Sherri Steinhauer - Part 2 (2006 Women's British Open and The Solheim Cup)

Mike Gonzalez 0:15

So Sherry, were you working with Manuel de la Torre by this time? Or is that yet to come?

Sherri Steinhauer 0:21

No, I started uh Alan Mitchell after I got out of college. Uh he said, Sherry, I've taken you as far as you can go, and I really would like you you need to go see someone else. And and uh he suggested manual and uh so so I guess it was probably the beginning of my second year on tour that I went to go see Manual and and uh what an amazing man. I I just he is just he was incredible. He he changed my life. I mean, I had a huge inverted C finish. I I would have golfed, I probably wouldn't have played many more years, you know. He changed that, so my back wasn't gonna go out, and and he he simplified the game for me that I in a way that I could understand and a way that the swing would work under pressure. Um and so, you know, kudos to I mean Manuel, God bless him. He's just we had so much fun together. I mean, uh I got to know Manuel extremely well and became very close and and we had more darn fun together. And it it it's hard to, it was hard, it's hard for people to get into to really understand and know Manual. Um, because he's uh he's uh a no nonsense guy. Um just golf is you know, he just is so focused on it, and and uh so I I just felt so fortunate to get to know him the way that I did and and the fun that we had. So, but between him and Dr. Rotella, who I saw in what year did I see Dr. Rotella? I forget what year it was out on tour, but between him and and Dr. Rotella, that's the only reason why I had any success out on tour.

Mike Gonzalez 2:33

Manuel uh worked with a few other prominent players, didn't he?

Sherri Steinhauer 2:36

Yeah. Carol Mann. He worked with uh, you know, Martha. He also worked a little bit with Lauren, I believe I have this right. Lauren Roberts.

Mike Gonzalez 2:48

With Lauren Roberts, yeah, you didn't know. I remember him. You're right.

Sherri Steinhauer 2:51

Okay, good. I remember him telling me it was during the uh if it was the GMO at that time or what it was, but uh that's when he he worked a little bit with Lauren. And uh, but yeah, mainly he worked with the women players.

Mike Gonzalez 3:08

Uh I don't think even uh even masters champion uh Tommy Aaron. Oh, Tommy Aaron, him yeah him working with Manuel later in his career. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Sherri Steinhauer 3:19

Yeah, I remember I Manuel would always tell me, you know, whatever that the week in April, he goes, I can't see you. You know, he'd he'd go to the masters and he'd walk with Tommy Aaron in every practice round. And I thought that was that was pretty cool.

Mike Gonzalez 3:36

Yeah. Well, he was the pro-emeritus uh for years and years and years at Milwaukee uh country club. Uh passed away a few years ago, but lived to a ripe old age and impacted a lot of people.

Sherri Steinhauer 3:49

Oh, he sure did. He he really did, and you know the guy you could call him anytime. Well, no, you couldn't. You couldn't call him from 10, what was it, 10 to 10:30, because that's when he was saying goodnight to his wife. But you could call him after 10:30 at night and up till about up till about midnight, or you could call him before 10. But uh he didn't sleep much, he didn't need many hours of sleep, and he lived and breathed golf, and he got that from his dad. Uh so it's uh quite a man. I'm just so fortunate to have had my time with him.

Mike Gonzalez 4:29

Well, let's move along to your next win that came a year after the first British Open win. This was the 1999 Japan Airlines Big Apple Classic at Wykogl uh in a playoff with Laurie Kane. What do you remember about that one?

Sherri Steinhauer 4:45

I remember it was getting dark. Uh uh. Uh again, that's you know, Wycagill is a golf course that I love. It's uh tree-lined, small greens, tight, um, just my kind of golf course. And uh, you know, once again, that's had a good putting week, and that usually equates to a good outcome, you know, a good finish. And uh so tied with Lori at the end, and we played that 18th hole five times. And I remember the last time, now it's dark, and I hit my third shot. I can't even see, you know, I can hardly see. So I was short on my my iron shot in, which couldn't have been much more than a wedge. It was a horrible shot, probably 25 feet short. And um I hit the pot and I can't see anything. And all all I see is the ball disappear. That was it. You couldn't, you couldn't even, I couldn't even see my caddy had a you know, tended the flag, and uh um you know, she took it out and the ball disappeared. And it went, and that was it, it was over. So that was that was a lot of fun.

