I shouldn’t begin a column with an apology, or possibly a warning. But hey! I am not writing about
golf, or even women’s golf. No. I am writing a column about women’s minor league golf. If you want
to turn back now, I will not be offended. But, if you venture forth, beware. You do so at your own risk. I have tried to make this as interesting, entertaining, insightful, not to mention long-winded, as possible. I hope I have succeeded, but, let’s be honest. This is Symetra Tour golf – in Maineville, Ohio.
Several months ago, I found out that a Symetra Tour event was to be held in the greater Cincinnati
area. To be more precise, literally five minutes from my house. The Symetra Tour, for the uninitiated, isthe minor league for the LPGA. The estrogen version of the web.com Tour.
I have photographed practice rounds at the PGA Memorial and the LPGA Marathon three different
times each. I can get decent photographs of someone hitting a golf ball. Been there. Done that. But Ialways wanted more. I wanted a golfer’s reaction. Elation, or a fist pump after sinking a long birdie
putt, or holing out a bunker shot. I wanted the crowd’s reaction upon witnessing such a shot. Or even photographing the ceremonial trophy and check presentation. But none of that happens during practice rounds. The golfers go quietly about their business, assessing the course and jotting down notes.
I do recall a time when it did happen. There was a young golfer named Sue Kim who had actually
asked if I could follow her for several holes and then send her the photos I was taking. I obliged. She proceeded to hole out her 2nd shot for an eagle. She squealed with delight and jumped up and down. And I missed it. I got the swing – but not her reaction. Lesson learned. Keep looking through the lens.
So when I saw this event being held so close to my home, I contacted the Symetra Tour director, Dean Schneider, and asked if I could photograph it. He accepted my request. I will note here that I “volunteered†to photograph the tournament free of charge. My equipment, although above entry-level status, does not approach the glass that full-time professionals use. They will have lenses that cost in the $10,000 neighborhood. Not to mention the camera bodies that sell for five grand. That was why I volunteered. I could not justify being paid to do a job that I know others can do much better. Besides, every golf or tennis tournament depends on numerous volunteers – hundreds if the size of the event warrants it. And most of them even have to pay to volunteer. And then they get stuck out in a field for hours telling people where to park. I was not paid, but I was doing something that I enjoy. And the photos I took will be a lasting testimony to that event.
The Prasco Charity Championship is a 3-day tournament. I photographed about a dozen girls during
the Tuesday practice rounds, including EMC’s new interest, Jillian Hollis. She actually played very well.
She faltered a bit on Sunday, but still had a Top 10 finish. The gala dinner party was held on Wednesday evening. This is a social event where the local golfers, who forked over $1,000 each to play in the Pro-Am, could meet, have dinner, and socialize with the pros with whom they would be playing the next day. At first I thought about not going. Dean had told me it was optional for me. I am not comfortable with indoor flash photography, and I felt I would be out of my element. But then I thought, “What the heck? Maybe I will learn something.†And one of the club pros from River’s Bend G.C., Victoria Elizabeth, who has played on both the Symetra Tour and the LPGA, told me that the girls enjoy having their photos taken. Imagine that! So I went. And I am glad I did. I got to put some faces to some names, which was beneficial when photographing the tournament. And I also met two other photographers, Ken and Jared. Both were very friendly. We ate lunch together most days, and our friendship will most likely continue after the event was over.
There are two photos from the dinner party that stand out above the rest. One was of golfer Demi
Runas. The other is a shot of Anthony Muñoz. For our overseas friends, Anthony Muñoz played for the Cincinnati Bengals football team, is enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame, and is widely considered to be the best offensive lineman to ever put on an NFL uniform. On top of that, he may very well be one of the nicest guys to ever put on an NFL uniform.
The Pro-Am was held the following day – Thursday. I managed to survive the experience after risking my neck taking photos of these guys (and gals). I would usually position myself about 20 yards in front of the golfers, but somewhat off to the side of the tee-box. I would either kneel or lay on my belly. My biggest question was which position was safer. I had more mobility kneeling, but the target (me) was larger. Laying on my stomach made the target smaller, but gave me less mobility. But then I figured, if I am only 20 yards away, I am getting drilled no matter which position I am in. If the pickle squirts, I’m getting wet. Fortunately, I came away unscathed.
The amateurs paid $1,000 a piece to play a round (not “aroundâ€) with two different pros. They played the front nine with one pro and the back nine with another. If these people are paying $1,000 to play a round of golf with Symetra Tour players, I can only imagine what the going price is to play with guys from the PGA Tour, like Tiger, Phil, Rory, Jordan and others.
