Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez-Tour Winner Lashley-Fairways of Life w Matt Adams-Tues April 23

Matt Adams is joined by World Golf Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez who won 48 times on the LPGA Tour and is one of only 3 players to win 5 in a row like Nelly Korda. PGA Tour winner Nate Lashley joins us live from the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
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#MattAdams #GolfDiscussion #FairwaysOfLife #GolfTalk #LPGATour #LPGA #NancyLopez #NellyKorda #LIVGolf #Nelly #NellyKorda #Scheffler #ScottieScheffler #NateLashley

welcome to the most listened to golf in
the world the fairways of Life show on
air online and around the world with the
most candid
interviews Unforgettable stories
taking you beyond the
ropes here’s your host New York Times
bestselling author Matt Adams as we
welcome you into the fairways of Life
show from wherever around the globe
you’re joining us today we are joined by
an absolute Legend a World Golf Hall of
Fame member in the form of Nancy Lopez
love to catch up with Nancy of course
she is a three time major Champion she
won wait for it 48 times on the LPGA
Tour she’s a member of the first United
States solheim Cup team in 1990 she
captain in the Victorious 2005 United
States solheim Cup team she was a
five-time LPGA Tour player of the year
details to follow accordingly to this
too 1978 that was her rookie year on the
LPGA what she did was absolutely
unbelievable and it definitely relates
to what’s happening in the game right
now she was a 1998 usgaa Bob Jones award
recipient the year 2000 old Tom Morris
award recipient her accolades honestly
are too numerous to even try to list
I’ll give you this insane nugget though
when we dig back into her life she won
the New Mexico Women’s Amateur in
1969 she was 12 years old in fact uh she
played in the US Women’s Open shortly
after graduating high school 1974 she
played it again in 1975 in
1975 she finished tied for second that
rookie year that we were just talking
about
1978 she won nine
times five of those were
consecutive victories as a result she
was the LPGA Rookie of the Year as a
result she was the LPGA player of the
year and the Associated Press female
athlete of the year she won an
additional eight times in 1979 she won
multiple times every year from 1980 to
1984 noting in 83 and8 four she didn’t
play full seasons because of her birth
of her first child full-time again in
1985 get this she won five more times
five second place finishes five third
place finishes and won the money title
the player of the year the Associated
Press female athlete of the year for a
second time and that’s the kind of
career that she had absolute Delight to
have Nancy joining us today Nancy how
are you my
friend I’m tired after you read all
that I bet
how was life for
you um busy um I have two new grand
babies that we had last year and two
older grandbabies um three daughters and
uh staying busy with that and uh
unfortunately I had rotator cuff surgery
in July and I’m still not quite playing
I’m getting to my doctor’s got me
hitting an eight iron off of tea and I’m
going to try in seven iron this week so
um he he fixed it instead of giving me a
new shoulder because he didn’t want my
swing to change too much and um so I’m
dealing with that which is very strange
I’ve played golf all my life and never
not played this long it When when you
talk
about injuries your injury at that
rotator cuff but even if we look at
someone like Nelly Corda you know
obviously she she pulled out uh to rest
this week which is completely
understandable but how much of a risk is
there that that we wouldn’t be aware of
in terms of the grind on your bodies uh
we already know that she had an injury
issue that she’s coming back from with
with the blood clot in the left arm but
and she’s fully back from that according
according to her but how much is this
preventative in terms of let’s be
careful here and make sure that I get
the proper amount of
rest well you know she’s got the last
five weeks six weeks I mean she plays a
lot and to be able to play and get
through the mental part of it just as
much um every every day going into the
Press Room talking about how she’s
playing um it does wear in you and you
get very tired her body’s very probably
very tired also um I think the mental
part is even is even tougher I know when
I tried
to I went I tried to win my sixth in a
row I was in Hershey Pennsylvania trying
to do that um totally exhausted mentally
um you know it was a tough week I did my
Sports Illustrated cover shoot that week
um interviews and you know all about
trying to win six in a row and um I I
tell everybody I couldn’t focus um I I I
would be standing over a putt um and
thinking about getting going to
McDonald’s and getting a quarter pound
of a cheese I had no Focus I mean there
nothing was there anymore for my brain
to to be able to play the type golf I
needed to to win six in a row but um I
remember I think I finished 10 shots
behind Pat Bradley at that tournament
and so it it takes a toll on you and I I
take my hats off to Nelly for deciding
that um you she’s such a great player it
was really really fun watching her on
Sunday and love watching her jump in and
um and her family and Coach whoever else
jumped in I would have liked to been
there jump in with her um but uh she she
definitely made the right decision if
that’s the way she feels
um you it takes a lot to pull out of a
golf tournament because I know the
sponsor would have loved to have been
have her at his event but um you just
have to say no once in a while Nancy
would you have jumped in that pond it
looked kind of green to
me I saw that water when she jumped up I