Mike Gonzalez 6:05

You got right back to jolly old England, uh, this time a little closer to London, because uh the Wheatabicks Women's British Open was being contested on the Duke's course at Woburn. Yeah, and you beat a young lady that I think most of our listeners would probably have heard of by one shot.

Sherri Steinhauer 6:23

Yeah, I remember that one very well. I remember seeing her standing on the off the green on the 18th when I when I uh came up and had a putt to win, had to make Birdie, and she was standing there, Annika Sornstam. And so I remember it's probably if you go back and look at the putting stroke, it was probably one of the ugliest putting strokes I've ever seen, but I didn't care. I don't care what it takes, but I just wall in that hole. It was about a 12-footer right to left break, and uh somehow it w it went in. But uh interesting story about that week. You know, I went there and uh that golf course, Woburn, is not uh it's not link style uh at all. So very different from Royal Lithum the year before. And yeah, I'm not thinking much, I'm just going back to play. And I was paired with Laura Davies and I forget who else in the first two rounds. And I finished the second round and we're in the scoring tent. And uh Laura Davies um shakes my hand, says, It was great playing with you today. And she said, Good luck in the defense of your title. And I went, Wow, right, that's what I'm here doing. And you know, again, I think she gave me a my my head just you know, I'm like, that's really neat. I like looking at it like that. And I really think that had a lot to do with with me winning. She got me focused thinking about what I was really there to do. And um, so I don't know, it's a common theme. I my mind it really I get triggers and and uh and they they help.

Mike Gonzalez 8:17

So well you fired a smooth little 68 after that uh comment by Laura on on the Saturday. So that had to be about five under, probably on that golf course. So that had to feel good.

Sherri Steinhauer 8:28

That that felt great. And then going into that final round, um, I just remember being overly extremely nervous. I was so nervous on the driving range, and I get to the first hole, and I remember I uh you can't go over the green, it goes straight down, and I don't know, I hit the ball over, and uh worst place I could go, hit it on, two putted, made bogey, and then the next hole was a par three, and there was water everywhere, and I was so nervous, I didn't know how I was gonna do it, and you know, I'm trying to just focus on what Dr. Rotella tells me, you know, and just get into your pre-shot and forget everything and and and all. But uh I ended up making a good shot there, and and then I was kind of relaxed the rest of the way, and um uh, you know, and then came down to that last hole, had to make birdie, and uh we uh fortunately my caddy saved me. Uh we had a number that I was kind of working with her on it, and I get up over the ball and she pulled me off, and so we got the wrong number. And I said, really? And we went through it again, and we did have the wrong number. We corrected it, and uh, so that was that was big. Audrey Audrey Goethe. Audrey Goethe, she caddied for me for seven years on on tour, and what a great caddy she was. We uh um she did a great job and was very conscientious of her work and saved me a number of times, and that was a big one there.

Mike Gonzalez 10:06

Yeah, yeah, good catch. So you you've mentioned uh uh earlier in our talk here, you mentioned the shyness, and uh obviously Annika Sornston, that's a very important part of her early story as well, isn't it? Yeah, those same experiences, not wanting to win just to avoid giving the victor speech and so forth. And and I I think uh Bruce, even a little bit of that came through talking to Martha Nowsey. I mean, she she related how she was rather shy, particularly younger on. So where are you in this shyness kind of thing right now, uh Sherry, in 1999?

Sherri Steinhauer 10:40

Um still, you know, enough that I can get through a speech. I can get through that, but I don't want to do much more than that. I can get through the victory speech, but I probably didn't get over the speaking until, you know, it hasn't been that long. Uh, but now I I think I think after I gave the eulogies at my parents' funerals, um, that you know, that that gave me Yeah, that's big. Yeah, that that's really difficult. But um uh yeah, it just it it it did take a long time. But like I said, the uh the the victory speeches I was able to get through now.

Mike Gonzalez 11:24

Well, let's fast forward then to the next victory, which came in 2004 at the Cybase Classic, same golf course we talked about before with the Big Apple Classic at Wycagle, and that win was by two over Grace Park.

Sherri Steinhauer 11:38

Yeah. Wish I had more. I I don't know why that one. I have trouble um remembering.

Mike Gonzalez 11:48

You played 12 under, it just must have been so easy to do.