The Prasco Charity tournament began in earnest on Friday. If I have this correct, each player puts up $500 to play in the event. The winner earns $15,000. The total purse is $100,000. If you miss the cut? No paycheck. Many girls earned a paycheck but still lost money. But there are benefits. Obviously, there is the experience one gets from playing on a tour, even if it is the minor leagues. Then there is the social aspect. The camaraderie. You are not sitting in the same office 9 hours a day like someone I know (when I look in the mirror). They get wined and dined every week that there is a tournament. There is the free equipment from sponsors. Many girls were lodged in very nice homes owned by members of River’s Bend G.C. where the event was held. And some attended the local Kings Island Amusement Park. Still, there has to be a lot of pressure on these athletes to perform. My guess is eventually, most of them give up the dream.
The weather was merciless. All three days were in the low 90’s with high humidity. And, of course, no clouds. I bring that up because that is pretty much the worst recipe for sports photography. Direct, overhead sunlight. All highlights and shadows. Throw in a visor, and the eyes are perpetually in darkness. One of the rules of sports photography – one of my rules anyway – is that you must be able to capture the eyes. If you cannot see the eyes, or at least partially see them, the photo is usually placed in the trash bin. Okay, so the weather wasn’t cooperating. But one must make lemonade, right?
The play was rather slow. I was thinking that if this is intended to promote women’s golf, I am not sure if they were succeeding. On the 17th tee, I was sitting in my cart. Yes! I got a cart. With a big
“MEDIA†sticker on it,in addition to the “MEDIA†badge that I got to wear around my neck. I was waiting for the next threesome to arrive at the tee. And I waited. And waited. And waited some more. I started to question why I even volunteered to do this. Temps were in the 90’s, with high humidity. No breeze to speak of. I was sweating so profusely I must have looked like Ted Stryker in “Airplane†as he tried to land the plane. I was bored out of my skull. Maybe like you are right now as you read this. The only thing worse than watching paint dry, is reading an article about watching paint dry. The group finally arrived a full 20, if not 30, minutes behind the previous group. I found out later that they needed a ruling on a previous hole, and had to wait for an official to arrive. I tried to convince myself that the worst day on a golf course is still better than the best day in the office. I don’t know if I succeeded.
Saturday morning I was out there bright and early and did it all over again. My intention was to photograph the girls who played the afternoon rounds on Friday. I was only partially successful. By the time the Saturday rounds concluded, there were many girls who I had yet to photograph. I nearly didn’t photograph the leader, Muni He, a petite Chinese lass. At least I would have the opportunity to dedicate more time to her on Sunday. There were many girls who went home after missing the cut, who I did not photograph.
There were quite a few girls who asked me where they could find the photos I was taking. Over the
course of the tournament, I handed out maybe 20 business cards. One such girl was Csicsi Rozsa, an engaging, likable Hungarian. She was very outgoing. She saw me again on Sunday, came right up to me and said, “Hi. Steve.†Her name, though spelled Csicsi, is pronounced Chi Chi, which of course, brings up Chi Chi Rodriguez. Her caddie, surprisingly was not familiar with him, but she went directly into the swashbuckling routine that Chi Chi had made so entertainingly popular. Another fortuitous encounter, with a Korean girl named Hanule Sky Seo, paved the way for a serendipitous sequence of events on Sunday, which I will get to later.
Round 3, the final round, consisted of 30 pairings. They all started on #1. No groups playing the back 9 first. I arrived around 9:00, even though the first tee-off was at 7:30. The last group was scheduled to tee off at 12:20. I made a concerted effort to photograph some of the girls who had thus far, escaped my lens. I met up again with photographer Ken Munson, who was flying solo this morning. His assistant, Jared, decided to make a late arrival, some time after noon. Ken is a very likable guy, offering tips, advice and sharing stories. He is 71 years old and retired. He does a lot of photography, but usually at his own discretion, and on his terms. He has covered the ATP Western Southern tennis tournament for over a decade He has worked for ESPN and has contacts all across the globe. One such client is a Japanese publication that always asks for images of tennis standout, Kei Nishikori. He is also the exclusive photographer for blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa. Ken and I had a quick bite to eat while he showed me some photos, including a stunning shot of Rafael Nadal. I only wish I could take such a photo.
