Next on the Tee: PGA's first female president, Suzy Whaley discusses Golf Nation
It’s Girls Night Out II this week on “Next on the Tee,” featuring four guests — former PGA of America President, now President of Golf Nation Suzy Whaley; Mark Calcavecchia’s wife, part-time caddie Brenda Calcavecchia, Junior Golf Leader of the Year Megan Younkman, and adaptive golf instructor Gianna Rojas.
Whaley was the first female president of the PGA of America. She is now the president of the new golf platform Golf Nation. We hear about the shows they’ve created, including “Three Courses” featuring my recent guests Gabi Powel and Hannah Lerner. We also hear about her show “Do I Know You,” which is a dating game-like show with Tour players and their spouses. Whaley and I also breakdown the Solheim Cup, the Ryder Cup, whether players should get paid to play, and her participation on the legends of the LPGA Tour.
Calcavecchia is not only Mark’s wife, she’s also his part-time caddie. She provides her perspective of Tour events through the eyes of a caddie during the day and a wife in the evenings. She shares which events treat the caddies well on Tour and RV life, going from tournament to tournament.
Younkman is the director of instruction at Bethpage Black. They are already making preparations for the Ryder Cup in 2025. If you thought the European crowd was harsh, wait until the event comes to New York City in ‘25. We hear about the other courses at Bethpage, which one is her favorite, plus keeping pace of play moving on the Black course. She was just named Junior Golf Leader of the Year and when you hear her talk about her junior program you’ll understand why.
Rojas was born without a left hand, but she has never let that stop her. We hear how she got started playing golf and ultimately created her adaptive golf program. She shares all the wonderful benefits golf has on physical and emotional well-being. She talks specifically about her adaptive golf program and the work she’s doing getting more people to learn or re-learn how to play. Check out her program at adaptivegolfers.org.
Listen: Next on the Tee with Chris Mascaro
Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.
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