Bruce Devlin 11:51

Yeah, that's I think uh I don't yeah, didn't have no three patts, no bunker shots left. It just it was easy, 12 under.

Sherri Steinhauer 12:03

It must have been, but I just I just know that I love that golf course, you know, it's it just fit me. And um again, as I said, that tree-lined tight golf course, small greens, and I I don't know why if I have eight wins and two of them are on the same golf course. Well, no, well, yeah, Royal Litham twice, and and Wycagill twice. So um there's something about if it if it fits my eye, it fits my eye.

Mike Gonzalez 12:35

Yeah, well, I mean we've seen that pattern, Bruce, haven't we, with other players we've talked to where they've they've gotten comfortable. I mean, look at uh look at Marco Mira five times at Pebble Beach in the ATT alone. Wow, yeah, and I I think he had two or three other wins there, uh maybe a couple as an amateur that he he won there. So it does happen, doesn't it?

Sherri Steinhauer 12:54

Yeah, yeah, it does. It's just like sometimes there's a hole that doesn't fit your eye. I remember a hole in Youngstown, Ohio, and there was water off to the right on the T. Do you think I could ever not hit it in the water? And you know, it's funny how that's golf when things fit your eye or they don't.

Bruce Devlin 13:12

So um well, you got back to fitting your eye again with your next victory back in uh 2006. We we got to win another British open championship by three shots over uh Sophie Gafferson and uh Christy Kerr.

Sherri Steinhauer 13:30

Right, yeah. And uh, you know, I just really like I really enjoyed the Link style and uh the creativity of the shots. And again, that's something I experienced there that I've never experienced again. Different things that happen, for instance, uh what hole it was like about I don't know, 13 or 14, it's a par three, and the wind would howl crossways left to right. And uh the bunkers were kind of angled, it'd be one up close to the green on the right, and then one a little bit further back, kind of towards the middle of the fairway, and then there was one on the left side. So there was this like opening that you'd have to like curve um from the left. Now I know you're thinking of power three. Well, don't you just hit it, fly it on the green? Well, um, I couldn't fly it on the green and hold it with the way the wind was. And the hole was like a hundred and I don't know, it was like 162 or something to the pin. And so I go, I'm gonna screw up my my um competitor so badly right here, because I'm gonna pull out a seven iron, which I hit about 140, 145. I know that's short, but that's what I hit it. And I said, I'm gonna I'm gonna use the wind. So if it's the wind's going left to right, and I can get it way over there to the left and use the wind and you know, run it. And that's what I did. I mean, I just these weird shots I would hit, and I loved it. I loved that creativity. And uh so um I I just remember with with with all the wind, you had to you had to be creative. And for me, I enjoyed that.

Mike Gonzalez 15:31

Well, I'm sure if you played in the British Open at least uh since it became a major back in 2001, if you just look at some of the uh, as you say, the Lynx courses, you would have competed at Turnbury, you would have competed at Burkdale, you would have competed at the old course, and then uh we'll come to it, but in 2009 you were in no no condition to play at Litham again, were you?

Sherri Steinhauer 15:55

No. Unfortunately not. That's when I had my surgery, so um, but uh I loved playing at St. Andrew's. Uh I I remember the one year that I played there, I um I played so well the first day, and I said, ah, I really feel like I'm gonna win this again. And uh I went and I I went and visited old Tommy Morris's graveyard, and and I played horrible after that. I thought it was gonna bring me luck. And then and then I was talking to the commentators like Andy North and Judy Rinken, and they're like going, you can't go to that. That's like bad luck to go there. I'm like, well, I didn't know that. But anyway, that what a golf course. Oh, it was so much fun. I just uh the ground is you know so hard, and it's just what's been there for what 600 years and St. Andrews was fantastic, and um, you know, I didn't have success at the others like Turnberry and some of the other uh Royal Burkdale. Um I don't I don't know why, but probably because it didn't fit my eye as well as Royalithum.

Mike Gonzalez 17:19

But yeah, yeah. Well, let's go to the next year, then the 2007. I always called it the rail classic, but by this time it was the State Farm Classic at Panther Creek, which was the first year it was there. It was at the rail for a long time. I know this because it's just 30 miles down the road from where I went to high school, but uh you won that one by one over Christina Kim.

