In this episode of Uncorked: Wine-Business-Life, hosts Bill Green and Jerrold Colton sit down with former professional golfer and broadcaster Morgan Pressel. From making history as the youngest golfer to make the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open at just 12 years old to transitioning into a successful broadcasting career, Morgan shares her incredible journey on and off the course.Morgan opens up about her unique path from a tennis background to golf stardom, the impact of losing her mother to breast cancer, and how she channels her passion into philanthropy through the Morgan Pressel Foundation. She also discusses the mental challenges of competitive golf, her decision to retire from professional play, and how broadcasting reignited her passion for the sport. Plus, don’t miss Morgan’s candid thoughts on the evolution of women’s golf and her love for fine wine.Get ready for an inspiring and insightful conversation with a trailblazer in the world of golf. Cheers!
In this episode of Uncorked: Wine-Business-Life, hosts Bill Green and Jerrold Colton sit down with former professional golfer and broadcaster Morgan Pressel. From making history as the youngest golfer to make the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open at just 12 years old to transitioning into a successful broadcasting career, Morgan shares her incredible journey on and off the course.
Morgan opens up about her unique path from a tennis background to golf stardom, the impact of losing her mother to breast cancer, and how she channels her passion into philanthropy through the Morgan Pressel Foundation. She also discusses the mental challenges of competitive golf, her decision to retire from professional play, and how broadcasting reignited her passion for the sport. Plus, don’t miss Morgan’s candid thoughts on the evolution of women’s golf and her love for fine wine.
Get ready for an inspiring and insightful conversation with a trailblazer in the world of golf. Cheers!
Uncorked: Wine, Business, and Life with Bill Green & Co-Host Jerrold Colton
Kind: captions
Language: en
welcome to Uncorked wine business and
life with Bill Green I'm Gerald Colton
along with Bill Green here in beautiful
Booker tone Florida and Bill I know you
are really excited about today's guest I
really am my friend Morgan Pressel she's
just an amazing individual not only for
what she's done on the golf course and
her and her career that the fact that
she made the cut at 12 years old uh the
youngest to make the cut of the US
Women's Championship and at 7 sure she
turned Pro so I'd like everybody to meet
my friend Morgan Pressel who's also
gotten a great wine palet and she loves
great wine so this is a perfect show for
thank you for being here I do thanks for
having me guys I mean I you know you you
sold me with We'll pour you some great
wine I said okay got to come it didn't
take much it didn't take much we are
thrilled to have you here Morgan Morgan
we're both Sports guys I have made my
living a lot in sports and Bill is a
Courtside season ticket order for the
Sixers for 30 years and loves basketball
and all sorts of other sport tries our
hanock off both of us which is we met on
the golf course and man we both suck but
besides that we we are fascinated to
have you and so much stuff about your
career really amazes me when I was a a
young guy they passed Title Nine but up
until then women in sports wasn't such a
big thing it's changed so much and it's
been such a great thing but you from the
start of your life must have had a golf
club in your hand yeah I actually
started grew up with a tennis racket in
my hand I come from a tennis family um
my uncle was a professional tennis
player still an instructor the director
of tennis here in our community um who
is that Aaron
kxen I remember yeah my mother my mother
played tennis at the University of
Michigan I I I she taught tennis as well
I definitely come from a tennis family
so I actually grew up with a tennis
racket in my hand um but it was about um
the time when I moved here to Bo of Ron
when I was about 8 years old my
grandfather who had helped my uncle
growing up said uh I think you're too
slow to play tennis so maybe you should
maybe maybe maybe now it's time we'll
give you a golf club so uh I guess the
rest is history after that I think he
knew at that point what he was talking
about and now that I'm playing tennis
now I'm very slow so but that's amazing
that you had sort of the skills to
become a professional athlete maybe in
multiple Sports me they told me I was
too sure for basketball but don't try
anything else any stay away but Phil
just just the fact that at that age she
was playing competitive Level Sports is
unbelievable it really it really is and
it takes a
dedication and you went to um your your
high school here well actually your
school St Andrews uh school which is a
fine School how'd you balance that like
you're this famous kid at a
well-known private school how'd you
balance all that yeah I definitely was
when I qualified for the open um when I
was 12 it definitely pushed me into a
much bigger Spotlight
and I was just very focused on my golf
at that time I was for me I was just
another normal kid who got cool
opportunities to travel the world and
play golf and you know but I was very my
parents and my grandparents especially
were very much focused on my education
that really did come before my sports
even though um I did skip some school to
go play golf tournaments but I always
was expected to do my homework my grades
were very important to them had to get
um High marks it was um education was
very very important to them especially
with the potential that I might not go
to college that was always kind of a
thought I could potentially skip College
which I did end up doing right um and
that was also the reason why I went to
St Andrews for high school was to get
that college preparatory type education
um and knowing that I might not get any
more education in the short term Morgan
that's really interesting though because
you're not like an athlete that goes to
a sports League or gets drafted you you
had a tough decision of Education or at
least college versus professional golf
and at that age there's no guarantee
you're getting paid when you're when
you're a golfer so tell me about your
your thoughts by your family as do we go
this route I'm sure college scholarship
and playing college golf which right now
you get nil money and it probably make
the decision different but what was that
decision like for a young girl yeah