said oh I think that’s kind of dirty um
but
uh but you know when I when I played at
pal in Palm Springs and it was a Nabisco
dinosaur I won it before it became a
major and so all the years after that I
kept I’d walk around the pond and I look
in that water and um I said I really
want to jump in there again or jump in
there for the first time because we
didn’t get to because it wasn’t a
tradition when I wanted um but then they
did make it Poppy’s Pond I was the
Master of Ceremonies for that and they
made it into a pool and um they let me
uh the players that were there that did
not jump in Pat Bradley was there Sandra
Palmer myself and Whitworth were the
four players that were there that did
not jump in when we won it so they
allowed us to do that so we were we were
like old ladies it was me and Sandra and
uh and uh Pat Bradley and then we looked
back and we told um we told um Kathy
Whitworth to come on in and she’s said
no no I’m not going to go in there so we
three jumped in and it was great we got
our robes um and so it was really a
great day there there were fans there
the press and um I finally got to jump
in even though I didn’t get to do it
when I won the tournament I you know i’
I’ve had this argument before even Karen
stles and I uh debated at one time on
Golf Channel but my feeling is if you go
back to the Augusta National
Invitational right which was the first
six Masters and that was before they
reviewed as a quote major and now it’s
obviously seen as a major and everybody
that won the event going right back to
Smith in the first one are credited with
having won a major and my view is
whether we’re talking about Avana or
whether we’re talking about the
precursor of of the now called Chevron
if you’ve won those events to me the
lineage should go back it’s the same
golf course and you should have won a
major championship do you what is your
perspective on whether that should
count um I’m for it I would love that
I’d like to be able to say I won five
Majors because I won the European also
before it turned into a major so I mean
there were great events and andv say you
won five Majors instead of three would
be nice now when you go back to your run
attempting to win for the sixth time and
and you said you were having difficulty
focusing and your mind was on going and
get a cheeseburger at a fast food joint
or what have
you was there any sense when you look
back on it and assess it honestly was
there any sense of
relief when you didn’t win that six time
and at least that run of pressure and
attention for the moment was broken
of course I I mean I would have loved to
accomplish that but um yeah there it
there was so much pressure for so long
um not really from myself I was just
playing golf enjoying it playing well
and then um you know the Press was you
know always bringing it up let’s talk
about it you know what do you think and
then of course the sponsors wanted me to
play that next week and so there’s
pressure more from outside than from
myself um I truly enjoyed playing during
that time everything seemed easy uh as I
said to so many so many press people
this week already you know the fairways
got bigger the greens got bigger the
hole was bigger and you never thought
you were not going to hit it good
everything was just perfect the the
tempo of my swing was perfect I was
excited to play every day couldn’t wait
to do that and um it was just a fun time
and I and for sure yes I think when it
was over I could finally take a deep
breath and I don’t remember if I took
off the next week I’m thinking that I
did uh because I was so tired um but um
you know when you’re young and you get
to do that kind of stuff and you
accomplish that it’s it’s just really a
lot of fun to do it so that pressure
that you were talking about when when
you when you phrase it the way you did
basically pressure coming from the
outside in until It ultimately does
impact you whether it’s physical or
mentally
emotional how much were you getting that
from the top on down when we’re talking
about the LPG how much pressure did you
feel from the lpj from the commissioner
itself to say no no we really need you
here this this is a run where we’re
getting attention like we’ve never
gotten before uh in the late 1970s as
media was starting to grow and there was
the start of for the first time ever a
247 sports channels Etc uh did you feel
that and what impact did that have on
you well I mean it was easy for me
physically maybe not the mental part but
because I was 20 years old and here I am
playing on the LPG tour I start winning
and then then I did start to feel a
responsibility because I knew our tour
was trying to grow we had the players
that were passing the torch on to me you
know Whitworth and donica Pony all these
great players um Judy Rankin and so I
knew what I had to do I didn’t
necessarily necessarily always want to
do it I was there were times I was
called by the commissioner and asked me
to play in some events and and you know
I was like you know I’m just totally
exhausted but there were there were
times when I said okay I’ll do it but I
did it for my tour um if I could help
you know bring few more people into the
gates that’s what I wanted to do and I
felt like it was a responsibility and it
was tough because I felt like I was
carrying the LPG Tour on my shoulders
but uh it was also fun doing it um
people were great to me my fans were
awesome um and it was just a it was a
great time in my life and I would I
would do it over again Stacy Lewis the
captain of the United States solheim Cup
team said at the start of last week that
she did feel that Nelly had a
responsibility to be out there for and
I’m paraphrasing using my own
terminology here to be out there for the
