LPGA players focus on TOC fun, winning

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Brooke Henderson begins the 2020 season on Thursday alongside MLB’s John Smoltz and Josh Donaldson, and, of course, she’ll try to crush the ball.

“I’ll try to hit it just as far,” said a smiling Henderson. “I’ll be a little short, but I’ll try to crank it out there too. You know, just to make some birdies with them and have some fun.”

Fun is the overarching theme of the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. Particularly for those paired with Larry the Cable Guy.

But they want to win too. Henderson is determined to extend her streak of two- win seasons, which dates to 2016. Smoltz won his first golf title last year in the Diamond Resorts, and the Baseball Hall of Famer is thirsty for more.

Celebrities like Smoltz, Justin Verlander, Grant Hill, Brian Urlacher and Roger Clemens help bring new fans to the LPGA. Even Smoltz addressing the Astros’ cheating scandal in the pre- tournament conference helps to generate buzz outside of normal golf circles.

“It’s not the only team,” said Smoltz, “but it’s going to be the team that’s been made an example of because they have the most evidence of what was happening. It’s irrefutable. …

“What makes golf unique is that it’s up to the integrity of each person to determine whether they want to apply the rules as they’re meant, and that’s why golf has always been known as the gentleman’s game. But it’s frowned upon, and we all know enough people and play with enough people at our clubs that just can’t help themselves by getting an advantage and an edge because they want to compete and they want to be successful. That bothers me, but it’s not immune from anywhere.”

Asked to weigh in on Patrick Reed’s recent run- in with the rules, Smoltz said technology made Reed’s actions in the bunker look particularly egregious. “The live ( feed) is more up for interpretation,” he said.

But between the two sports, Smoltz continued, baseball players rely on teammates to get information. They’re constantly reading things, taking advantage of what another player is giving. Golf is more straightforward.

“Baseball has a little bit more of a way to govern itself …” said Smoltz. “That doesn’t happen as much anymore. In other words, if Jack ( Wagner) was at the plate and he was peeking, and he was peeking at the catcher, it’s within his right to peek at the catcher to see what signs are, but then it’s within my right to give him a bruise on his derriere with a baseball. That’s what would happen 25 years ago. That doesn’t happen so much anymore.”

Jack Wagner, an actor who was taking part in the early- week news conference alongside Smoltz, didn’t miss a beat. “Just don’t hit the face,” he said.

Only a handful of celebrities have the game to hang with the likes of Wagner and Smoltz. They’ll play for a $ 500,000 purse; the winner receives $ 100,000.

While the LPGA field is missing a number of heavy hitters, including the top two players in the world Jin Young Ko and Sung Hyun Park, Henderson is among the favorites this week, having played in the Diamond event before it became an LPGA stop. The purse for the LPGA pros is $ 1.2 million, with a winner’s portion of $ 180,000.

“I think a key thing for me is scoring average and keeping it below 70,” said the Canadian star, “which I did again last year.”

Smoltz said the pressure of trying to win a golf tournament compared to a World Series is “night and day.” He’d rather have the bases loaded, nobody out and a 3- 2 count on every hitter.

“I think that’s what I was primed to do,” he said. “I know what my strengths were in that sport. This intuitively is all self- pressure, and there’s a lot of doubt. Golf exposes your doubt really quickly. So you may have a weakness and you try to hide it for a couple of days, it will show up.”

Smoltz mastered the ability to get amnesia about mistakes on the mound. In golf, he’s still working on it.

John Smoltz was the celebrity winner of the Tournament of Champions LPGA event last year.