there's no question the decision now is
very different there's a lot of
different factors than than when I was
making that decision even the fact that
now you can go to qualifying school or Q
Series without turning professional so
you can kind of take that Gamble and say
well let's go see if I'm good enough
when I turn pro you had to turn pro
before you went to Q Series you couldn't
um at least the final stage uh you
couldn't wait until after the event to
to make that determination so so it
really was okay we're going all in here
and I had had the opportunity to play in
some um get exemptions to I played in
seven lpj events the year prior uh on
exemptions and qualifications 17 16 yeah
16 17 years old I guess the summer uh
most of the summer that I was um between
16 and 17 and I don't think that I
finish outside of the top 25 in those
seven so that was really kind of a a a
marker for me of okay this is really
something I could do I finished second
in the US woman's open I really had a
great opportunity and I think as
important as education was um to my
family the feeling that I could always
go back and get an education if I needed
to even if it wasn't to play golf but
this was really the the time to to try
my hands at professional gol you came so
close to Wi that us woman's open at 17
and she lost bill on a crazy shot why
why don't you tell us about that um yeah
it was um Cherry Hills in um Colorado
very famous golf course and I
was in the lead tied for the leads um in
going into the last hole and my opponent
HED out for birdie a a wild shot on the
18th hole I was watching it from the
Fairway and um and birdie Kim ended up
winning and it was
I it was a quite a quite a moment in my
career that's for sure but you're 17 and
the pressure of playing that had to be
incredible I think because I was 17
without a lot
of expectations from the outside I think
I was able to play very uh freely I
still say that's some of the best golf
I've ever played that summer I I went on
a month later or so to win the the
women's amiter and I do think that was
still some of the best I've ever played
in my career um my last year as an
amateur but um but yeah it it was
definitely a launching pad for me and a
big confidence Builder and you um so
here we are you at this point it's less
than two years and your mom passed
unfortunately um for breast cancer how
did you navigate all that cuz the normal
kid you're a kid right 15 years old the
last thing you're thinking about when
you just lost your mom did you was the
guy
kind of a savior to help you get through
all that yeah I think um you know my mom
is my biggest cheerleader she obviously
a tremendous athlete a an exceptional
competitor I I got a lot of my
competitiveness and things like that
from her but you know makes you grow up
a little bit quicker and you know to be
a 15-year-old uh when she passed she had
battled breast cancer for about five
years and so it was life-changing for
our whole family and it
it really rocks the boat so to speak and
and yes I was the person who kind of you
know put my head down and I remember um
kind of the day the week that she passed
I was supposed to go to Sweden to play
in a Junior solheim Cup event US versus
Europe and of course you my grandfather
was like you you you're not going but I
I wanted to go I was like I I have to
get out of here I want to go back to
playing golf like that was definitely a
safe place for me I'm GL I'm glad I
didn't go of course you know they knew
they knew best but as a kid I was just
like get me out of this nightmare and
golf was that place and you know the
family that I had gotten to know growing
up through junior golf um was incredibly
supportive as well so I've just always
been grateful for that and now here we
are almost 25 20 23 years since your mom
passed when did the Morgan prel
Foundation start yeah it's been it's
been about 21 years now since my mom
passed and uh not that long after you
know we let's see she passed when I was
15 we I turned Pro when I was 17 and you
know we started the foundation really
the next year um so we started the event
I should say we started a big event um
in our neighborhood here Morgan and
Friends fight cancer tournament and it's
just really this was our 18th year so um
it's kind of grown into to just this
incredible organization of community and
philanthropy I mean we live in one of
the most philanthropic places in the
world and uh you know just so grateful
that I mean my mother lived here as well
and people some people remember her from
her years living here fighting breast
cancer and you know really just wanting
to support support us support our
projects we have um m a van here in the
boa rone area that travels all over
South Florida that's what that's what I
want to get to soon to have a second so
the van is the coolest thing right it's
this big 38 foot something like that van
that goes to underserved communities for
women that can't or not thinking about
getting checked and for free yeah it
provides just access great access not in
not in in a non-intimidating way uh
travels to businesses schools a lot of
school teachers really rely on the on
the you know three four times a year
that the Maman comes they they are all
able to get checked that way especially
busy mothers um people who are people
who are truly intimidated to go to the
hospital not a lot of people it's an
uncomfortable feeling for a lot of
people but the van really provides that
great access certainly helps those who
don't have insurance and helps cover um
any any screenings that they need do you
get statistics on how many positive
results come out yes it it's right about
in line with what
um with the statistics based on in
hospital but but the number of the
uninsured is much higher uh percentage
wise that from what we see to those that
do go in to the cancer center at the
hospital so so we're very proud of that
and we just want to make sure we reach
as many people as we possibly can and
because today um there are so many
different people fighting breast cancer
and it's amazing and we're all needed to
put this puzzle together from drug
research programs to Patient Care to we
really focus a lot on early detection
because uh we do believe that today the
way to fight breast cancer in this
moment is to catch it early and you have
a much much better prognosis so so the
more that we can get those facilities
out to the public the better bill you
were involved from early way before you
met Morgan in doing things for breast
cancer you know I just kind of like
latch on to things and you know um I