LPGA to be out front for the LPGA uh and
then when Nelly did her press conference
she kind of said no I really don’t feel
uh a particular responsibility to grow
the game of golf for the LPGA again me
paraphrasing what was said but there but
there seemed to be a disconnect in terms
of philosophy there with one leader in
the game saying no there’s a
responsibility to be out in front and
the other going my responsibility is to
me as an athlete to do what I need to do
to be able to perform my best where does
Nancy Lopez fall in
that I mean I think that Nelly needs to
feel like it is a responsibility for her
I mean she’s a US player and I think we
need an American player winning um a
little bit more in the LPG because we’ve
had so many players from all over the
world come and join the LPGA Tour and
have dominated it and I think that she
needs to feel like I need to be able to
go out there uh represent the United
States of America and play on the LPG
tour and take that responsibility um I I
feel like I know Nellie um a little bit
I was uh her pod leader in the solheim
cup and I I love her I think she’s just
she’s just a great great kid and um I I
think she’s a little shy I I loved her
interview the other day because she
talked about being nervous and being
able to breathe and that that was good
because she kind of came out of that
little bit of shyness that she has um
but I I hope that she does look at it as
a responsibility to help our tour grow
because she is that us player that’s
going to make people come back to golf
and watch it full time um not taking
anything away from the the players from
all over the world because they are
excellent players good people people
they work hard but as I said before when
I went to Korea sari Pac invited me to
go there they don’t want Nancy LZ to win
they wanted Siri P to win so you come to
the United States now and and I had
people tell me they didn’t want to watch
the lpj tour because there weren’t there
were no Americans for them to watch so I
get it they get it and I think that she
really needs to say you know I’m the
face of the LPG tour right now and she
needs to just keep doing what she’s
doing and I’ve said before too once
Nelly realized how good she is she’s
going to be able to dominate the LPGA
Tour and and I always text her she I
texted her after she won and she just
always answers me and it’s it’s really
nice to be able to have conversations
with her but she is a true champion I
watched her play uh on the solheim cup
and she is a great player and like I
said if she once she realizes how good
she is I think she can really dominate
now that’s a point I want to pick up
with with Nancy Lopez and when we come
back folks because she has now said
twice once she realized how good she is
that’s a point that I want to touch on
is this about confidence how do we
Define what that belief really is so
that we can try to understand as mere
motals what Nancy Lopez has already
accomplish what Nelly has already
accomplished the question is how have
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[Music]
[Music]
Our
Guest is that Legend half of those
photos World Golf Hall of Fame member
Nancy Lopez and Don before we jump back
in with Nancy here I know you must have
done some kind of question of the day
and IP ECT it’s built around what we’re
discussing what are you hearing so far
folks and you can log on to the fairways
of Life YouTube channel if you want to
weigh in on this question of the day
what is it
Tom the question of the day pertains
directly to what you guys have been
talking about it’s would you have jumped
into that pond would you have jumped
into that pond and I gotta say
38% 38% they’re like no I’m not jumping
into that P forget it I’m not going to
do it
and I feel like I feel like nany’s
answer I mean maybe I don’t want to
speak for you Nancy but I feel like your
answer was also like I don’t know about
I don’t know about that particular pond
in that moment I’m not so
sure but I just know if it was in
Florida I definitely would have jumped
into
that probably wise probably wise okay so
Nancy I want to share something with you
take a look at this graphic and I love
the way that the game of golf does this
the way the game of golf causes Bridges
from one generation to another five
straight wins in five straight starts
consecutive starts Nelly quter course
2024 tiger did it in 0708 0607 in 99 in
2000 anuka did it in 04 and 05 you did
it in 1978 then we go Ben Hogan with six
in 1948 and then we go Byron Nelson with
11 in 1945 and the reason why I’m
mentioning this to you right now is
because you mentioned the greats the
witw worth of the years the rights all
these people that were still playing
when you came out when you look at this
graphic and you see this kind of
combination and this connection between
what you did and what they did the p a
Pantheon really it’s mind-blowing how
does it affect
you you know I I just I’m honored to be
you know with all these people that
played such great golf in their their
you know day in time um you know when
you’re 20 years old you know I just
wanted to win one tournament my rookie
year I W I wasn’t trying to do anything
but that um you know I was I as an
amateur my goal is to be number one as
an amateur ranked in the in the United
States and then of course when I left
school from tuls University and decided
to go on the tour you know I I felt like
I was going to start at the very bottom
of the totem pole again and my goal was
to win one tournament because I was
always a goal Setter um so you know when
I won my first tournament it was like I
mean you’re climbing a hill and you’re
trying to win one tournament on the lpj
tour and when I won that first
