lucky we were at the time that we went through high school, the competition and how good it was. I I don't think there's been another period of time that has had such great competition. I mean, you had to shoot 70s, and back then that's you know, that was uh 78 to 81 in there, 77 to 81. Uh, those were pretty good scores for gals. And so I was just very, very fortunate. My high school uh had I had we had another player who really pushed me hard, Chris Regenberg, and and the other schools uh had very good teams. And so high school was, you know, like I said, I was lucky. I mean, I'm lucky I had the four brothers and my parents who, you know, asked me to go play golf, and then I had such good uh competition growing up as a junior that continued into high school. So yeah, played on the on the high school team and then just went on to college, University of Texas after that, the natural progression.

Mike Gonzalez 10:54

Yeah, so the reason I asked the question, and and Bruce and I have had this come up with a number of the ladies, depending on where they were on the calendar, but you kind of put a pin in 1972 and Title IX coming around, and the world changed, but in some states it really didn't change that quickly, and so oftentimes you found these uh women that uh uh to compete and compete at a higher level, they needed to join a men's team either in high school or college to find the kind of competition they were looking for.

Sherri Steinhauer 11:21

Right, right. I was fortunate. I it was all in place, I didn't have to go through that, and that would have been uh, you know, that would have been tough. I know I know that um in the summers, I my brothers all played baseball, and I used to run the bases when they were when the after the game, and and I used to throw the ball and whatever, and it got to the point where the coaches were, you know, went to my mom and said, you know, we want her on our team. And my mom said, no, she's not doing that. She put the kibosh on that. She wanted me to say, you know, if I was gonna compete, it was gonna be against the girls and not the guys.

Mike Gonzalez 12:01

Yeah. So how did you decide on the longhorns? Take us through that decision process.

Sherri Steinhauer 12:07

I sent out letters uh to different colleges, and basically I received letters back from LSU, University of Florida, University of Wisconsin, and University of Texas. So I went and visited the University of Florida and I visited Texas, and um I knew I couldn't play in Wisconsin. I would have loved to uh played in Wisconsin, but I knew that I had to go somewhere south where I could play all year round and and um really test my skills of if I was up for that. You know, only playing five months a year. I didn't even know how I was gonna do year round. So uh, you know, I just really liked Texas and and the program and the players, and um so I ended up choosing University of Texas and it was a it was a very good decision. Um, you know, again, um I grew up very shy. Toughest thing to do was, you know, getting out of that car when my parents dropped me off. I couldn't believe, I really couldn't believe they were doing it. I really didn't think it was gonna happen. And I remember watching that car pull away and and years later, um, my parents told me that my dad said to my mom, don't turn around. And I I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe they didn't, you know, they just drove off and that was that was it. And uh, you know, it was very, very, very difficult. But with the University of Texas, they had a program called the Adopted Parents Program. So any any college athlete, any athlete um that came from out of state was assigned an adopted parent, adopted parents. And uh I and I again I lucked out, I got the greatest people. And to this day, um Mr. and Mrs. Osteen and Mr. Osteen, he passed away a few years ago, unfortunately, but Mrs. Osteen is still living, and I still talk to her every couple weeks. You know, it's very special, and and that really helped me get through, you know, that freshman year and being a thousand miles from home.

Mike Gonzalez 14:26

So, who were some of the named players that you found yourself up against in your collegiate days that uh you then found yourself competing with on the tour later?

Sherri Steinhauer 14:35

Let's see, on my team, we had quite a few that went on to the tour. Um, Cindy Fig Courier, Nancy Ledbetter, Ramsbottom, um Kim Shipman, Lisa DePolo. Um all of them were on my team and they they ended up on tour at at some point. And then uh trying to think who I played against. Kathy Guadanino, she went to the University of Tulsa. Uh Jodi Anschutz, who um was Jody Rosenthal, who had a decorated junior career. Uh she ended up on tour and competed against her. Um I'm just trying to think. I'm drawing a blank a little bit. But uh uh, our my freshman year, we came in second in the AIAW National Championship. That was our biggest success. Um and I went to if our team didn't go to nationals, I went to nationals every year. So um, but we had we had quite a few wins, and Texas was a was a great team and and really prepared me. And most of all was the idea of going down there and playing in that Bermuda grass, which I had no idea what I was doing.

