Donna Andrews - Part 3 (Tour Wins and Broadcasting)

In Part 3 of our four-part conversation with six-time LPGA Tour winner and major champion Donna Andrews, we continue our journey through the most pivotal moments of her storied career—and some unforgettable adventures along the way.

Fresh off her first major championship in 1994, Donna reflects on competing in what may be one of the deepest and most competitive eras in women’s golf, sharing memories of fierce battles with legends like Annika Sörenstam, Nancy Lopez, Betsy King, and Laura Davies. With her trademark blend of humor and humility, Donna offers insight into what set that generation apart and why records like Kathy Whitworth’s may still stand the test of time.

We revisit some of Donna’s most meaningful victories, including her emotional win at the 1997 Welch’s/Circle K Championship and a co-ed triumph alongside Mike Hulbert at the JC Penney Classic—where a cold-topped tee shot and an unexpected win over a young Tiger Woods made for an unforgettable memory.

From fishing boat mishaps and casino lessons with Laura Davies to spirited karaoke bus rides through Japan, Donna shares lighthearted stories from overseas exhibitions that cemented lifelong friendships and revealed the camaraderie of life on tour. She also opens up about the difficult decision to step away from competitive golf, the life changes that prompted it, and her seamless transition into broadcasting and teaching.

This episode offers a rich blend of laughter, candor, and perspective, as Donna reveals the highs and challenges of a professional golf career—and the importance of faith, family, and finding joy in the journey. Whether you're a golf historian or simply love a great story, you won’t want to miss this heartwarming and honest conversation.

Transcript

Mike Gonzalez 0:20

Let me just remind our listeners of some of the ladies that you were battling it out with week after week during this kind of time frame. You know, we're talking about I'm just looking at major winners, if nothing else. The Amy Alcott, uh even Stally Little still planned a little bit, Julie Inkster, Nancy Lopez, Betsy King, Daniel, Meg Mallon, Patty Chen, Dottie Pepper, Helen Alfredson. Just to name a few Laura Davies as we get into 1994 winning a major at the at the women's PGA that year. And then even after that, now Annika starts coming on the scene. And uh and uh uh you see uh people like Pat Hurst and Kari Webb coming on the scene. So uh that's a pretty stiff competition week after week.

Donna Andrews 1:13

I it was. I think we drove each other to be better. Um, one of my favorite covers was Off the Golf World, and it had straight A's and it had Andrews and Annika, and I was like, hey, why does she get to go buy her first name? But um in fact I had uh Annika sign that so that I could save that to pass on to my kiddos because I mean that was when she was going on to win so many golf tournaments, and it was so much fun to watch everything she did uh and how successful she was out there on tour.

Mike Gonzalez 1:45

Yeah. As many of you do, you will uh you will compare competing in your era versus other eras, particularly more current days. How do you look back at your era of golf on the ladies' tour?

Donna Andrews 1:58

Um there were I I don't think when we played that there were you didn't think there were 150 girls that could win every week. There were, you know, 25 girls that you really felt like you were competing against to win every week. Uh now out there there are so many great players. I mean, everybody that's in the field um has a chance to win now. And I don't think that was the case when we were playing. I tell the girls the competition's a lot tougher out there now, and it's it really boils down to who gets the good breaks each week as to who wins the golf tournaments.

Mike Gonzalez 2:33

Yeah. I would suspect, though, that uh your era produced or will produce when you when you look back with with hindsight in 50 years, I think your era will have produced more World Golf Hall of Famers than the current era. I may be wrong in the long term, but that's just my sense.

Donna Andrews 2:50

Well, you had more people winning, you know, lots of great players winning, but winning multiple events each year. Um we don't see that as much anymore. I mean, that's why I tell people, you know, what Nellie did win in five in a row. I mean, that's just unheard of in today's market. Whereas, you know, we look at Annika winning 11. It's like, okay, there's a huge difference.

Bruce Devlin 3:13

Yeah. Um, yeah.

Donna Andrews 3:14

And I always tell people, I was, I always was, I led driving accuracy. I was tied with Annika as far as greens hitting regulation. We were both averaged at about 85%. I said, obviously, she was a much better putter than I was. So I know what I always need to work on.

Mike Gonzalez 3:31

Yeah. So you think Kathy Whitworth's record is safe for now?

Donna Andrews 3:35

I think uh for now, yes. I think so. Yeah, yeah, I think so.