have have not had breast cancer in my
family and I thank God for that but you
just got to give back right you think
about how many people need to be touched
I don't mean touching breasts right I
mean t touching their soul touching
their heart and how do you do that the
best way you can and you know you've
heard me say this before Gerald there's
it's great when you can write a check
and make a donation it's great when you
can volunteer because the volunteer is
as important as the check writer right
when you can do
both it's incredible and that's why I've
been involved with organizations like
the Ronald McDonald House and Children's
Hospital which I just left that board
and you know I've never been involved on
the ground floor of a breast cancer
organization but it's certainly at the
top of our list when we think about who
we're donating money to for our annual
uh giving and what I love is Mor going
suffer this tragedy in her life losing
your mother as a teenage girl and have
turned it into a real positive that
basically for half your life you've been
doing this now and you've saved lives
and that is incredible through com the
combination of goth as well as your own
Endeavors and your own caring and it's
to me the greatest thing there is yeah I
kind of see it now you know I have the
opportunity now to kind of reflect back
in the you know 18 years of the event 21
years since um she's passed and I feel
like it was just a way to grieve a way
for me to to do something to to not
you know not have a pity party in a
sense but just like what am I going to
do I have to do something I'm very much
a doer my mother was very much that way
so um I say that if she were still alive
she'd be if this would have been her
idea she would have been uh wanting to
do something to help others especially
in the breast cancer space having gone
through it herself so so I I do think
that it was just a way to kind of
compartmentalize um what I was going
through and just okay what what can we
do we have to do something I I'm
definitely uh definitely that way Morgan
Pressel foundation.com make a donation
everybody thank you so second Van's
coming we're super excited about that um
but let's take a little pause here
because Morgan really didn't come here
to talk about
cough I came here to talk about whatever
you wanted to talk
about take the wine with the little uh
stem tag on and and we're not going to
tell you what it is you're going to you
can you just want to I just want to get
your opinion you don't have to name
grapes the guy that was here who you
know pretty well was naming the exact
grapes that were in it I'm just want you
to get your opinion on this wait before
we do your mother's I know she was
Christine what's her first name Kathy to
Kathy PR Kathy cheers thank
you this beautiful nose
it's
lovely it's got a nice spice to it very
nice spice well that's a good tap
palette yeah I'm trying to now I'm like
on the spot don't like doing this on the
spot I drink wine to enjoy it enjoy
right I have I have done a little bit of
kind
of studies should you say on lowlevel
like soia studies just kind because I'm
interested in it and especially regions
different grapes but yeah this is like
okay so if I told you M you were
drinking a wine from the beautiful state
of New Jersey I love it it's a saddle
Hill 2022 vitner's Reserve it's
beautiful isn't it nice it's beautiful
how long has it aged well we were uh
about 16 months in Oak barrels what
vintage is this and uh it it's young
it's too young it's a a you can tell by
the color that we're pushing um we're
we're pushing well not pushing we're the
this is the highest price one in New
Jersey and um quite frankly I just did
it to test the market and see what was
going on I I would have never guessed
this was a New Jersey wine yeah it's a
really nice wine and we have look we
have a fantastic wine maker and you can
have you can have good grapes you kind
of taste the sunlight in it like right
yeah that hot yeah well the the sugar
like the it's got a it's got a big kind
of California style she's impressing me
Bill and she handles a wine glass very
well as
well wonder I'm are a lot of pressure
here you know what
talk about I want to talk about
pressure go fascinates me because to cuz
we both are so bad but we are but but I
and I never but I never could have been
good no matter what and because it's of
all sports to me it's maybe more mental
than any of them I mean it's it is 110%
mental and the rest physical I mean it
it's incredible and the concentration
and focus you need is incredible and
what people don't realize o is that
you're playing multiple rounds in
succession and all all all the both
physical and mental battle just talk
about that and how you were able to do
that on a stage of 12 years old to start
and be competing with older ladies most
of your professional career yeah it it's
an interesting thing because golf is one
of the only Sports where the ball
doesn't move and the ball is sitting
there and it it'll wait for you to pull
the club back and during those moments
and so many different things can go
through your minds and and I think the
normal golfer is very negative in that
sense of oh there's water over there
there's out of bounds over there I'm
thinking don't miss the ball you know
whatever so when I take out some crappy
ball that I happen to have in my bag cuz
there's water there exactly it's exactly
what I do cuz I don't want to lose the
good ball so you're assuming that you're
going to lose the ball absolutely oh
yeah that's a that's a that's that's not
what they teach you that's not Sports
not played together but you you know
that I'm pretty damn accurate on that
one you also have to focus shut out
everything else on top of it so you it's
a long time to maintain your focus
because you know most rounds are four or
five hours so you have to you have to
have the ability to pull back your focus
enough that you can maintain it for that
period of time but be able to narrow
back in when it's really when it really
matters and I I truly think you look at
anybody on the lpj tour and the PGA Tour
and the and the top players in the world
world they're all exceptional ball
Strikers wonderful Potters wonderful
chippers they all have the game it's the
mental side that really separates them
and the greatest players to ever play
are the most mentally tough and I think
that really is the the defining factor
and I'd say um as a kid you know you
kind of have this this Carefree somewhat
nothing to lose attitude and as you get
older and you start building up some
