She’s already conquered one sport, but American women’s soccer icon Brandi Chastain was tackling another sport Wednesday as she competed in the pro-am ahead of the American Express PGA event that begins Thursday.
Chastain, a two-time women’s world champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, played 18 holes alongside professional golfer Danny Walker and three other amateurs at PGA West in La Quinta.
Chastain said her grandfather introduced her to the sport when she was a child, and golf has been a big part of her life ever since. She has competed in several pro-ams before, but this was her first time at this event and her first time on this course.
How much does she love golf? Chastain is a partial investor in Bay Golf Club’s new TGL (Tomorrow’s Golf League) team, which combines technology-intensive simulation with real-world golf backed by the PGA and broadcast its second event Tuesday evening .
The Desert Sun caught up with Chastain after her tour on Wednesday. By the way, his team finished second in the 30-team pro-am event.
The Desert Sun: Well, what was it like there?
Brandi Chastain: “Well, first of all, golf is always fun. It beats a lot of other things we could do. No complaints about that. The course is obviously in great shape and today’s weather doesn’t hurt. Couldn’t have been nicer, so all the elements were perfect and we had a great group of people to play with and that’s why I think golf is so infectious I was hitting well off the tee, but not as much on. the second shot.
TDS: Is golf a big part of your life?
British Columbia: “Yes since I was little. My grandfather really loved golf and being from Northern California he would take me to Pebble Beach and tell me about all the golfers and I loved being around him. So for me, I was listening to the stories and, you know, I think the game is great and it has such value and I think for women, especially, it’s been a one-sided sport for a long time and I think. .it’s really important that women get involved in golf because, you know, that’s where a lot of things happen, a lot of good conversations, whether it’s with your kids or your family or your friends, with work, there’s so much going on. things on the golf course, so I just want to encourage more women to participate.”
TDS: Do you have a favorite professional golfer?
British Columbia: “It’s really hard. I’m in love with all the old school, the ones my grandfather loved, you know the Jacks and the Arnies, and one summer I was doing commentary for the 2012 Olympics and Gary Player was right in front of me and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ask him for a tip and he so kindly put his bags down and talked to me I love old school golfers, but I think there. has so many. amazing golfers at the moment too And I’m an investor in TGL and Bay Golf Club, so for me those are my guys at the moment (the Bay Golf Club team is Ludvig Åberg, Wyndham Clark, Min. Woo Lee and.Shane Lowry)
TDS: Have you had a chance to try out the TGL setup yourself?
British Columbia: “No, but I’m super excited. I watched it last night and uh, sorry Tiger, but it was difficult. But it’s great. I think more people will like it, and I think it will “Not everyone can come to a beautiful course like this, whether it’s too far away geographically or too expensive, but maybe they could go to a place like this. there, play and get an idea of what the golf. “
TDS: Is there anything about your football background and those abilities that are reflected on the golf course?
British Columbia: “Absolutely. In both sports you have to handle the ball, right? It has to go from right to left, it has to go up and down, you have to be able to stop it, you have to be able to understand space and What does this field give you? So there are a lot of parallels with football.
Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Contact him at [email protected].
This article was originally published on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Brandi Chastain played golf at the American Express pro-am on Wednesday