Mike Gonzalez 3:40

Well, let's go uh only three months later. Uh you know, you're going to the uh 1994 Shopwright Classic, Bruce.

Bruce Devlin 3:48

Yeah, another victory, third one in 1994 on the Sea View Bay course in New Jersey, where she won by two over Michelle Estele. Or Estill.

Donna Andrews 4:02

Yeah, that was a very yeah, I was fortunate. I got to go back and play that golf course again um last year when we were up that way. Um and see, I mean, they've made some changes and stuff, but I didn't remember it being as narrow of golf course as it is. Um, lots of narrow little fairways, little greens, um, which obviously suited my game. Uh, we used to stay there was a residence inn literally right across um from the golf course. We would walk over across the street to play golf, teeny tiny little range that only held about eight or ten players. So you had to plan your warm-up accordingly. Um, and then um every year, you know, we would spend time. I remember one year I took out a fishing boat. I don't remember who I took it out with, but we went and rented a fishing boat down by the pier and the engine died, and we're floating out to sea, and somebody had to come save us. So always some adventures. Uh Laura typically always played the will there, but she was um that was where she taught me to play craps in the casinos. I had never, I didn't know what that was. I said, Laura, you're getting me in in big trouble. I don't, I don't need to know what these casinos are all about. But um, she taught me to play there. And then, of course, when we used to go play out in Vegas, she was always on the craps table. So I learned she taught me how to play a game that I had never I knew how to play black deck. I had no idea what craps was until Laura taught me how to play.

Mike Gonzalez 5:32

Well, let's talk about uh a win you had in 1996. Now, this would have been at a um uh kind of a co-ed event, I guess, if you will. This is the the JC Penny Classic, which probably didn't count as an official LPGA uh tour win, but uh uh it was a team event. You won it partnered with Mike Hulbert, and this was at the Innisbrook Resort. You talk about uh the Shopright course being tight. At least one of the courses, Innisbrook, as I recall, was very tight as well.

Donna Andrews 6:03

Um great golf course. Um uh yes, very tight. Um easy driving for me, um, but uh interesting format that we played uh where we were paired with the guys because you played two days of alternate shot and um two days of uh like better ball scramble kind of stuff. So um I had been I had had several different partners. I always would call Davis. Davis um always played with Beth Daniel. Um, and I'd say you have to find me a partner because at that time I didn't know many of the guys that played on tour. And my first year um I paired up with John Inman, who was a fellow Tar Heel, um, who hit his driver about 250 yards, and I hit Five Wood into every green that we played. And I said to John afterwards, I was like, John, I love you to death, but I can't play this golf course hitting five wood into every green. Um, so the next year um Davis paired me up with Robert Gomez and um two totally different putting styles. He was a drill it in the back of the hole type of putter, and I was a diet in the hole putter. So I'd say, What do you see? Straight. It's straight, it's straight, it's straight. I'm like, well, as hard as you hit it, every putt straight. You know, I'm paying playing a full cup a break on putts that he's reading straight. And I went, this just doesn't work. So the next year, um, I knew um Mike just through Davis. Um, I knew several uh slewmen um and hubby and Davis used to always hang out and go fishing all the time. And so we show up, and that was when Mike was putting with one hand, and we showed up and he goes, Does it bother you if I putt with one hand? And I said, I don't care how you putt as long as they go in the hole. And so he putted, yeah, he putted most of the time with just one hand, but it was the first time I had met Tiger Woods. Uh Tiger was paired with Kelly Keeney at the time, and that was our one person that we had to beat. And um, I was so impressed with Tiger and his game and the way he handled the media and stuff there. Um, but that my claim to fame is the one time I played against Tiger. Um we came out on T. The one shot that I'll never forget was I coal topped it off the 18th T. And Mike had to hit my T my shot into the green. Um, couldn't quite get it there. I chipped it up, and um, we made par to save par, but that is the one shot that I said that shot will haunt me for the rest of my life because my first time major league playing, you know, with the guys, and I cold topped a driver.

Mike Gonzalez 8:47

Yeah. So you know, my my one vivid memory of Mike Hulbert was um this probably goes back to the 80s. I'm at the Western Open because I lived not too far away from Butler National, watching he and Dr. Dirt practice their short games for like two hours. We're talking about Brad Bryant. I don't know if they were good buddies or not, but I always saw them together at the Western Open.