Sherri Steinhauer 17:41

Yeah, and uh again, uh that was a really special week. Um that my parents were there, so um, you see, my parents were there for my first win and my last win. So that was pretty cool. That was pretty neat. But um Christina and I had uh she actually played um, let's see, in front of me on the last day. And um we were we were trading putts. It was it was unbelievable. She was making putts at the end, and I was making putts at the end, and and um uh so it came down to the last hole and I needed a I needed a par to win. And I remember I hit my there's water out to the right, runs the whole length of the of the uh fairway right up to the bunker on the on the right side of the green. And and uh so I hit a decent drive out there and now I'm in between clubs, and it was either a I don't know, what was it, a seven wood or a four iron or something, or three or five iron. And I know darn I know better when I'm nervous and it's pressure. You gotta take one less club and go at it.

Bruce Devlin 19:02

There you go.

Sherri Steinhauer 19:03

And and I and I didn't. I took the the seven wood and I let off it. I go, oh my gosh, it's going in the water. It barely carried the water, it went up in the bunker. And I go, oh no, I was having such trouble with my bunker play that week. I couldn't, but I was having terrible trouble with my bunker play. So I go, I know if I can just is this this is horrible. This is embarrassing to even admit. If I just get it on the green, I know I can make the putt. I get it a little thin, and it barely went over into the went through the fringe onto the first cut. And uh I'm just walking back there and I go, just please, please let me be able to put it. I just if I can pot it, I know I can make it. Well, I got back there and it was just kind of this little hairy, hardly any grass. I go, perfect, I can pot it. And I somehow I I made it. It had a pretty good yeah.

Bruce Devlin 20:05

Boy, and you shot some great scores that week too. 67, 66, 71, and then 67 again the last day. That's uh 17 under par. That's a lot under par.

Sherri Steinhauer 20:18

Yeah, that was another week when the when the putting was on, and uh just it didn't happen, didn't happen enough for me. But uh, you know, I look back at my career and I uh, you know, I had had nice wins and in all, and I wasn't the most successful, but I can still be happy with the with the career I had.

Mike Gonzalez 20:40

In quotes, you sort of retired in 2011. Of course, that was coming off some hip surgeries, I think. Uh we had alluded to a couple of years before. Was it uh was it mental? Was it physical? What was it that caused you to say, okay, time it's time?

Sherri Steinhauer 20:54

Um I think it was uh it was physical. Um definitely my hips and uh you know something I've never never shared before, but I have a uh I have a uh what do they call it? Uh I have a tremor in my head. And uh it just became too difficult to putt anymore. I I couldn't do it. And um it became got to the point where it golf was just no fun for me. No fun because I was stressing over these short putts, and um, I couldn't get my body to to calm down. And I've you know, I've never admitted it, I've never talked about it, but it's like you know, it's over, it's over now. And um, I always hit it because you know I didn't want my opponents to know about it, and I didn't want anyone talking about it or whatever. So um, between that and my hips, um, that was that was. It and that was about six years ago. But what's what's interesting is um this weekend I'm going up north on a trip with with my brothers and and um their families, and uh we've done this for many years when my dad was living. We surprised him on the 70th birthday, and we're continuing the tradition, and they have a little nine-hole golf course up there. And um, I actually packed my clubs for the first time in six years. I've got them in the car and I'm gonna take them off. And you know, my family is all very positive, and they say, We don't care, Sherry, we don't care how you play, we don't care how you put, we just want to play with you, you know. So I hope that's I hope that I really enjoy it because I really would like to get back into it, but it it caused me a lot of pain and umf did because of what I went through, like just trying to navigate what I was dealing with, and um a lot of heartache and and and all and embarrassment, puts that I'd miss and all. So that's why I that's why I stopped and it's been six years.

Mike Gonzalez 23:12

As you sort of compared notes with some of your friends and uh fellow competitors on the tour from over the years, uh I'm I'm sure you've had discussions with other girls about uh that decision process you went through of deciding to hang it up. And uh is it is it did you find it to be a common experience that most everyone knew when it was time?

Sherri Steinhauer 23:34

I don't know that they know when it's time because I think people keep trying, keep going for longer than you know, maybe they should. Um, you know, you don't want to let go of it. Um it's hard to let go of it. But uh, you know, like I've had talks with Nancy Lopez, and she would say to me, I don't know why, you know, I didn't tell her what my issue was, but she would just say, uh, you know, just go out and play, just have fun. She goes, I don't care what I shoot. I just want to go play, just go play and have fun. And uh, you know, so many of the players, that's what they do. Um they do continue playing and they just go have fun with it. And for me, it just that wasn't the wasn't gonna work for me.