scar tissue things start to change and
you start to realize what conf uh what
consequences are um but in general I
mean it's really a lot of self-belief a
lot of ability to um to control your
heart rate to control your mind Under
Pressure um all those things really are
what make the difference and if you can
can succeed at that I really believe you
can succeed at anything doing that is is
as hard as you could ever try in this
world everybody knows the goth is the
hardest sport and you to for you to
compete at that level and succeed at
that level to me is just absolutely
incredible bill I don't know if you've
ever played with a gallery but I had the
I had the experience once and at my
level you should never have the
experience of playing with a gallery
because it's not safe for the gallery so
it was at one of my clients Boomer SC
and charity tournament and and we had a
nice size crowd show up because we had
so many celebrities in it and I it
probably was the most terrifying moment
of my life standing at that first te
them announcing my name and me having to
hit a ball and all I wanted to do was
just not kill anybody and survive and I
didn't hit anything great but I managed
to keep it you get it about 200 yards
now I told you that what I I was playing
Pine Valley which I know you love Pine
Valley I do love Pine Valley and a
friend of mine you notice how he
casually just said oh I was playing Pine
Valley right oh wait but I'm only 18 so
one so one of my friends and and this is
going back to like the the mid 2000s who
who has never invited me back because
when he was only a member two weeks
and we're he tells me to take us out
it's me Jeff Harrow Russ ball and David
Faulk and just as we're going up to the
box and I'm going up to the box I have
no business being on that course we got
a long dog dog leg right and Lee Travino
is walking across with his group and if
you remember that theond deck is kind of
not behind you it's right there and I'm
my my hands are shaking and I miss Lee's
head by that much so I haven't been
invited
boy and uh so uh you know maybe maybe
when you come up to uh visit us at
Saddle Hill this year we we I'll drive
you to find out Morgan you know look you
had this Sensational professional career
and now you're you're in a second career
related to golf and we'll get into that
in a second but do you mind sharing an
embarrassing moment I know our our crew
here always tells us Tyler that you know
some of these things would be more
appealing to the younger generation than
what we told F about is there any most
embarrassing moment that you've had on
the golf course most embarrassing moment
and I'm not trying to put you on the
spot but it makes us all feel okay I
mean there's been a lot of embarrassing
moments it's hard to narrow it down I I
do remember I'll touch on your story
about not wanting to hit um Gallery but
I remember I was playing at an event in
Arizona and the first hole was kind of
this gentle dog leg left and to the
right off kind of the right side of the
first Fairway first green was the
entrance The Spectator entrance where
everybody's coming in it was a beautiful
day there were ton of people there and
I'm in the middle of the first Fairway
kind of in one of the last groups so
there's a there's a lot of crowd around
especially at that entrance last group
is a good thing last group is a good
thing but also means more eyeballs to
watch me shank one from the dead center
of the Fairway right into all the people
it was it was I my grandfather said I
look like I wanted to dig a hole in the
Fairway and like bury myself in it I was
so embarrassed I'm sure I've done so
many more embarrassing things but what
is your cadd C you there and what what
does you know how do they pick you back
up right you know I I always say like a
good caddy you shouldn't really be able
to tell if their players playing poorly
or not like you should well well either
way either extreme you shouldn't be you
should be able to look at a caddy and
not really be able to tell is their
player five underpar or five overpar so
in that situation the caddy should be
very calm maybe laugh with you if you're
laughing about it to to get you kind of
in a laughing is always a kind of good
medicine there um and just walk to the
next shot and get the next yard and stay
about as even cool even ke and cool as
you can so you get up so you get up on
the Fairway and your caddy standing
behind you helping you read the Putt U
are you are you in agreement with them
disagreement how often like I don't I
don't usually I don't even remember who
your caddy was I had um one of my
dearest friends Rock for 13 years he CED
for me for the majority of my career and
why was he your cting um he's just my
guy we worked really well together you
know he came uh started working for me
uh I guess it was my third year maybe my
fourth year on tour let's see yeah it
would have been the start of my fourth
year I believe and um till the till the
end of my career we worked really well
together we had um Good Rapport in the
golf course course kind of like big
brother little sister kind of uh
relationship and you know you spend a
lot of time with a caddy on the road um
they're your only the only person that
can give you advice and really talk to
you in those in those moments you go
through a lot together you see caddies
and their UPS you know players and
caddies with you know winning and it's
it's great and it's euphoric but uh you
know there's a lot of there's a lot of
struggling times too and you know rock
has rock was always um very loyal in
that respect that respect and I always
appreciated that what's he doing without
you
now but is it is it kind of like you say
you know rock you know give me my seven
iron he says n you only need an eight
here or you need sometimes yeah I I'd
say I'd say on the full swing you know
we had really good conversations that
way you know he when you caty for
somebody for so long you know you know
he he knew my game and he you know
you're getting all the variables from
the wind to the temperature to the grass
to the whole location to you know all
the different things to the moment you
know if you're if you're in a big moment
you might just be a little bit having
more adrenaline so you might want to
take a little bit less club or you know
there's so many different variables that
go into the way a professional would
think about a golf shot um and he
certainly knew that very well I would
say with putting for the most part I
read my own putts um I just uh puttting