Donna Andrews 9:08

Oh, yeah, he all he had a great short game. So I never worried about missing greens because I knew he'd get it up and down. Um and they had changed the course setup over the years. So the first couple years that I played, I really felt like it was unfair because they had us teeing off, and we'd all their idea of setting the tease was, well, we'll set it where everybody drives the ball the same place. And I said, Well, that's not really fair because that leaves us hitting two or three clubs more into the green than the guys. So they actually got better about setting up T-boxes the days that we played alternate shot, um, so that we were always trying to hit the same clubs into greens versus wearing out my five wood like I did the first year I played.

Mike Gonzalez 9:51

Well, Bruce, let's move on to 1997. I would say Donna probably liked the Randolph golf course. I would think so. In Arizona.

Bruce Devlin 10:00

Yeah, winning there at the uh Welsh uh Circle K Championship. Uh beat Tina Barrett. At uh I did.

Donna Andrews 10:11

Um that was one of those yeah, unexpected wins. Um, had been uh plagued with some injuries, um, had had um surgery for endometriosis and hadn't played much um up going up into there. Um so um that was coming back after having hurt my shoulder the first time, um, and really just wanted to get out there and was playing. Um and always loved that golf course. Obviously, confidence is high on that golf course, hit lots of fairways, lots of greens, and the putter was hot that week.

Mike Gonzalez 10:48

Yeah, some uh really good scores. Uh 68, 67, 70, 68, uh 15 under par, and still only win it by one. So there was a lot of playing going on.

Donna Andrews 10:59

Yeah, it was, you know, there was always a few holes that you could reach on that golf course and stuff. So um you had to go low, and that wasn't my typical MO. Um, you know, I didn't win many tournaments where you had to go really low to win. Um, mine was more fairways agreed to make lots of pars, and that's why I always, you know, played well in the U.S. Opens, because I did make a lot of pars, and that was always very critical to play in U.S. opens well.

Mike Gonzalez 11:27

Yeah. So I have to ask you at this point before we talk about your next win. Um, while it's not reflected in your winning record, I would assume you probably went and played overseas on occasion.

Donna Andrews 11:40

Um we did. Um I had much blonder hair at the time, didn't have all this gray hair to go with it, but um had much blonder hair, and the Japanese would pay us blondes pretty well. So Michelle McGann and I um made several trips over to Japan. My mom was fortunate to go with us. One of her fondest memories was traveling with damn Laura Day uh D uh Laura Davies um and us sitting in a restaurant and then putting live shrimp on the grill in front of us and then like jumping all around. So um that was one of our interesting trips. Um my mom went over there and caddied for me in one of the events, but also um I'm sure all the girls have talked to you about the bus rides over in Japan through these little narrow streets on these huge buses, feeling like you're gonna fall off sides of clips. Um, you know, all the flat land over there is used for the rice patties, and so all the golf courses are built um up in the mountains and on the sides of hills. And the first tournament I went to, they gave all the kids like plastic bags that had like goodies in it, and the kids would sit on their plastic bags and ride their plastic bags down the hill like they were sleds. So, and I mean they didn't care whether you were playing golf or not, they're out there having fun. And um, I guess one of my um Michelle McGann, obviously one of my best friends, um, probably year, I don't know if it was year four or five when we went over there, but it was the first time her mom let her travel out of the States without her. Um, Michelle um has always battled diabetes and had it under control. And at that point in time felt like they had taught me enough to be able to, you know, help Michelle should she get in trouble. And I'll never forget the bus ride. I'm sitting behind her on the bus and I look at her and I'm like, Michelle, are you okay? And she's like, Donna, I'm not really feeling well. And I was like, Okay, well, what's your blood sugar? And she goes, Well, I don't know. I left my tester back at the hotel. And I'm like, You did what? And I'm like, okay, well, let's get, you know, I found some Skittles, I gave her some Skittles. Um, I found somebody on the bus that had orange juice, so I gave her some orange juice. Sure enough, we get to the golf course and she was sick as could be. We ran to the restrooms, and um, I'm trying to talk to a nurse there in Japan, trying to explain that she's diabetic and that she needs her insulin kit that's back at the hotel, and that we were supposed to be partners that day on the golf course. And so I had to go out and play without her, leaving her in the care of somebody who I didn't even know. Uh I I thought they understood the diabetes and stuff like that. Turns out her blood sugar was perfectly fine. She was having a reaction to the MSG and the food we had eaten the night before. So I was making her drink orange juice on an upset stomach, and I told her it served her right because she didn't have her insulin pack. And I don't think she ever traveled without her insulin pack and stuff with her after that. But I told her mom, I was like, I failed as her nurse was like, I'm so sorry. Um, but we have so many fond memories of those trips that I'm sure all the girls talk about our trips to Japan and the bus rides that that were never ending.

