Because I am not a golfer and can’t dissect every inch of every swing, every hole, every shot the way my husband can — and does — I thought it would be better for me to share my own photo shots from this weekend’s LPGA Kia Classic. Even if you’re not a golfer, it’s amazing to watch these athletes while basking in the beauty of the Aviara Golf Club at the Park Hyatt Aviara.
And let’s all send a big congratulations to Beatriz Recari on her well-deserved win after a nail-biting finish!
The golfer I was really hoping to meet was Michelle Wie, who is such a great role model, and who basically inspired my own daughter to play on the golf team in high school.
I was so excited to receive an autographed picture of Michelle, and I thought this cardboard cut-out was as close as I would get to actually posing with her.
But then I got to meet the real Michelle, who is as nice as she is tall. And, at 6′ 1″, that’s saying a lot!
Michelle is 23 years old and has been playing golf since she was four. At the age of ten, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship.
The Honolulu native was so gracious and down to earth, and since we were all there to test drive the Kia Sorento, she told us about her own favorite Kia — a chocolate brown Soul which she used to move into her dorm at Stanford. “I can’t believe I fit everything in there,” she laughed. “I had my paddle board on the roof, and I may have even had my mattress up there!”
Someone asked her what she thought of the new Kia Cadenza, which is being billed as “the most technologically-advanced vehicle Kia has ever introduced in North America.” Her face lit up as she admitted she had hoped to win the luxury car, which Jin Young Pak won with a hole-in-one on the 14th hole. “I was this close,” said Michelle, holding her hands maybe a foot apart. Car or no car, Michelle is absolutely a winner!
Me, trying to sneak into the Cadenza.
I got a kick out of watching the players practice at the putting green, and was intrigued by fan favorite Paula Creamer, who placed a soda can between her arms to, well, I’m not really sure why! And although, as my daughter sternly reminded me, I shouldn’t be focusing on fashion here, it was fun to see Paula, who’s nicknamed “The Pink Panther,” decked out in her signature color.
Although we spent a lot of time eating and drinking in the Kia Skybox, Michael and I did walk the course and watch some of the action up close.
The players were so gracious, and I was touched when Cristie Kerr’s coach leaned over the fence at the putting green to present a little girl with a signed glove. But the personal highlight of the event for both Michael and me was getting to spend time alone with Hall of Famer Judy Rankin, thanks to our good friend — business and life coach extraordinaire Barb Kauffman. Considered one of the greatest female golfers of all time, Judy is now a highly-respected broadcaster for The Golf Channel and, if you watched the Kia Classic on TV, you saw her providing commentary. Michael has been a huge fan of hers forever, and it was truly an honor — not to mention a lot of fun — to sit with her over breakfast and hear her fascinating stories. I hope we’ll be able to do this again one day soon.
Because a picture is worth a thousand words, here’s a photo I took that sums up the weekend. The Cadenza looks like it’s walking on water and it’s only a slight exaggeration to say that, between the golf, the cars and the VIP treatment, the whole thing was pretty close to a religious experience.
Follow, if you can, my ridiculous text conversation with Michael about our weekend here.
Wow, what a great experience. I could have hid in the trunk. I hear it has lots of room!
Haralee, you could have fit your whole family in there with us! That would have been so much fun!