Ballantyne Magazine

WINTER 2010

Ballantyne Magazine covers news, events, real estate, restaurants, shopping, health, schools and business in the upscale Ballantyne Area of Charlotte, NC.

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BALLANTYNE | interview month, as her doctor advises. She also was preparing to move from Albany, Ga., where she'd lived with her now ex-husband Ray Knight (they were divorced in 2009), to Auburn, Ala., where she owns a house near the college campus. All of her daughters have gone to school there, including Torri who just entered as a freshman. Lopez also was trying to find a good home for the family pup. "It's not fair to the dog — I'm gone all the time," she says. Since her children are all out of the house now, Lopez is increasing her time with golf. She is playing tournaments on a limited basis, has her own golf school at The Villages, a large retirement community near Ocala, Fla.; and runs her apparel and equipment business, Nancy Lopez Golf. 'Backbone of the LPGA' She is also at events like this, promoting the LPGA. "The girls have been my life forever," Lopez says of her daughters. "Being here with the teaching division is great. They are so much the backbone of the LPGA. They get people to play. The (touring) pros, we get them excited about the game." Dana Rader, the current president of the LPGA teaching and club professionals' division, is an outstanding instructor, Lopez says. "Some teachers are intimidating to students," she notes. "Dana is very natural, and makes them feel comfortable. She's got a great personality and loves the game." In promoting the LPGA, Lopez is willing to spread herself around. "I'll go where ever somebody needs me. I also work with the commissioner and on the advisory board to help grow the LPGA." 32 BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE "My dad told me early on that I couldn't be perfect, and that I would losemore than I would win, and that's right." She'd like to see the organization increase its tour events and prize money, both of which trail the PGA. She also believes the U.S. women's game can learn from the many foreign players who are dominating the tour. "In Korea, they take promising players out of high school and train them — they give them opportunities and they work their butts off," she says. "Our American players need to work a little harder. We also need to give them more opportunities. It's still a rich man's game." To keep growing the LPGA fan base, Lopez would also like to see more player exuberance during tournaments. "It's fun when you see players show some emotion," Lopez says. "I got excited, and I think the crowd loved that. As I watched some old video, I saw that I would throw my arms in the air, do a fist pump and there was a lot of smiling. I hope I let people know I love the game." Acknowledging that some players are shy, Lopez noted that others get upset when they make a bad shot and act like they're miserable. "People don't like to see that," she says. Furthermore, negativity usually reduces performance, she adds. "My dad told me early on that I couldn't be perfect, and that I would lose more than I would win, and that's right. He TOUR IN CHARLOTTE? LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan says an LPGA tour event could come to Charlotte as early as 2012 if a title sponsor steps forward in the near future. "We just haven't found that yet," he says, noting that a minimum of $2.5 million is required. LPGA business development CELEBRATING TEN YEARS 2000-2010 also said to think about all the good things, not the bad things, and you'll play better." Invoking 'Wah-wah' When Lopez holds golf schools, she requires participants to maintain a positive outlook or risk the friendly wrath of fellow participants. "When somebody is negative, I want them to look at the player and go 'Wah-wah,'" Lopez says, mimicking a baby's cry. When one golfer persisted in his negativity, Lopez took up the "Wah-wah" herself — once when he dropped his club in disgust after a bad shot and another when he feigned happiness at hitting into a bunker. The man's wife was glad Lopez tried to help him; she was sick of his antics, too. "Two schools later, he came back," Lopez recalls with a smile. "He came up to me and said, 'Nancy, my golf game is its best ever.'" When Lopez was on the tour and began to have children, she placed a premium on parenting. She took time off when each daughter was born and was careful not to push the game on them. Her children sometimes traveled with her but seldom watched her compete. She arranged for them to go to parks, museums or other sights. "I tried teams have been looking at Charlotte and nine other markets as they plan for future events, he says. The LPGA has been favor- ably impressed with Charlotte for three main reasons: the players like the area, Dana Rader and her golf school are well connected with the community and corporate leaders have been receptive to the tourna- ment possibility. Whan and LPGA Executive WINTER 2010-2011

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