tournament in February in Sarasota um I
it was like now it was it was downhill
in a good way and I was going downhill
and now was it seemed easier once you
win that first that first tournament um
but like I said I was 20 years old
everything was new um I love the
attention it was fun um people were
great to me um were just so many doors
that opened that rookie year and then
when I started winning and then ended up
winning nine um you know that was that
was just a special time for me to be
able to have my name upside so many
great players that have played this game
uh it’s an honor for
me Nancy before we took the break you
said not once but twice relative to to
Nelly that that once she realized how
good she
was what do you mean by that what does
does that mean when you say
it um I I just I know by watching her
she’s one of the best players I’ve seen
in a long time and you know for her to
realize that and and I don’t know if
anybody ever told her that that Nelly
you’re a great player and you could
dominate the LPG tour and I think too
what can motivate Nelly is that I mean
I’m hoping that she’s a goal Setter and
wants to be the best player that ever
played on the LPG Day Tour um I think
she can do that I mean she’s only
25 um but to set goals and to try and
reach them um because I mean gosh when I
was 20 it seemed like the other day and
now I’m 67 and it’s a time of her life
and I I remember a time of my life that
was special and you can’t get that time
back but because she’s so talented to be
able to play this great game and play as
great as she is um and keep it up and
keep doing it I mean she’s not going to
win you know every year she’s not going
to win you know whatever 9 10
tournaments but it’s fun to play it’s
fun to win it’s fun to look back now for
me and say wow I know I was a part of
something great many years ago and just
really you know why are we here I always
I always thought you know why am I here
why am I playing golf and you know that
was answered many times by people coming
up and telling me their story and I hope
that she
you know just wraps her arms around all
of that that can happen to her and enjoy
this time of her life being a young
player and such such a great player and
a good person Me Nelly is really really
a special young person and um I’m real
proud of her I hope she she realizes
that you know even though I’m not
playing on the tour anymore it’s still
my tour and I still want it to to grow
and get better and better I want the
purses to grow um the sponsors have been
great um you know they they’re trying to
make all these uh purses grow also um
because women deserve it and so I hope
that she can keep that going because the
more people she brings in that gate the
the more the purses are going to grow on
the lpj tour I want to Circle back
around about that subject of purses
growing in the LPGA Tour and exposures
and networks Etc but I want to go back
to something else Andrew if you could
grab that picture of the ctis SS with
Nancy uh Nancy there was it was at Glenn
Eagles at the at the solheim cup that I
remember if if you recall on on the 18th
R there was the slope on the side of the
hill where where everybody was sitting
the gallery was sitting I was doing the
the world radio coverage so I was about
15 feet to your left you were sitting
alone and there was so much pressure and
so much stress at that moment that
figuratively while you were physically
alone it felt even more pronounced
because of the moment and I I was
thinking to myself GE there’s Nancy
Lopez by herself at this moment and then
almost instantly at that time the Two
ctis Sisters walked up they got each
side of you they’re obviously standing
there in this photo that we’re showing
but this was out in the field at this
moment they got in each side of you and
they put their arms around your
shoulders and it was one of the coolest
things and I’m sorry for sharing what
was a private moment in this public
forum but I thought it was so cool and
so moving to see it and you guys shared
that moment together ultimately it was a
moment in which the United States Soul
Cup team did not win but nonetheless
there was a moment of reflection and
there was a moment of what I call these
bridges that the game of golf constantly
affords us with uh between you Legends
and now the new Legend that is Nelly
cter with what she’s accomplishing uh
what does that mean to you to have that
kind of relationship with those young
women uh and I don’t mean any disrespect
by this but it struck me very much as
these young women was someone that they
look up not only to respect but it kind
of had like a grandmother feel to
it well you know it’s it’s just fun I I
was um um uh Jessica’s Junior solheim
Cup captain she played for me in the
Junior solheim Cup
and when I was a captain I mean she was
17 and alxi was 14 and when we were at
the hotel all the girls went downstairs
and it was a place where you could make
a waffle and cook your own breakfast and
these young women were trying to make
their waffles of course they were it was
stuff was everywhere and it was stuck
and I went over there and I helped them
and I was basically making breakfast for
the players at the hotel downstairs
where everybody else eats um and I think
you know just because these young women
I have three daughters that did not play
golf my oldest Ashley 40 is just now
starting to play
golf I look at I look at the situation
like I’m kind of like their mom
and I would I treat them like I treat my
daughters and if I can help them in any
situation and you know to to help them
through a negative time uh to help
encourage them uh you know to give them
a pat on the back and then and then I
was their pod leader in the solheim cup