Bruce Devlin 15:58

A little different, a little different, yeah.

Sherri Steinhauer 16:00

Yeah, it it sure is. So that was a that was a huge help too to experience that in college.

Mike Gonzalez 16:08

Yeah, well, you had five wins uh in college, you were an all-American in 1985. Who was your major influence uh on the development of your game during your collegiate years?

Sherri Steinhauer 16:19

During my collegiate years, uh I would have to say, you know, coach wise, uh, our coach was great. Uh we had a relationship with her until she passed away a few years ago. And she was a just a great, great gal, tough, tough, but you know, her influence was teaching me how to live day to day on my own. And and and that was, you know, that was really big. But through college, I still continued with Alan Mitchell. He uh, my pro from Nakoma Golf Club, he continued with me through through college.

Mike Gonzalez 17:00

So at some point, uh your game continues to develop, you're playing pretty well, you're you're competing well in college, having some success. And uh, I guess from age 12 you thought you were going to be a professional golfer, but but when does that start getting real deep into your collegiate career and you start making some specific plans on what I need to do to get to that next level?

Sherri Steinhauer 17:22

Well, uh it was just a progression, you know. When I when I played summer golf, my parents said I could go to three national tournaments, which is crazy. I mean, today I think they play every week, but I played three national tournaments a summer, and it was just everything was a barometer for me, was to check how I did against the competition. And as long as I could compete against them, I felt like I was on the right track. So that happened in my junior golf in in the summers, and then in in um in college, competing at the national level. It was another barometer that I felt like I was, you know, on the on the right track. Um, you know and and after college, it it's just the natural progression then to go and try to get your card. I I played uh mini tour golf for that summer right out of college. And after that, you just go to Q school. And fortunately, I was successful my first time and ended up tying for first in that going out on tour, thinking I, you know, got this. I made about $7,700 and back to Q school I was. So the funny thing is though, when I went back to Q school, I said, Oh well, I'll just go back and try this again. And my dad says, you know, he he helped me get started in the game, and I just assumed he was gonna be there, and you know, if I when I needed the help, and he says to me, he goes, This is it. He goes, You get one more chance. Uh you know, and I and it was the best thing he did because I realized that I'm not I've got to do it now. And fortunately I I qualified the second time on got the last slot and went out on tour and I could support myself the rest of the the rest of the time. So 26 years, 25 years, I guess I had left then. So yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 19:38

Well, just before turning professional, you had a chance to play in the women's U.S. Open at Cedar Ridge uh Country Club. That's the year that uh in 83 the Jan Stevenson won, but you were the low amateur. That had to be one of those uh measurement points you were referring to.

Sherri Steinhauer 19:54

Absolutely. It it absolutely was. And my parents tell me it's funny, I remember it was like the third holes dog leg left. My parents were back behind the green, and and our group walked up, and my dad goes, You can't believe what these what these people said. They're looking at the program and they're looking at the names, and they they go, Well, this is the no-name group.

Bruce Devlin 20:23

So that's funny.

Sherri Steinhauer 20:25

That was that was pretty funny. But uh, we played a college tournament there at Cedar Ridge, so I felt like I had a little advantage. I I knew the course pretty well, and uh, you know, was fortunate to be low amateur, and and and of course that gave me a lot of confidence, uh knowing that I was on the right path.

Mike Gonzalez 20:45

Right, yeah. Well, as Bruce mentioned at the top, uh you had 10 professional wins, including eight LPGA tour victories. Uh we'll talk about your two major wins because the first one happened to be your first LPGA win, which was the 92 de Maurier.

Bruce Devlin 20:59

Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 21:00

Uh we're also gonna talk about your success overseas uh quite a few times. Uh but uh uh little bit of time elapsed from the time you turned professional, joined the PGA or the LPGA tour in '86, the time you got that first win. So uh take us through those first few years. And you know, you're you're learning new cities, new golf courses, new people, you're out on your own, out of college in that safety cocoon of your adoptive family. That's a tough transition, isn't it?