was always a strength of my game I would
call him in if I had a question if I
wasn't sure maybe um usually if it was a
straighter pot if it was quite straight
I'd say do you see anything here like if
I saw curves very well very kind of
artistic in that sense the way that I
always potted but the straighter putt I
always kind of wanted to read something
into it so I'd call them in to say hey
what what do you see here and
and that that would be about it oh there
are no straight putts
here even if even if there's no break in
it there's no straight putt hey I
thought it was straight why it go right
Morgan pushed it you I put you on the
spot for your most embarrassing moment
tell us your most euphoric moment or
moments um you know some of my favorite
moments on tour were playing in the Sim
cup um playing for my country the
solheim cup is um you know the women's
version of the Ryder Cup uh for people
who don't know you know 12 players from
the United States 12 players from Europe
and you know truly win or lose obviously
much better to win but just those
moments on the course going from playing
an individual sport to playing a team
sport playing um you know with a partner
um and and and a team and wearing you
know red white and blue standing on the
first tea your name being announced as
you know representing the United States
those are some of the real coolest
moments of my career um that mixed with
um winning I just have to say winning a
major was definitely another highlight
and um even more than winning was the
tradition after winning the Chev
Championship was to jump in the water uh
and I jumped in the lake with um my
grandmother so that was a lot of fun we
got that was the was that right when you
win the million dollars in 2015 uh it
was uh it was 2007 is it was7 yeah what
what year 2007 when she was 17 years
old7 of that's was your best year of
earnings uh I'm not sure I don't know
come on I don't look at that stuff
wait business and life okay we got to
get a little bit of the St you know no
but but as I mean golf it was a business
it is it is a business for me but I you
can't play golf thinking about the money
oh that's interesting you just can't you
don't sign up for a tournament thinking
about the purse or and honestly even so
you're not standing there on the 18th
hole and say if I make this putt I'm
going to get 100 Grand and and it'll
just use round numbers and if I miss it
I get 5,000 like that doesn't even cross
your mind once that cross your mind
you're you're done wow yeah you really
can't the time you know you you really
can't think like that um it's just it's
too crippling you cannot play with that
kind of mentality I mean yes I would be
standing over a pot saying if I if I
make this I win the tournament which is
different playing for a trophy than
thinking about you know financial gain
you really but I think that's you know
if if you really love what you do you're
not thinking about
necessarily the back end you're really
enjoying the process and being there um
in that moment um
and yeah I I really think me we talked
how hard golf me is mentally you cannot
be thinking about that while you're in
those moments and more again I mean when
I watch the tournaments as a fan
spectator you watch and say wow that
Miss putt cost them and it's a lot of
money oh now now working TV we talk
about that on TV you know this is this
is an and and this putts worth X but the
player on the green does not know that
before we get back into we shouldn't
know that and I wouldn't think so and I
mean there's plenty of time it's it's
like the game there time for counting
when the deal's done but but right now
it's about Sport and competition and
playing and being doing the best I can
um one of the things that's also amazed
me about Golf and people take for
granted is and and discount the physical
part of it is that you're walking every
day of the tournament and that's lot of
walking so most people don't play
multiple days in a row walking with a
golf tournament golf course while
competing at that kind of level how much
of a factor is that actually in the game
because when tiger got hurt for example
when he he like a we're never going to
see him back the same because he's not
going to be able to walk and compete at
that level again and he hasn't been able
to unfortunately yeah it's something
that just like most things you don't
realize it until it's taken away from
you in that sense um but you know for me
I was walking you know walking 18 holes
five six probably six times a week and
hopefully six times a week and that's
the practice days making the cut um but
you you kind of get used to it I would
say more I noticed it when I stopped
doing that that my waistline noticed
that a little bit I realized that I
wasn't getting in all the steps that I
was so used to getting in um but yeah
it's some some golf courses you it's
hilly it's hot it's there's a lot of
different variables that that sometimes
I say why in the world did I ever choose
an outdoor
sport but it's the ones who really
Embrace that um you know especially when
you play in a windy Rainy Day in England
you're just like H what am I doing out
here but you have to embrace it
everybody's got the same Challenge and
you really just have to to to Really
tack down on that but you know in terms
of the walking yeah it's
it's it's the thing that you don't
really appreciate what you have in that
sense until you can't do it anymore
people pay big money to play rainy
courses in England by the way that's
true Morgan talk about a couple years
ago you made the decision to retire 34
33 yeah something like that yeah talk
about what what was going through your
mind I mean I know you're I know you're
super competitive you're telling us your
mom was super competitive was it you
just didn't feel like you compete at
that level or what work it took sh
sharers yeah so I retired I guess we'll
we'll officially but has retired from
professional golf I did
retire I can't quite yet retire um but
no just kind of a change in career for
me um I had been thinking about it for a
little while like nothing really like
that ever happens that quickly unless
you're injured fortunately for me it was
a decision that was in my hands and and
um that I could make without being
injured but I was just really at a point
where I was very frustrated with myself
with my golf game um um I would say Co
accentuated it a little bit or
accelerated it um you know there were a
lot of certainly golf was one of the
first sports to come back through Co
because of the social distancing nature