under Julie iner uh Jessica was in my
pod and so was Nelly Lexie was in my pod
um and and it was just it’s just a great
time for me to be able to
really hug these young women and
encourage them because it’s not easy uh
and their parents Jessica and Nell’s
parents are great golf parents um of
course her father or their father
professional tennis player he gets it
and I think that I know their mother
gets it too so when they’re when you’re
assistant captain or you’re the person
they next to you know I just always
wanted to encourage them and I and I
feel like they they may look up to me as
a mom and not a grandmother but a mom
fair
enough and um I just I love I love it
because they’re just special kids and
really wish that my kids would have
played golf like they did not
professionally necessarily but just to
enjoy this great game but um Jessica and
Nelly are just super young people and I
love being around them they make me feel
young uh when they’re ever around but
it’s I love it when they come and hug me
because it means a lot to me Nancy to us
you are eternally young I want to ask
you one last question before we let you
go today uh and invite you back another
time because I love having these indepth
conversations I we haven’t even had time
to get into the fact that you literally
started out when the founders of the
LPGA were still active and still winning
and and take it right into your career
which which bridged right up solidly
into ANUK on Moore but you seem to have
a pragmatic approach saying that through
the growth of popularity in the LPG
purses will grow Etc where does Nancy
Lopez stand on how much exposure the
LPGA deserves because the quality of the
product when we’re talking about network
coverage when we’re talking about purses
Etc where is the LPGA right now in the
spectrum of professional
sports well Matt it’s grown um just
going back I remember when I won nine
tournaments my rookie year uh I I think
I was the first player to reach $200,000
I kind of picked on anuka and was
teasing her a little bit because we were
we were on a a committee together and we
were at dinner one night and she won
nine tournaments one year and I I kind
of joked with her I said um ANUK you won
nine tournaments like six seven years
ago when we were sitting at dinner I
said how much money did you win and she
kind of shil she looked at me she goes
oh I I don’t remember and I said yes you
do I said you won 5 and a half million
ion dollar with nine tournaments when I
won 200,000 and I and I looked I said I
think you should tell me thank
you that’s awesome
because I mean I just I love anuka and I
think you know look at the players and
and the purses yeah they’ve grown I know
when I was a rookie on the tour I’m
going to use my hands we we were here
the uh PJ tour was here and we got there
and then they went way up and left us
behind again and I I just really thought
my rookie we’re going to catch up with
the PGA tour in purse and purse money um
but we haven’t we have grown a lot um
but I think it does have a lot to do
with you know uh the sponsors of course
but also we need to bring more people in
the gate uh to watch the lpj tour we
have a great tour we have great players
I think people can relate with the p the
lpj tour even more so than the PGA
because we have these women that are not
great big like the guys are and they hit
it you know 285 290 oh yeah um and I I
just feel like you know everyone needs
to realize how good these players are uh
why everybody wants to rub elbows with
the guys I mean I kind of understand it
but the LPG tour uh what they provide um
for customers and
sponsors uh it’s a great tour and we
need to keep it growing and whatever it
takes we need to do that um I think you
know being television more longer um and
just any way that how do we do that you
know sometimes people ask me why haven’t
our purses grown to what the guys have
and I I really don’t know why the only
reason I come up with is you know more
people in the gate that helps the purses
grow because we have some great players
out there uh from all from all countries
and here in the United States all right
Nancy Lopez absolute Legend has The
credibility to speak on all these points
to she is sharing with us today she’s
also sharing of herself in a number of
different Endeavors whether Nancy we’re
talking about clubes we’re talking about
a par talk about your travel business
you’re keeping yourself
busy I am and it’s great um I have a
clothing company and a golf club company
um this started many many years ago I
sat in the room with Arnold Palmer and
he had Arnold Palmer Golf and and he
asked me if I would like to start a
women’s golf club company and at that
time was just a club company not a
clothing company I said absolutely
because back then you know I don’t think
anybody made clubs just for women so
that was important to me uh to provide
something for women um just for them um
and then I started a company 10 years
ago Nancy Lopez golf Adventures where uh
my my two teaching professionals lpj
teaching professionals Teresa Zamboni
and Su Powers they um they they pretty
much put it all together cuz I looked at
them I said I want to give back what can
we do and they come up they came up with
a plan our Mantra is play happy because
my dad said I always played better when
I played happy and so we take people all
over the world and in the United States
um it could be I think the most we’ve
had at one of our events is 43 we teach
and we play with them there’s some
schools that are more for teaching and
less playing and then there’s some more
playing less teaching um and then I’m on
the board now of FS of Honor which is an
an awesome
organization uh Colonel Dan Rooney
started this um and what we do is we we