Sherri Steinhauer 21:29

Yeah, yeah, I was traveling alone and uh lots of interesting, interesting times and things happening. And I think you know, your rookie year is just the toughest because you're going out there and you're trying to learn these golf courses, you're trying to figure out where the airport is, where the laundromat is, where the hotel is, where the golf course is. You know, it's just it was so difficult. And um, I've always I've never been a really quick learner, I guess. So that kind of happened in golf too. And And the idea that I was that I'm that I was so darn shy. I was afraid of winning. I really was. And and people, you know, so many people would tell me um, you know, that I needed to believe and and you know, I was afraid when I wouldn't win, I'm I'm gonna have to give a speech, I can't do that, you know, and and um unfortunately uh a lot of that affected me. And as I and then when I finally did win in in '92, I can remember Mary Bryan, because she knew Mary Bryan, she was a commentator, knew how scared, deathly afraid I was of this. And I still remember her saying in the telecast, well, now she's got to get ready for the speech. You know. And you know, it's silly, right? It's silly, but um that something that that affects me, but uh unfortunately it it did. And now it's funny because I've I've worked through it and I have uh took me many, many years to to feel comfortable, and now I don't have any problem. And I wish I would have figured that out earlier. I mean, this is how bad it was. When I was in school, grade school, middle school, high school, college, I never once raised my hand. I mean, I wouldn't talk. I just I was quiet. And I personally think that's why I liked golf because it was quiet. I didn't have to talk, I could just go play, go do it, do my thing, and I do my thing. And it's unfortunate that I didn't figure that I didn't figure it out earlier and push myself. Um, but I didn't. And that that that hurt me.

Bruce Devlin 23:56

So, Sherry, we talk about that first victory being a major. Uh tell us about the last day and what was going through your mind as you were plotting your way around to beat Judy Dickinson by three shots.

Sherri Steinhauer 24:11

Um well, you won't you won't believe it, but uh my parents were there at that tournament. And on the final day when I saw that I had a chance to win, I knew that the year before my parents' anniversary was on August 25th. And I uh I missed their anniversary the year before. I forgot to wish them an anniversary, and this tournament it ended, I believe it was like a day or two before the 25th, or it might have been a couple days after. I can't remember, but I said, all I want to do is win so I can wish them a happy anniversary in my talk. So it's the fun those things that get you motivated, but um, I remember uh I was so darn nervous. I hit that back nine, and I was uh, you know, I was very, very nervous, but I was just trying to stay focused. And we got to the last hole, and and uh was it I was one up, I believe one up going into the last hole, and I hit my drive to the right, kind of I got lucky. I go up there and it's it's by a tree, but it I see I I all I'm saying is just give me a swing. I just need a swing. And uh I had a swing and I had a view, and I had a forearm and I hit it around the tree and rolled it up to the front edge, and the pin was in the was in the back. I had like a 50-footer. And uh Judy hit it on the green, left of the pin, about 30 feet. And uh I said, well, if I can hit this up into gimme range, I I'm gonna win this thing. And I remember the gallery all encircling, they circled the green, they were like ran behind us and and were surrounding the green, and and uh I was you know, I was extremely nervous. This is my first chance at winning, and somehow I hit it up there about two inches, and that was the greatest feeling I can I can remember it. Remember it like it was yesterday. I was uh just so relieved after all the years of practicing. You know, in golf, you don't get a lot of success, you work so hard, yeah, right, Bruce?

Bruce Devlin 26:32

That's right, that's right. You've had a lot of success.

Sherri Steinhauer 26:34

Yeah, the not you had a lot of success, though. I didn't have that as as much success. Oh, yes, you did. But uh that feeling of uh satisfaction of it all paying off was was really really felt great.

Bruce Devlin 26:50

The major question is did you congratulate your mom and dad on their anniversary that day?

Sherri Steinhauer 26:57

I sure did, and I lost it. I started crying, and but uh pretty emotional, huh? It was extremely emotional, and but I got through the speech and felt good, and and so my dad threw a pretty nice party that night.

Bruce Devlin 27:16

I bet he did. Good for him.