Mike Gonzalez 24:25

Well, pretty good record uh with two major championships and and and what potentially could be four more. I suppose on the LET tour, it's considered four major championships. It's the LPGA tour that it's the LPGA Tour that hasn't uh you know hasn't uh looked at those two as majors just because it wasn't in the time frame when they recognized it. But uh still top tens and most of the other majors, uh you know, top ten uh at the chevron and and and top ten at the LPGA championship uh T-13, I think, was your best uh uh finish in the in the U.S. Open. And then of course uh the wins at the British Open, the win at the DeMaurier. So quite a good uh major championship record. Let's talk a little bit about Solheim Cup, because that had to be some fun, huh?

Sherri Steinhauer 25:09

That was fantastic. Uh there's nothing like it when you get to when you take this individual store court and you put it in a team aspect, how special it can be, and get to know the players on a different level now as teammates and cheering for each other, and and it's those are some of the greatest, greatest times of of my career.

Mike Gonzalez 25:34

Yeah, for our listeners listening to this 50 years from now, we'll just say that this is President's Cup week. So we're all thinking about you know, during this year of 2022, it's uh it's the Solheim Cup for the the lady professionals, the the writer cup for the Europeans and GBI people against the U.S. Then of course the U.S. played the uh uh the rest of the world in the President's Cup. And uh uh, you know, you're like most of our guests that have competed on the on a team basis, whether it's in high school or at its at the highest levels in golf, it was just a different dynamic and a whole lot of fun, wasn't it?

Sherri Steinhauer 26:13

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Mike Gonzalez 26:16

So you competed four times as a player in the Solheim Cup. The thing that really impressed me is that uh uh you were undefeated in foresome play, which most Americans really struggle with because we don't play it very often, and you were undefeated in singles across four Solheim Cups.

Sherri Steinhauer 26:33

Right. Yeah, I think that had to do with uh being consistent. I was always you know pretty straight. I finished in I usually finished in the you know in the top tier of greens and regulations. So I was hitting a lot of greens and and I was usually paired up with another consistent player, and we had we had very, very good success. Now, they didn't put me out there in four ball. I very rarely played in four ball because I don't make a lot of birdies, I just make a lot of a lot of pars unless I'm hot with my putter, which doesn't happen enough. So that's why I was very good at the at the foursoms. And as far as uh singles, I don't know, I just I uh I I don't know why. I uh I believe out of those four though, I I want to say two of them, I tied. I didn't actually win, but I tied, at least got a half a point for the for the team. But um I am proud of the fact that I never did lose uh the singles.

Mike Gonzalez 27:43

Um let me ask you, let me ask you both uh this about foresome play. Bruce, I don't know, did you play much Forsomes back in your day?

Bruce Devlin 27:50

No, I didn't play. No, no, we did not.

Mike Gonzalez 27:52

Well the question would have been um, and maybe it's just more for Sherry then, but as you approach Forsom's play, did you change your game and strategy much? Were you were you more conservative, feeling like you've got uh to sort of protect your partner, not do anything too crazy, rather than just playing your own game?

Sherri Steinhauer 28:09

Yeah, I think that's that's the approach that that I would take. I'm not gonna take any unnecessary risks, that's for sure. I just want to keep the ball in the fairway and the ball on the green. And then and if we can do that, I think you're gonna you're gonna be successful. And you know, I I know I was paired with Donna Andrews, she was very consistent. Uh, so we won. Kelly Robbins, uh, we did we did well. Uh Patty Sheehan, we did great. Um so I had I had great partners too. And you know, it's a it's a team deal, so it's not just just me trying to win these foursums. You gotta have have good partners, and I was fortunate to have good partners, too.

Mike Gonzalez 29:00

Yeah, you're on the winning team in '94 at the Greenbrier with uh Big Mama as the captain. And in '98, you were at Nearfield Village on the winning team with Judy Rank Rankin leading the charge. And then a loss at Loch Loman in 2000 when Pat Bradley was your leader, and then finishing up with uh the winning team at 2007 uh in uh Sweden when Betsy King was the team captain. Any favorite memory from uh all of those Solheim Cups?

