BRADENTON, Fla. — As Lydia Ko makes her way around Bradenton Country Club in hot pursuit of the final point needed to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame at the Drive On Championship, a tour legend stands among the crowd.
Four-time major winner Hollis Stacy, 69, is a member of Bradenton Country Club and still follows the LPGA closely. Stacy, a World Golf Hall of Fame member who won 18 times on the LPGA, has been a member of this 100-year-old Donald Ross gem for a dozen years.
Golfweek caught up with Stacy on Saturday at the Drive On to talk about the club and the two women at the top of the board: Ko and local resident Nelly Korda. Here are excerpts from that conversation:
GWK: What's it like playing the course?
HS: First of all, playing the golf course with no wind is very difficult because the greens are extremely difficult. Playing with wind is a very big challenge. In fact, I went in to check the pins for tomorrow and there’s one pin that I told them they had to change because it’s a 30 mph wind tomorrow.
You’re gonnna miss some short putts. Be nice to yourself as you’re walking to the next tee.
GWK: How often do you get to play?
HS: I hit balls about once or twice a week. And if I have an event, of course, I will hit balls every day. I play here maybe once every two weeks. I play here and I play Concession (Golf Club), but I’m 15 minutes from here.
The LPGA came in and we needed a net around the range, and we put that in at a nice fee. We spent probably close to $1 million on the bunkers.
GWK: Why are the greens so strong at this event?
HS: The greens are great – TifEagle. Usually we play them at 13 on the Stimp. Everybody comes off the course shell-shocked. (A member said), ‘It’s so hard; it’s so hard.’ I said, ‘Don’t worry. When you go off to other courses, you win don’t you?’
GWK: How were members receptive to hosting an LPGA event?
HS: There were some members that didn’t want (an LPGA tournament), and they have definitely changed their opinions. They’re having the time of their lives, and I knew they would. It’s jammed at the member’s pavilion. They’re all volunteering. … The (players) are fabulous. They’re nice; they talk; they say thank you.
That’s what people want.
GWK: What do you think of Nelly's swing?
HS: (Nelly Korda) has a magnificent golf swing. She’s the total package; she’s got a great mentality. It’s funny, people say ‘Oh she’s just like her dad,’ and I say on the contrary, she’s just like her mom. I think Regina is more even-keel.
GWK: How about Lydia Ko?
HS: I texted (Lydia Ko) after she hit that 3-wood (at the Grant Thornton Invitational), the second shot on 17 with Jason (Day). Put that video on your phone. That’s probably the best swing I’ve seen you make under pressure. You remember that shot? I have chills. She carried Jason.