Bruce Devlin 15:02

Which brings up a question, Donna. Do you know what the question is? Were you in the first bus or the second bus? Because there was a difference.

Donna Andrews 15:14

So obviously I was in the second bus. Yeah, I don't drink, so I was always in the second bus. But yeah, I was in the second bus. I have no fun. What can I say?

Mike Gonzalez 15:25

Did they do karaoke in the second bus?

Donna Andrews 15:28

They did still do that, they still did karaoke. There was lots of singing, there was lots of, and that was what was so much fun. Was over there, you know, everybody, it was like traveling with a bunch of sorority sisters. We all hung out together, we did dinner together. Um, some of the dinners were very interesting. Um, and you know, you just you all got together and had a lot of fun while you were over there.

Mike Gonzalez 15:50

Yeah, of course, this was uh what this generally in the fall after your season pretty much over, wasn't it?

Donna Andrews 15:54

Yeah, it was always in the fall. So you were pretty much done with your LPGA season, and these were just fun events, extras.

Mike Gonzalez 16:01

Pressure was off, and and uh uh yeah, I a lot of the ladies commenting on several people that almost went Jekyll Hyde on them. They just became different, more open, easygoing people in Japan.

Donna Andrews 16:15

Yeah, I think that's true. Um, some of them probably let loose. I can remember Patty Sheen and Pat Bradley and some of them over there. Um, but my one complaint I had my rookie year, I didn't get invited to play in the Japanese tournaments. Uh and I was vying for rookie of the year against Taromi Kobiyashi, who was Japanese, and she got invited to play in those tournaments, and I didn't. And at the time, even though she was invited to play, they counted her money as official money. So she beat me out for rookie of the year. Um the LPGA since changed that, that if you were there by invitation, it didn't count towards your official money. Um, if you were there by invitation because it wasn't fair to the other players. But I lost out to rookie of the year because of that.

Mike Gonzalez 17:01

Of course, you've forgotten all about that.

Donna Andrews 17:03

Oh, yeah, I've forgotten all about that. Can't you tell?

Mike Gonzalez 17:07

All right, let's bring you back stateside. Now we're talking about uh 1998 Bruce, and as it turns out, this was her final LPGA victory.

Bruce Devlin 17:16

Long struggle challenge at uh 12 bridges in California, where you won by one over Corinne Coke. Ten under par total, you know, pretty pretty good scoring, 7069, 7069.

Donna Andrews 17:33

Miss consistency. That was typically my game. Um, that became one of my favorite tournaments on tour um because of the horses. I got to know um breeders out there that bred Hanovarian horses um and would actually stay with one of the families um out at their farm called Campabello. Um Sandy and Ken Campbell were just wonderful people. Um I had bought a couple horses from Rainbow Equus Meadows that was another horse breeder. Um so we're there were actually three Hanovarian farms there in Sacramento, California. And at the time, that was the everybody actually asked me what I was going to do after my first win. And I was like, I was gonna buy a horse. And then I bought a horse after my second win and my third win. Uh at one point in time had about eight horses. Um, but several of them came from out there in the Sacramento area where they bred Hanovarian horses. And in fact, I did go on to breed Hanovarians in North Carolina for about 10 years from some of the mares that I had bought while I was out there. So um I will have to say probably wasn't as focused as on my golf as I should be when I was out there because I was always busy looking at horses and horse shopping. Um, but the golf course out there at 12 Bridges was just beautiful, like a walk in the park. It was very scenic, no homes on the golf course, just lots of hills. You were always watching the wildlife that was passing through while you were playing. So for me, it was just like a walk in the park out there.

Mike Gonzalez 19:10

Yeah. And of course, you you always walk off that 18th green after a win thinking, I'm gonna do this again.

Donna Andrews 19:18

Yeah, I think you do. I think you always do. You never know when your last one's gonna be.