Sherri Steinhauer 29:28

Um the favorite memory is just is the team aspect. Like when I look back on a Solheim Cup, I just look back on how special it was being together with with the team. Um I also uh have great memories because my parents um made everyone except the last one in Sweden because of um their health at that point, and my four brothers made everyone. And so that was neat that was really, really cool to have my family at at those and to look over and see my brothers all you know cheering. And so um, you know, I I loved that part, and uh, but most most importantly is just the memories of playing with the with who are usually I'm playing against, now we're playing together and working together. Yeah, those were some really special bonds that were developed over the years.

Mike Gonzalez 30:29

Well, tell us about your experience as an assistant captain for Rosie Jones in 2011. How did it feel uh having a walkie-talkie instead of a golf club in your hand?

Sherri Steinhauer 30:40

I actually enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot to see the other side. There's there's it it's interesting. I mean, there's so much involved in in uh as as the captain or and and helping Rosie. I mean, Rosie had the brunt of it all, but uh um on the other side, making sure that the players are have everything they need and and getting them ready and and prepped and and and not having to stress over any any putts or shots was was actually a lot of fun. Um so um unfortunately we didn't play as well as as uh the team would have liked. Um, but uh we still had a very good time.

Mike Gonzalez 31:29

Well, and and and some some success over those years as well. Um I guess you uh played a little bit on the senior tour, as they call it, the legends tour. You had a couple of wins there.

Sherri Steinhauer 31:41

Yeah, I won, I I think it was 2009. I went and played one uh senior tour event, the what was it, the Legends Championship. And uh that was my first event, and I won it. So that was that was a nice way to start. But I was uh I didn't I still played on the regular tour, so I didn't play many senior tour events until I retired uh in 2012. And uh I won one more the Wendy's Charity Classic, and and then I think I retired from the the Legends tour in about 2014 or 15. So but we it was that was a lot of fun, a lot more relaxed, just fun to come back and see the players, and uh so was happy to have that opportunity to come play some some more events as a as a pro.

Mike Gonzalez 32:39

Yeah, Bruce, I'm sure you had that same experience, right?

Bruce Devlin 32:42

Uh it was fairly new then, but yeah, it was pretty new back then. Uh I I'm going back a few years earlier than what Sherry Sherry did, but uh yeah, it was fun. Uh my I remember my first uh senior tour uh playing was at uh Hilton Head. And I think yeah, which was which was a golf course that I always enjoyed playing. I I'd finished second there a couple of times on the regular tour to go back there the first time was a lot of fun, but uh I think I finished fourth my first one, so I I wasn't quite as successful as what you were.

Sherri Steinhauer 33:20

That's pretty darn good. So, Bruce, how um did you have uh um with Jan Stevenson? Did you guys play a lot or know each other well?

Bruce Devlin 33:30

No, I'm we we didn't play a lot. I knew Jan Stevenson when she was an 18-year-old girl who was working for a magazine in Australia and uh she was doing a little bit of reporting, and uh I did an interview with her when she was 18 years old.

Sherri Steinhauer 33:48

And she wasn't playing golf.

Bruce Devlin 33:49

I've known her for uh yeah, she was playing golf, but she hadn't, you know, she wasn't uh well I probably wasn't uh that aware of whether she was playing golf or not because I wasn't well that's interesting though that you two met not through golf as she was doing her work.

Sherri Steinhauer 34:08

That's very interesting, yes.

Bruce Devlin 34:11

Yeah, but uh she's had a she's had a fine career, and uh I think Mike and I have talked a couple of times about trying to get her on the podcast too. So but you know, we're not gonna let you go without uh we've got we ask all of our guests three questions. Okay, all right. So I'm gonna let Mike uh ask you the first one.

Mike Gonzalez 34:34

Okay, okay. The first question is this if you knew at age 20 what you know today, what would you have done differently?

Sherri Steinhauer 34:45

Uh let's see. Well, uh I would definitely have made bigger goals. I talk about how how uh powerful the mind is. So I would have had my dreams bigger. My dream at 12 years old was to play on the LPGA tour. So I know you said at 20, but at 12, I wish I would have said my goal is to be number one on the LPGA tour. I I think it would have been interesting to see what would have happened, but uh yeah, I wish I would have made my dreams bigger.

Mike Gonzalez 35:27

That's an interesting answer.

Bruce Devlin 35:29

So you played for 25 years on the tour. Yeah. And I'm gonna give you one mulligan. Where would you take it?