Sherri Steinhauer 27:18

There were a lot of people the next day on the airplane that weren't feeling too good. A lot of players.

Mike Gonzalez 27:26

I I bet, I bet. So uh uh you had a chance, at least with this one, you won it while it was a major, so uh uh timing was good there because this is a tournament that uh was a major for about 21 years up until 2000 when it was replaced by the Women's British Open, which we'll talk about. Uh the next win came in 1994 uh at the Sprint Championship at Indigo Lakes Golf and Tennis Resort by one over Kelly Robbins. Tell us whether that felt like validation, getting that second one.

Sherri Steinhauer 28:00

Well, it definitely did. And uh the week before I had missed the cut horribly bad, and and um so you know, I I I said something's got, I gotta uh, you know, change something for this next week. And I just remember that I had some putting drill that I was just focused on, and and uh you know, I worked on this, on this drill, and um I went in the locker room and uh I was supposed to share my locker with Hollis Stacy and Hollis, God bless her. We still laugh about it to this day, but I just never could find room in that locker when I had to share with her. And so I said, uh, and we we laugh about it, it's funny. And uh so I just decided I was gonna work out of my car that week. And so I was really kind of alone, you know. I did it wasn't going in the locker room and I was just practicing. I'd go out at night and practice and and uh so to to come away with that win, like you say, absolutely it's validation. I mean, anyone can get lucky once, and if you can do it a second time, now you feel like it's not luck.

Bruce Devlin 29:16

Yeah.

Sherri Steinhauer 29:16

So so yes, that that did feel good. That felt great, and I tell you, I it was the most interesting tournament. I had a feeling at the end, I I was competing against Kelly Robbins, and on the back nine, I had a feeling I've never experienced again to that level that we were playing, and I was hoping Kelly would make the putts. I'm like, Kelly, just go ahead and make it because I'm gonna make it on top of you. And I've never had that level of confidence. Bruce, just curious, did you in some of your wins, are there things that you can remember that happened that just never happened again?

Bruce Devlin 30:01

Or the one the one thing that I recall is I had to call a penalty on myself for my victory at Colonial. I I know that, but that's no, I've never had that sort of uh well I s I suppose uh you know when you get in a position where you got a really good chance to win and you are and you know you're putting well, I can understand a feeling like that. Yeah.

Sherri Steinhauer 30:27

Yeah. Yeah. Can't say that I ever had it as strong as what you're talking about, though, but well, I it's it's just interesting because it I always said I've got to recreate that, but I could never recreate to that extent. And it was to the point where she'd make it and I'd start laughing inside because I'd say, I don't care, because I'm gonna I'm gonna make it. And it it like what a great feeling. And that's I think the thing about golf that I just I find so fascinating, and what I just love so much about it is this mental part of the game and where your mind can go and and how important how important it is. And for me, I just have so many strange experiences like that. Like, for instance, let me just do you mind if I just tell you about one in college? Um, my my roommate, I had a couple roommates um from the team, and Cindy Fig Courier was one of them, and she won the transnational one summer. And when you win the transnational, you win this beautiful set of uh of sterling silver silverware in this beautiful brown box. And she brought this box and she put it on our microwave and she opened it up, and every day, you know, as a college kid, you're using that microwave every day. And I would look at that that silverware and just go, that's just beautiful. I I you know, if she can do it, I can do it. Now, I never won one national summer tournament. Now I only played three a summer, but I never won one. I went back that next summer and I won the transnational. And I believe it's only because of that silverware. It probably is, and that it gives you the belief, you know. So I I work with kids a lot, and that's one of the things that I'm always trying to, you know, stress upon is how powerful your mind is. And uh so I think um I I just I just I find it fascinating, the the mind and how how powerful it is.

Mike Gonzalez 32:48

Well, you found something that week. You mentioned uh missing the cut the previous week and then found yourself working on a particular putting drill. You must have found something. You birdied 15 and 16 in the final round to finish at 273, which up until that point in the year was the lowest 72 score uh two-hole score of the year. So uh you got something going and uh uh well.