but it was
still you know the isolation of not
being able to go to restaurants and not
being able to to do the things that I
love to do with and be social and um a
lot of that was just it was a hard year
it was a hard year for a lot of people
but I it definitely made me I think
think a little bit more about maybe it's
time to do something else and you know I
was fortunate that um Golf Channel had
always um somewhat expressed interest
and said hey if you're ever interested
in doing television let us know and you
know the times when they had said that
to me I said oh you know I'm not ready
I'm not ready I still want to play I
want to play I was you know like you
said still quite young um and even still
to this day good people who who don't
really understand why why I don't play
anymore um but it was definitely the
right thing for me at that time and and
it was I think a moment in a golf
channel 2 where um they were looking
for um new talent in certainly with the
LPGA Tour and and it was just really
good timing I'm so grateful that I've
kind of found that path and I have a
fabulous team at golf channel NBC sports
that I work with week in week out it's
um it's a lot of fun and and I say that
I mean it's not unusual in in a former
professional athlete going into
television um and I and I say it's
probably the closest that you're going
to get to the adrenaline you'd feel in
the moment in um you know walking down
the 18th hole with a chance to win you
know that red light goes on it's it's
it's game time you have to bring your
stuff you have to perform and not the
same as being In the Heat of the Moment
in that competition for a trophy but
there's a lot of similar Adrenaline Rush
that kind of with live television that I
can see why a lot of athletes do
gravitate towards that you're you're
really fantastic I I I'll be honest I
not much of a LPGA fan matter of fact if
I you know we got to turn you into one
well you turned me into you got to watch
it and watch it all the time now okay
good like if if if if I would turn on
and there's no men's golf I would you
know find something else or take a nap
and now well there's Morgan and we're
we're going to watch Morgan whatever
brought him to the broadcast with that
because I always like you know like I
know her so so with that I want you to
grab the second wine all right so this
is a 2009 screamy Eagle one of the
finest Wines in the world wow rated 100
by Robert Parker amazing and you're
going to tell me this is better this is
not as good as the saddle no I'm just
kidding I'm I feel so like honored
cheers we are honored to have
you wow and actually the fact that
you're um you work for let enjoy that
for a you work for NBC you work for NBC
you know their corporate headquarters
comast only 12 miles from Saddle Hill
okay I didn't know that let her sa this
for a moment
it's crazy right
beautiful it's it's just drink it's like
a perfect age too drinking beautifully
wow smooth yeah well I know you're
always in Jersey every year for a
tournament right yeah she loves the uh C
view shop break classic so while you're
sitting there enjoying the wine let let
me give you some simple rapid fires okay
favorite course or courses Pine Valley
wow yeah Pine Valley is I've loved it
since
only I've had the honor to play it a few
times but I U I've always loved it it's
just had you it's so it's so hard but
it's so fun how'd you do um well how do
you
do you know I I enjoy
it I enjoy it did you ever get did you
get into that trap Devil's [ __ ] oh
that's I i' you allow her to get out
yeah you I I have not hit it in
there I have not hit the my golf there
but I have dropped a golf ball in there
to try and get out it's just impossible
isn't that special how does that happen
I've played three times have you have
you hit it in there every
time one Le every time it's actually
impressive it's like a tiny bunker it's
a tiny
Target yeah you can you can hold your
your hands out and touch like both sides
unable so well it's I mean it's it's
right in front yeah so if you hit it
straight and take more Club thank you
Morgan
she's a coach as well and morg though
it's a part three can I use a driver
sure whatever whatever you need but
you've played Great Courses all over the
world and here's Pine Valley that a lot
of people may not know because every
year it's not on the tour it's a really
hard course to get on even for a
professional like yourself a champion
like yourself um what about Pine Valley
makes it the best and it's in New Jersey
also right near Saddle Hill Winery yeah
just just the character of the property
I mean the the design of course is
magnificent it's you
just the way you can't really see any
other hole from the hole that you're on
just the challenge each hole is so
memorable and so unique um just really I
love everything about it except having
my shoes filled with sand by the end of
the day because there's a lot of bunkers
and I mean even everything about it is
just so Perfectly Natural you know
there's no rakes in the bunkers and and
it's it's perfectly unapt if that makes
sense it's just really a a natural
beauty except the greens which are like
putting on the hood of a car oh totally
I'm not I no it's perfectly kept but you
know it's just it it really leans into
that natural look and that natural
aesthetic and and I love it and I love
that it's right there tucked next to
clementin New Jersey and Pine Hill New
Jersey and you have and you're driving
through places all of a sudden you come
to this magnificent most unbelievable
and every year of all the golf courses
around the world rated the number one
course it's it's pretty spectacular yeah
and number two is not too bad either
Cypress usually that's those are those
are two those are two pretty sweet spots
I have to say it is hard to choose
between between one and two there but
and I always had what's your history at
Maran uh I played Maran for the first
time this summer or this fall so really
yeah it was oh it's fabulous isn't it
great it's just great I had a it was a
lovely day great group we had a lot of
fun and uh I I played okay you know
nowadays my game's not quite what it was
when I played on tour but I played it I
played some respectable golf are you
shooting in the 70s when you play in the
golf oh yeah hopefully so you're still
yeah hopefully
I is bad that's a that's a reasonable
day I had 45 out here for nine holes
aren't you impressed the other day
you're still and you're still taking the
golf balls out that you think you're
going to hit the
water that but that's every hole here