raise money to send the kids of Fallen
Soldiers um and First Responders to
school to help them get their education
so I get um I’m involved in a lot of
things I have my charity aim for the
handicap adventures and movement uh
where I this is going to be my 403rd
year having a proam at The Villages
Florida and we’ve made a lot of money to
help uh children spe with special needs
um and it’s been it’s fun to give back I
like to play in in all kinds of events
with other professionals to help them
raise money for their charity so when
you can when you’re blessed and you have
a chance to give back I think it’s so
important to do that and and I’ve been
blessed and I keep trying to do that
nany’s father Domingo said play happy as
she noted and happy is exactly what we
are whenever we get a chance to chat
with you an absolute Legend Nancy Lopez
member of the World Golf Hall of Fame
thank you very very much for your time
as ever we’ll be back with our pleasure
I can tell you that we’ll be back with
more of the fairways of Life show right
after this and when we come back we’re
going to be joined by a winner on the
PGA tour stay with
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[Music]
cavy welcome back to the fairways of
Life show Matt Adams here with you Domin
Andrew are behind the glass we welcome
your company from wherever you’re
joining us around the world Nate Lashley
had an incredible journey to success and
obviously everyone’s path is different
but his was truly one about grinding his
way to the top turn pro in 2005 played
several years on Mini tours he even
spent time as a real estate agent to
make ends meet along the way eventually
though he collected four wins in the
Gateway tour led to three wins PJ tour
Latino America which led to wins on the
corn fairy tour and then securing a p GA
tour card and victory as the third
alternate to get in but he wins the
event the 2019 rocket mortgage
incredible story and throughout he’s
amassed 15 professional wins to his
credit in its entirety he currently
finds himself sitting 71st and FedEx Cup
standings coming into the week of the
Zurich will partner with Rafa compos and
he’s had solid finishes this year
already tie for third at the farmers uh
Tory Pines tie for 13th at the Players
he just had a top 25 at the Houston open
great to have him joining us this
morning and Nate I can see you’re
joining us from your hotel room I
noticed you made your bed behind you is
that common for you do you make your bed
or do you just do that for
TV well probably mostly for
TV we appreciate that there’s no doubt
how are you doing how are you
feeling uh well you know I’m 41 years
old now so every morning I wake up now
it’s you know you get a little stiffer
you get a little more uh you know from
all the travel that we do out here and
uh it’s it’s not easy but uh obviously
playing on the PJ tour has always been a
dream so it’s something you get up for
every morning and and go out and have
some fun how about your just overall
life perspective of resiliency because
as I was just recounting just some
touchstones some highlights of your
career Nate each step of way you have
grinded it out to secure your particular
accompl M your victories and going to
the next stage is that just something
that you just say that’s who I am I’m a
guy that I can do it I know I can do it
but it may take me a little bit longer
or I may have to work a little bit
harder but I’m not giving up tenacity is
the
key yeah I mean it took me you know 12
years before I got out on the PGA tour I
played kind of all over the place played
a lot of mini tour events um went down
and played the Latin American tour from
I think it was 15 2015 2016 and that was
a great experience I think the PJ tour
has done a nice job with that tour uh
and and and that’s really what um got me
to the corn fairy tour I won the money
list in Latin American tour that got my
uh full status card on the corn fairy
tour and then that um you know that year
on the corn fairy tour I won in punana
and that basically along with some other
good finishes got me onto the PGA Tour
so yeah it’s been a it’s been a long
haul it’s um but you know it’s kind of
like I always felt like I was getting
better and I felt like you know I’d
played with a lot of these guys on the
PJ tour from college to other
tournaments and I felt like I could
compete so I just you know kept kept
grinding like you said and and uh kept
trying to get better and and that’s kind
of what I did and eventually it paid off
for me yeah to that point as you noted
you’re 41 years young now and at a time
where historically players tend to go
into kind of a down period in their
career more of the valleys than the
Peaks but that’s not the case with you
in fact you seem to be going the
opposite direction with really solid
performances to what would you account
that to and how has the game
particularly the long game stacked up to
everybody else at this
point uh well you know some of these
guys that are in their 40s have been out
here for 20 years and just the the grind
of playing 20 years and doing the travel
and the schedule is I think probably uh
a lot of the reason why some of those
guys you know kind of fade off really is
uh you know I mean I this is my seventh
year and it’s uh it’s it’s a lot it’s um
like I said the travel is is uh it it
can be brutal at times really I mean
just traveling here this week we had a
flight delay and we were stuck in the
airport till almost 2 in the morning so
it was um it can be tough but uh you
know I mean I guess for my credit I just
you know I tried my best to stay healthy
um do whatever I can to uh keep my body
you know in shape and and loose but uh
uh mainly just uh you know keep the keep