Sherri Steinhauer 33:13

Yeah, uh unfortunately I just was never my putting was always up and down, and that's the part of the game that killed me and why I I I probably didn't win win more. And but when I was on, when I was on, it was just it was crazy. It just looked like a bushel basket that hole. I I just felt so confident.

Bruce Devlin 33:37

That's a nice feeling.

Sherri Steinhauer 33:38

It is, but unfortunately, it didn't happen that often.

Mike Gonzalez 33:44

Were you able to ride those waves throughout your career? I mean, did you have yourself with multi-week sort of streaks where you drill really had the touch?

Sherri Steinhauer 33:53

No, I didn't. I'd go out the next week and I'd go, wait a minute, what happened? And that that's a part of the game I never understood. I never I never could understand that. And I was just way too streaky with the putter.

Mike Gonzalez 34:09

Well, let's take you to Lithum because I got a feeling you liked all those bunkers at Lithum for some reason. Uh we're talking about 1998. This is before the Women's British Open was a major, and you won there by one over Brandy Burton uh and Sophie Gustafson. So tell us about your experience at um at Royal Lithum in St. Anne's.

Sherri Steinhauer 34:33

Well, I uh never playing, you know, I didn't play much overseas and the the Lynx golf courses, so I did a little research and um Nick Price had one there uh a few years earlier. And I he said something, he said that I read somewhere that he re he walked the golf course backwards uh in his practice round so that he could uh so that he would see where all the bunkers are. Because when you go forward, the bunkers are face the other way, right? You can't see them. If you go if you go backwards, you can see the lifts. And so what I did was I walked the course backwards and I charted every single bunker, and I think there's 180 some or something.

Bruce Devlin 35:21

And yeah.

Sherri Steinhauer 35:25

So my goal was to just not hit in a in a in a fairway bunker. And uh I managed that. Um and I think that was uh that was uh really very important for me. I mean, obviously I was hitting, I was hitting it very well. I was hitting my lines, I was hitting my targets, and um and another thing that's the that's interesting about the British Open is that I've never had success on open golf courses where there's no definition. I like a tree-line golf course that's tight and short and lots of trees. That's my favorite. So now I go over there and it's there's no trees, there's no definition. But what is there? There are TV cameras and there are signs, and there's all these these like posts in the distance. And I use those posts, and it just lined me up, and I could I could get aligned. And um, I always say if it wasn't on TV, I don't know, I would have won because I used all those TV cameras for for alignment and all, and I just hit it very, very well and and putted well.

Bruce Devlin 36:46

Brings me up a question though. The question is after walking it backwards, and then you get to start the tournament, and you put a big number up, the 81 first round. Right. What I mean that well, what were you thinking about Nick's idea then?

Sherri Steinhauer 37:06

I said that was bogus, that didn't work. Yeah, I was uh uh that was that was not too good. Um, just had a horrendous, horrendous day, went home, got on the phone, changing my flight. You know, I'm gonna miss the cut. I'm gonna go home early. And the weather just kept getting worse and worse. And and the next day I had a decent round and I kind of came back a little. And then the weather is even worse the next day, and and by Sunday, you can't even hold an umbrella. The wind was blowing so hard and and uh uh was blowing people's umbrellas out, and and so you know, again, lucky that you can't come you can't make a comeback like that if you don't have bad weather. So um that saved me, and somehow I managed these these rounds and and uh but I did keep it out of those bunkers.

Bruce Devlin 38:14

Yeah, there you go. The rounds were uh 81, yeah, 72, 70, 69. So the the worse the weather got, the better scores you shot.

Sherri Steinhauer 38:28

I don't I don't I don't know what that was all about, but uh I always I always felt like when the weather was bad, because I have I have a very good attitude, and I always and and the I would pump myself up by saying, you know, I know that I my attitude is better. I'm already gonna be a percent a certain percentage of the field just because of, you know, staying positive and and and in this and just I don't know what the focus or whatever, because a lot of people just don't like to play in it and um uh don't have the focus. So I always felt I could beat a percentage of those players, and if I can just stay in it, but I I after shooting 81, I mean it's just lucky I made the cut and kept going.

Mike Gonzalez 39:21

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.

Intro Music 39:45

It went to my fairway.