I know Morgan they had the US Open at
Murray in I think it was 2013 that's
right and um and it was a monsoon on day
one and I was out there and it's you
know this pristine piece of property and
it got destroyed that first day and and
and the tournament turned out still be a
good I mean the US Open but I was just
walking around there go oh my God the
members must be dying here as the
galleries are walking through so so now
that's what you do you walk now there's
things about go I'm curious about and
you've touched on it for me watching the
team tournaments the Ryder cups and the
solim cups are the best they're the most
fun from a spectator standpoint for me
because I love team and you know because
if otherwise you're just watching maybe
rooting for one person but this is
you're Roo for your country but it looks
like the goers are having the most fun
you've already touched on it
um the they've tried all sorts of
different things in goof going forward
but one of the things that you mentioned
as as an announcer now it's almost this
there it's the closest thing you can get
to the thrill but it's different when
you're not the competitor so I'm curious
your relationship with the other ladies
now on tour and what was like also being
competitive with everybody else you're
planning is not having any teammates
yeah I mean it's a very individual sport
in that sense I mean like I said you
know your cadd is really the only one
there inside the ropes I certainly had
friends and I had I had friends who we
talk about Golf and we would play
practice rounds together and things like
that um but it's definitely different
now because I was much more focused on
myself I was much more you know worried
about what I was doing and what and now
from my perspective I can kind of step
back and and watch the tour as a whole
and um I've always been a very proud
member of the LPGA Tour it's the longest
running female Sports organization in
the world wow and um we have a phrase
act like a Founder so basically leave
the tour better than you found it the 13
incredible women who founded the LPGA
Tour and kind of embody their Spirit um
through everything that you do in
representation of the tour and now to be
part of it from the broadcast side and
be able to see the incredible talents um
that maybe I wasn't really watching
before because I knew I was competing
against them but I was again focused
more in myself so it's it's really been
um kind of fun to shift gears and still
be such a big part of the LPGA Tour but
from a different perspective and um you
know I'm a golf fan at heart I I do love
the game as much as sometimes it
frustrates the heck out of me I do I do
love the game and um yeah it's it's an
interesting perspective now as opposed
to competing against players to to now
covering them um I guess is a little bit
in the media um but there's just so many
incredible stories to tell and I think
that's where I really um kind of have
leaned in
to teaching the public about these
incredible players more than just you
know how they hit how they get spin on a
sand wedge but you know really who they
are as people and um and it's just it's
a fun place to be and then um so last
week I'm walking out of my
house and I
see somebody running
by and I was going for a run and I saw a
little pink bow in back head and I said
I think that's Morgan and next thing I
know know Morgan's running next to me
I'm going want to talk about what's next
Morgan but talk about what you're
looking forward to in the Fort
Lauderdale half marathon yes oh wow I I
I'm I don't know what got into me but I
just kind of felt like I needed to we
talk about not walking golf courses
anymore so I needed to whip my butt into
shape so I don't know I just said you
know what I I didn't know you were such
an exceptional triathlete and all of
these exceptional I just played at it
for a while but
yeah I mean it was you kept me I think
that was that was a 13 M run that I had
to do day and I did it you text me the
map why you running around when are you
running around in the community for 13
miles cuz I got to stop back home to get
my gels and my water I put my water and
you know I running learn about planting
yet you plant no it is actually really
convenient yeah it's convenient I just
leave it in my driveway and and I run
back but no it was um it's been fun i'
I'm actually right now struggling with a
little after that thir after that run
struggling with a hip issue so I've got
to figure that out cuz I don't have much
time left and I do feel like I can hit
the goals that I want but I need to get
my hip sorted wait you're training for a
half marathon yes and you ran a hiff
marathon to train for the hiff marathon
I did yes but at much slower Pace than
what I you're going to do what I'd like
to do so Morgan you're uh you're you're
an accomplished young lady and you have
uh I know you have a lot of goals and
I'm wildly impressed watching you behind
the
mic what's next um
I good question I mean I I really enjoy
I mean I've only been doing this this is
going to be I guess my fifth season is
that right I must have a math gosh the
math just like it it goes so fast right
but you know this will be my fifth
season I think um you know working with
the team and and I really do enjoy what
I'm doing I love the opport I mean last
year I worked my first Olympics which
was really quite special
um and you know golf hasn't been in the
Olympics for very long so it wasn't
really I didn't have a great chance to
be in the Olympics um when I was playing
so to be there and to see that again
from that pulled back perspective and it
was really neat I I was at the old
course broadcasting at at St Andrews in
Scotland which was really cool um yeah I
I don't exactly I don't exactly have
that answer yet and I think I'm just you
know kind of going with um right now
working a lot in television seeing what
other doors I keep keeping my keeping my
um you know I'm always creating content
in different Sense on social media so
kind of stuff like that um but just
different you know opportunities that
come my way I'm I'm always open and um
but I really do um love what I'm doing
and um I've enjoyed very much uh being
part of the team at Channel and having
you represented many athletes who then
went into broadcasting the post playing
career is a lot longer than the playing
career if you want it to be and you are
really at just the tip of the iceberg so
far in that career where do you put your
social media content can people catch it
yeah most of the time I'm most active on