After lunch, we went our separate ways.. I was sitting in my cart on the 8th tee box, when I saw Hanule Sky Seo walk past, maybe 25 yards away. She shouted, “Hi Steve!†I thought, “Wow! She remembers my name.†I had taken photos of her during the Pro-Am, and again on Day 1. Apparently, she was one of the gals to whom I had given a business card. She had missed the cut, but stuck around for the final round, being friends with Muni He. A minute or so later, the golfers and caddies arrived at the 8th tee. I did my stuff and was about to go on my merry way when Sky materialized from out of nowhere and asked if I was following this group and, if so, could she hitch a ride in my cart. I politely replied, “Yeah. Sure.†Inwardly I was saying, “Hell yes!!â€
We drove around, following a few different groups. Sky is one of those rare creatures that has the
ability to make one feel entirely comfortable from the very beginning. She is very outgoing and, after conversing with her for only a few minutes, I felt like I had known her for years. She made me feel completely relaxed and at ease. I was not the only person that was impressed with her. While sitting on the 13th tee, the CEO of the Prasco Corporation, Chris Arington, approached our cart and asked, “Is this Sky? I have heard so much about you, I wanted to meet you.†Evidently, Sky had done some research into the Prasco Corporation, what they did, and their charity work. Word must have reached Mr. Arington and he was so impressed, he tracked her down Sunday afternoon. That is the type of person she is.
She held my equipment while I drove the cart. She joked that she was my new assistant. She then
suggested that instead of me handing her my cameras every time I got back in the cart, it would make more sense if she simply drove, and I hopped in and out. She even laughed when I expressed my fears about being chauffeured by a young, female, Asian driver. We continued like this until the 15th tee, when some bad weather, in the form of lightning and thunder, rolled in, halting play for about 30 minutes. The bad weather was, in my opinion, a godsend. It brought in some clouds, a light drizzle, and slightly cooler temps. The recipe for good photographs just got a lot sweeter. We parted ways as I dropped Sky off at the clubhouse, but we reunited on the 18th tee.
Meanwhile, back on the golf course, Muni He had a two-shot lead standing on the 18th tee. He (she?) played superb golf all three days. She never trailed during the entire tournament, and after playing partner Becca Huffer double-bogeyed 18, she won by a comfortable four strokes. He played a bogey-free final round, carding a 5 under, and 15 under for the tournament.
She played magnificently, and was a very gracious winner, which, I suppose is easy when you win. He said all the right things in her victory speech, thanking the sponsors, the tournament director and the fans. She complimented the River’s Bend G.C. staff and the course. Muni, who also goes by her Americanized name, Lily, is as cute as can be. She is built more like a gymnast than a golfer. My
guess is she is about 5’2†and maybe 110 lbs. She is a wonderful ambassador for the sport, and who knows? She could very well convert EMC away from his blonde beauties and come over to the dark side. Speaking strictly for myself, I know I may be feeling the effects of the Yellow Fever.
A few observations about the tournament and the Symetra Tour in general. The girls play in relative
obscurity. Very few fans attended, especially on Friday and Saturday. I thought some of the golfers
who played in the Pro-Am might show up. Perhaps they did. If so, it wasn’t many. A local golfer,
Alexandra Swayne, had a contingent of about two dozen fans following her, mostly family and friends.
And on Sunday, the final pairing had a respectable number, too. But by and large, few fans attended. I asked Sky how the Prasco Charity event compared to other Symetra Tour events, and she said that this one seemed to be a little above average regarding turnout. That’s sad. The girls, from what I could tell, played some outstanding golf. As stated earlier, the play was slow at times. And the short game for many of the girls was suspect. But I also saw some remarkable shots. One golfer put her tee shot on the Par 3 14th to within 2 feet of the pin for a tap-in birdie. I saw some nice up and downs. Some clutch putts were made down the stretch, especially by He on 13 for a birdie. In short, there was a lot of good golf witnessed by a small number of people.
Part of me feels sympathy for them. Don’t misunderstand me. I am well aware of public opinion,
supply and demand, and all the other facets that comprise a marketable commodity. And it is the girls’ decision to pursue this career and play on the tour. No one, except perhaps some parents, are twisting their arms and making them do this. Also, golf is a country club sport, and I don’t doubt if the parents of many of these girls have deep pockets. Still, for many, if not most of them, it is a struggle. I would estimate that between 25 and 33% of the players do not have caddies. I was somewhat shocked and saddened to see Vicky Hurst and Dori Carter, both of whom have played on the LPGA, carrying their own bags. But they persevere and continue to pursue their dreams of making it to the big show.
I enjoyed watching them play, even if it was through the lens of a camera. Maybe I like being a big fish in a little pond, now knowing the names and faces of many of these girls. I don’t know what the
answer is, but I wish more fans had attended.
All in all, this was an enriching experience. Early on, I questioned my sanity. “Someone remind me
again why I volunteered to do this.†But as I look back, I did enjoy myself. I took some remarkable
photos of which I am very proud. I met some very nice people, including two photographers whose
friendship will continue after the Prasco Charity Championship tournament has ended. But the highlight of the week might very well be the time I spent with my new assistant and Uber driver, Sky. And for all of this, I am very thankful.
More photos of one particular lady – Youngin Chun who clearly does not have her head screwed on the right way 🙂