like I said keep grinding and and you
know I want to stay out here for two
three more years if possible and and um
finish my career on the PJ tour and and
then right off into the sunset okay Nate
Lashley what do you lie about and now
here’s where I’m coming with this you’re
on the plane you’ve been waiting it’s
2:00 in the morning you sit on the plane
you sit next to this guy this guy wants
to be chatty and he says you know uh
where you from so what do you do what do
you tell
them uh I usually you know say I’m Nate
I uh I you know it depends I mean
sometimes I will say I play golf for a
living but no way yeah I mean it it just
depends obviously you don’t you don’t I
don’t get a ton of
you just don’t get a whole lot of Chatty
people it seems like anymore on planes
occasionally you do but um yeah it’s
happened a handful of times but I have
you know I have alsha said too that I
you know just do real estate if you know
if I’m in the mood
of sit back sit back and relax and and
listen to some music or or a movie or
something like that I have I I have said
that before also yeah I actually do
think in Fair it is to you that that
nowadays because everybody’s got the
airpods that that kind of shuts down a
lot of communication Lee trino used to
say he’d get he’d curl up into the
corner of the seat and pull his hat down
everybody left them alone when we come
back with Nate Lashley I want to talk to
you more about the PGA Tour particularly
where the game of golf stands right now
and his place in it his place seems to
be getting better and better but is that
the case for everyone more the fairways
of Life show right after this
had ball fit in 2000 went on a little
[Music]
[Applause]
run then Bridgestone fit me again and I
went on another
[Music]
[Applause]
one I just got fit again for the new
tour BX the ball fing has been helping
me will it help
[Music]
you Bo golf provides the Ultimate
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Championship caliber courses spanning
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Northern lower Peninsula the courses are
the products of some of the game’s
Masters including Robert Trent Jones
Senor Arthur Hills and Donald Ross from
the all-inclusive vacation packages
Elite instruction with the bo Golf
Academy tournaments and so much more Bo
golf truly offers an unrivaled Michigan
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bol.com I think when you’re training for
other other sports or you’re what why
most people go to the gym is so that
they can like have muscles and you know
be strong and be healthy and a lot of
the reason why they struggle to play
golf is their body doesn’t move properly
for them to be able to hit a golf ball
and when you’re training for golf it’s a
little bit different because you’re
focused more on flexibility and mobility
and being uh strong in motion when
you’re able to kind of have a warm-up
and have a workout routine and kind of
gradually build up to where you’re
training your body to move properly yeah
you’re going to get a lot of big
dividends on the golf course every
January PGA TOUR Superstore Pros meet
every manufacturer learn about the
latest equipment log thousands of hours
of training and together hit over
100,000 balls all so they can get you
the perfect
fit what if we started a company and the
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Financial constraints the one constraint
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[Music]
[Music]
would you do
it would you jump into the pond so Dom
the question of the day you told us was
would you jump into it looks kind of
green to me would you jump into that
pond what do you hearing from the
people the people are now saying
officially uh the answer to that
question is
42% no that’s a very large number of
people who are claiming they would not
jump into that pond I gotta ask you Nate
would you jump into that murky water
there well this this week the zurk
you’re going to jump in when you win
this week right
Nate yeah I don’t think you can do it
here at the Zurich there’s some Gators
lurking in the water here
but Nelly Corda winning five tournaments
in a row if if if that was me I’d jump
into about anything because that’s
pretty amazing it is absolutely
incredible okay so Nate I want to talk
to you about as we mentioned you’re now
71st you’re knocking on the door for all
the Privileges that come with Elite
play the PGA tour right now seems to be
structured where there’s clearly a
halves and then there’s those that have
some and I’m not saying the have sums
are bad but I’m curious from your
perspective because you’ve been
outspoken on this is the balance right
in the World of Golf and the PGA tour
right
now uh you know Pro I in my opinion
obviously I don’t think so it is but um
I kind of believe that these elevated
Signature Events should be just kind of
what they were before in in the um you
know like the memorial and and ARL
Palmer you know Invitational events
where you know the top 120 to 130
players get to play in them uh I think
it’s somewhat clear now and you only
have you know they’re supposed to have
72 events most of them are only getting
68 69 players because there is still
guys that will have to skip tournaments
for some reasons um and and Scotty
obviously has been playing unbelievable
and kind of turned some of these events
into almost blowouts but he’s just he’s
playing so well that you know that’s
inevitable but I think with larger
fields that might not happen you know
when you’re when you have add an extra
50 players to these to these events that
just makes them more competitive and in
my opinion and a lot of and a lot of
guys on the PJ tour their opinion is the
same is that makes the the fields