Sherri Steinhauer 35:40

Um one mulligan. Uh you know, I don't know what year it was, and it it's just this is kind of silly, but it's a shot that just bugs me to this day. Um it was at the uh Jamie Farr Classic in Toledo, Ohio, and it's on the 18th hole. And it's just a little, you gotta just knock a little shot out there to get past the corner, and then you hit it over a creek, and then you'll hit to the green. And I was right there near the lead and I had this five foot off the tee, which I was very straight. I mean, I just didn't have I I just didn't get offline a lot. And so a five foot off the tee is just like automatic down the fairway. And I don't know what happened on this shot. I have no idea what happened. It wasn't nerves, it wasn't, I I don't, and and I'm the first to admit if it was nerves, but I pulled it and it went in the under a pine tree, and I had to chip out and uh you know, hit on, and I uh ended up making bogey and I ended up going into a playoff with like five other people and I didn't win the tournament. But I just would love to have that five-wood shot back.

Mike Gonzalez 37:04

And Sari Sari Pack would have one less victory. Yeah, well, maybe if I had to hit it straight the second time, but so uh I'm gonna let Bruce uh ask the final question, but before this, I want to work this in because I alluded to it at the top, and that was what's happened with Wisconsin golf. Oh, yeah. If you look at the development of Sand Valley, you look at the development of Aaron Hills, uh, what's happened around Sheboygan, the great events that they've had there with major championships, including the Ryder Cup, uh, a lot of great players coming out of the state. I'm sure the junior programs are strong. You must feel quite good about what's happened with golf in Wisconsin.

Sherri Steinhauer 37:42

Well, yeah, just you know, with the having the Ryder Cup and the great golf courses that have been been built, and uh it's a destination. Who would think Wisconsin would be a golf destination, but it is. And the players that have come out, uh just and great guys, you know, Steve and Andy and Martha and Jerry Kelly, um, just all wonderful people who've who've come out of out of Wisconsin. And uh so just very, very proud of my state.

Bruce Devlin 38:21

Okay, you're ready for the last question?

Sherri Steinhauer 38:24

Okay. I'm scared.

Bruce Devlin 38:28

How would how would you like to be remembered?

Sherri Steinhauer 38:34

Um how would I like to be remembered? Alright. Um I guess I guess I just like to be remembered as a as a nice person who tried to do the right things. You know, when I played in a like when I played in a pro-am, it was very important for me to by the end of that day, if I had four guys that weren't real happy or you know, weren't playing well, by the end of the day, it was just very important that they all have had a fun day, you know. And that's like just doing the right thing. And I just would like to be remembered as as a nice person who always I guess tried to do the right thing and and some people, you know, they're just all out to to win and and and that's great, you know. Those are the people who probably you know, they are the ones who who rise to the top and all, and and and maybe that got in the way for me, but um I really enjoyed people and and I wanted people to I wanted to make people feel good around me, so hopefully, hopefully that's the case.

Mike Gonzalez 39:52

Bruce, that sounds to me like somebody with Midwestern roots.

Bruce Devlin 39:56

Yeah, doesn't it? Well, you've given us something to remember today, and that is how nice it's been to have you on the podcast with us. You've been a great guest, and we heard some great stories, and I know Mike would like to thank you the same way as I do, Sherry. It's been wonderful having you with us. Thank you.

Sherri Steinhauer 40:17

Well, I can't thank you two enough. Bruce, Mike, thank you so much for for having me. It's been a lot of fun, and and I just I think this is really cool what you guys are doing, and I I wish you the best of luck and and uh keep up the good work.

Mike Gonzalez 40:33

Thanks, Sherry. Great to have you with us.

Sherri Steinhauer 40:35

And Bruce, congratulations on an amazing career you had yourself.

Bruce Devlin 40:40

You you had a thank you, Sherry.

Sherri Steinhauer 40:42

Fantastic career. So it was fun to fun to watch you as I was growing up, and you were uh a big name in in my book, and and I I used to watch you, and and so it's pretty cool to have this opportunity to talk with you. Thank you.

Bruce Devlin 41:00

It's just cool for me too. Thank you, Sherry.

Sherri Steinhauer 41:03

Thank you. Thanks, Mike.

Mike Gonzalez 41:05

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 41:30

It went to my fellow.