Instagram um that's probably you know
I'm a millennial so most most on
Instagram um you know I usually then
share it to Facebook and um I'm not
really on Twitter or act because it's
just people are too negative so I
haven't been on that in years um and I I
dabble in Tik Tok but who knows who
knows how long that's going to last
now and Morgan um the f as Bill talks
about the future your future to be
determined and it can take all sorts of
shapes you have no idea what's about uh
which way it's going to go he's changed
a lot of different directions and and
continues to which is part of the fun of
life but G is at an interesting point
where there's a couple things happening
that are changing the landscape a little
bit one was the live tour we're not
going into politics about it whatsoever
but it was a real strange turn in PGA
history now you've got the tiger League
or whatever they're referring it to as
and you mentioned before why do I ever
pick an outdoor sport it's actually
turning golf potentially into a broader
Indoor Sport for at least availability
to people so it's like there's a
changing thing and you don't know what
the future of gos going to be but I
personally kind of like at least the
concept being living in a Northeast City
in Philadelphia there you can only play
really half the year that stuff's great
I I think something that's really cool
even kind of before tgl were were um
area or companies that create basically
10 hitting bays and and you know you can
rent out the hitting Bay for almost like
a bowling alley for two hours four hours
have a party have a bunch of your
friends you know somewh similar to top
golf or or uh something like that which
really five iron is one yeah there's
there's a few companies um that do that
and and living in South Florida we we
don't we don't really have them down
here but definitely when you're when
you're up north and in the winter it's
it's a great way to to stay sharp in
your game um
to to just have fun with it and you know
there technology has gotten to a place
where that it's it's more affordable and
more widely accessible for people and I
and I think that's great and and I think
it also you know things like Top Golf um
like simulator golf bring more people to
the game and at the end of the day
that's really uh the most important part
and um it'll be really interesting to
see kind of I mean TJ Allison its
infancy and I think people are still
kind of curious how it's all going to be
received throughout the rest of the
season but um it's definitely something
different and you know some a lot of
times Innovation people don't like
change so no doubt but um how it'll all
shake out yet to be seen the younger
generation likes different things than
us older I can't even I can't even watch
Liv golf well we're not the Liv golf a
weird to your point though this is like
the same old golf that I've always seen
you know I well they're broadcast and I
don't want her to broadcast but I think
their broadcast is brutal which hurts it
as well but there's a whole concept seen
a guy in
shorts he can't wear shorts in the the
first golf simulator I simulator I ever
saw in anybody's house was in bill
greens house in Cherry Hill back in
about in the mid 90s yeah I built this
house and we built a room while we were
designing the house and guy comes in and
he says I've not you're only the second
home I've put a golf simulator in and I
said well who was the first he said
Michael Jordan so um I really should
have paid a little more attention to
that
room but I always said that like when
you hit on a hard surface and you
practice too much you can be hitting
down it would be a shitty shot on the
course but you kind of boun your Club
bounces off of it and you can hit a
great shot on the simulator the Matt can
be um definitely forgiving more
forgiving than right than the okay there
you go see what do I know about can
definitely be more forgiving well Morgan
we you know as we said we talk about
wine business and life your business is
interesting everybody wishes they could
be a professional athlete you got to do
it and and I've always been so impressed
with women athletes because there's a
little more to overcome there's there
fortunately it's gotten better as time
has gone on but it's just phenomenal
that you were doing that at such a young
age just tell me what it was like being
a high school student while playing on
real tours and and how your friends
treated you or did you just feel like
this was normal for a girl to be flying
all over the world and a high school
student I guess you'd probably have to
ask my friends what they thought um you
know I I went to class like a normal
student I'd you know Miss a week here or
there and have to make up tests or exams
or or papers or things like that but you
know for the most part I mean I I didn't
go to an academy I went to you know a
how what time do we start 8 till
probably 2:30 or 3: you know I went I
went to school full-time and went to
practice until it got dark afterwards
and um you know I I grew up at a time I
think it's very different right now golf
was not cool um when I was playing um
especially for for young girls uh it's
definitely Chang um organizations like
the first te lpj usj girls golf just
even just Co in general like spiking the
game of golf especially for youngsters
um it's been it's been great to see but
it was not that way when I was growing
up so I don't know I don't know I don't
know what my friends would have thought
oh there she goes off to play golf again
how fun I was worried about making my JV
basketball team you were playing all
over the world professional
level well Morgan thank you so much for
being here this is really special I know
our viewers or listeners are just going
to be blown away when when this episode
uh goes live so thank you so much thank
you for having me when's the hift
marathon I got a few weeks left we wish
you all the best you're going to taper
right you got to taper well I'm already
tapering cuz my hip is bad so already
best I will tell you my best Marathon
ever I was um
3435 and I got hurt I pulled a hamstring
before
and for the month before I only did deep
water running and I didn't get my put my
sneakers back on to like 5 days before
the marathon and it's just proven that I
overtrained I and the rest Made Me Do
Brook 330 so all right I'm going to go
go deep water running go doing it's
amazing you can do it at just outside
better better hit my pool I'm coming
over here over here all the best thanks
for joining us than you we'll see you in
the next uncore s