stronger where they keep talking about
they want the strongest Fields but our
strongest field is the players
championship and it’s 144 player so it
just it doesn’t make a whole lot of
sense that they’re playing 70 man Fields
anymore that’s a good point because you
finished tied for 13th at that players
too would you talk about Scotty
sheffler would you first of all Define
Scotty sheffler as a dominating
player yeah for sure I mean I played
with him the final round at uh the
players and he made it look so easy I
mean he shot eight under and he really
didn’t make any putts he hit a lot of
good putts and you know a couple fell
but I mean he hits every single shot
right at the pin he is by far right now
the best ball Striker the best player in
the world and I don’t even think it’s
close um so it was it was fun watching
him play um I kind of realized just how
good he was because that’s the first
time I played with him but uh I mean
yeah I mean he is dominating right now
it when when you have a dominating
player when we think back to the the
last truly dominating player right Tiger
Woods uh by by all measure there was an
intimidation factor that accompanied
with tiger when he was climbing up the
leaderboard if you’re looking back over
your shoulder and you see Tiger Woods
coming at you is that the case now or
are we at a yet maybe situation with
Scotty sheffler where if he’s in the
hunt people start to notice and people
start to think to themselves
uhoh I mean yeah I think probably
somewhat I think you know you see some
of the guys uh you know just this week
you know he was tied for the lead and
then all of a sudden he’s three four
shots ahead you know I don’t know I mean
when I like I said when I played with
him he just it was just on cruise
control he just birdie after birdie and
and you know shot eight under and he had
a chance to pretty easily shoot 10 11
under if just a few putts fall but uh
yeah I mean I think somewhat I think
somewhat when the players see him at the
top of the leaderboard I think they know
that oh hey Scotty’s up here we’re gonna
have to play pretty much Flawless Golf
and thinking that way it’s not easy to
do so yeah that definitely would be the
uh yeah somewhat of an intimidation
factor from Scotty Nate what about your
sponsors who have you aligned yourself
with uh well I’ve always been a a ping
guy ping player um you know I played
their clubs for since college and
they’ve been great to me can’t ask
anymore of ping they’re a great company
I think they make the best golf clubs in
the world they are been fabulous um rock
and mortgage has always been uh a great
sponsor for me with winning the Rock and
mortgage classic back five years ago
they’ve
been absolutely great to work with uh
you know they run a a great tournament
in Detroit and you know I couldn’t ask
for more from them um and then obviously
I have some some other sponsors with
Titleist fo jooy play the ball shoe
glove do that um one of my other good
sponsors that I that I use is uh it’s
symmetry companies and in Scottsdale
Arizona they own a couple golf courses
and do devel Land Development out in the
Arizona area and they do some some over
um across the US and and other places as
well but uh they’ve been a great sponsor
for me they own Pine Canyon um Country
Club up in Flagstaff Arizona so that’s
been an area that we’ve got to kind of
explore over the last uh two three years
we go up there during the summer and we
love it it’s beautiful place beautiful
golf course and couldn’t ask much more
either of of symmetry companies about a
minute and a half left here in the show
so Nate given your life’s experience in
particular do you feel that between the
ropes that golf can be a place of call
it what
meditation uh healing therapy a
peacefulness has it always been that for
you uh well no definitely I mean I think
when you’re just out playing casual golf
yeah it can be a place of you know
relaxation and stuff like that but when
you’re playing you know PJ tour and
competitive events it’s it’s uh it can
be stressful it can you know it can wear
on you you know because we don’t have
guaranteed contracts out here you know
it’s it’s basically what you play you
know how you play is what you get and
maintaining your status every year can
be um you know extremely stressful and
you know it comes with the game comes
with uh playing golf for a living but uh
it’s it’s you know something I’ve always
enjoyed the competitiveness
um but uh you know and like I said I
wouldn’t trade it for anything be
playing on the PJ tour is a is a
privilege and and it’s great to be out
here and it’s always been a dream of
mind so making that happen has has been
awesome Nate we wish you the very very
best uh with your career with the path
that you’re on particularly this week
we’re looking forward to you jumping
into the pond the Zer he committed to
that didn’t I if I remember correctly
but we very much appreciate your time uh
and hanging out with us so we could all
get get to know you even better so good
luck and thanks once more oh thanks Matt
thanks for having me on oh it was our
pleasure to have you on so tomorrow
folks we’re super excited too you know
how we’ve started to do these interviews
where we bring on Executives from big
companies these golf companies that are
at least defining their segment of the
game with what players like Nate and
others are using out on the golf course
well tomorrow we’re going to have one on
that is probably amongst the most
distinctive in the game today and you’ll
understand what I mean tomorrow I’ll
give you this little hint into it uh if
you’ve seen heavy action in Vietnam and
now you’re selling golf equipment that
bears your name what’s the connection
there thanks and bye