Mike Gonzalez 19:23

So, what was the state of your game in in 1998? Obviously good enough to win. Uh, were you still healthy at that time?

Donna Andrews 19:32

I was. Um 98 was probably actually my best year on tour. Um, as far as I think I I don't know, maybe I had I don't know how many second place finishes, but lots of second place finishes. Only one win, but I want to say I had like eight second place finishes that year. So um was playing great golf in 1998 and unfortunately got hurt in 99.

Mike Gonzalez 19:58

So and would you sort of attribute uh your lack of further victories to that injury and and the you know what it caused in terms of uh terms of health issues?

Donna Andrews 20:12

Um no, because I I felt like I had come back from my shoulder injuries in the past. Um I think um there were some life-changing events um that led to golf not becoming as important. Um my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Um, I went through a divorce. Um, and your life just changes. And I think at that point in time I felt like I needed to realign everything in my life back where it needed to be. I needed to get my faith back up at the top, which I think sometimes tends to wane a little bit when you're traveling too much and playing too much. Um, so I really felt like I needed to put my faith family and friends back on top and realized I had missed a lot of family reunions and a lot of moments with friends that I felt like I should have been there for, and decided I wasn't gonna do that anymore. That I needed to put those things ahead of my career, and that even though I had a wonderful career, I was missing out on a lot of things back home. So I think the focus changed and I didn't have that desire to be number one anymore. And that was uh some avenues started opening. Um, I had become president of the tour uh in 2003 and 4. I also had the opportunity to start doing some work for ESPN and doing some commentary. And so as the doors were starting to open, you know, I felt like it was time to close some of the others, and that was what eventually led me to stop playing. I did get it hurt for a third time in 2005. Um, so my last tournament I played was in June of 2005, but I had so many other doors that had been opened, um, both through ESPN, through teaching with Mrs. Bell, um, that I

Mike Gonzalez 22:06

Well and what you've just related is something we've heard a lot. Um it sort of dawns on on us as we talk about you and your peers and their records. The paper record says one thing, and occasionally you'll see gaps in performance. And it always points back to life outside the ropes, which is the part we all miss.

Donna Andrews 22:41

Yeah, I think that's very true. Um, from a lot of the players I've talked to, and um I was fortunate um to fall in love again and um was able, I got married and started a family and knew that I didn't want my family raised on the road, although several women have done it very successfully. My son was born in 2006, and I knew I didn't want to be traveling. I was traveling enough with what I was doing with ESPN, was fortunate my mom was able to travel with me, and so did that for a year uh with him, and then decided that it was time to stay at home more, and was fortunate enough. Miss Bell asked me to come teach with her at Pine Eatles Resort. And I just really felt like, you know, she was a very devout Christian, and that was where the good Lord was leading me, that that was where I was supposed to be.

Bruce Devlin 23:33

Yeah. Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 23:34

Was it an easy transition uh for you then from playing actively on the tour to deciding to hang it up and transitioning into some of these other activities?

Donna Andrews 23:43

Um, I think it was easy made easier for me because of the work I was doing with ESPN. Um, obviously being president of the tour in three and four and working then with ESPN um sort of gave me the in-roads. Um, ESPN loved it because the players knew they better not say no to me when I asked them for an interview. So I could always get those hard interviews that some of the other players might not be able to get.

Bruce Devlin 24:08

Yeah.

Donna Andrews 24:08

Um, but um being able to still be out on the road eight or ten weeks a year was plenty for me. Um so I still got to be out there with my friends, um, visit with everybody, hang out with everybody, but then I got to come home and have a real life to come back to.

Bruce Devlin 24:25

Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 24:25

Yeah. Now you share, of course, with Bruce this uh experience of uh broadcasting, on-course reporting. Yeah. Um he didn't get a whole lot of training. Uh he just had to sort of jump into the deep end of the pool. How about you?

Donna Andrews 24:40

Um, I was fortunate. Um uh the year, I guess the years I would the two years I was president, ESPN wanted to try doing some on-course commentating with players that were still playing. So they came to me and said, Um, would you consider doing one? And I said, sure. So I and you know, they would pay you. So I was like, not as much as I could probably make if I was playing well, but the pay was pretty good. So I did one for them in Augusta, Georgia. Chuck Gerber was there from ESPN, and he said, I love what you do. I love your work. I wait, love the way you describe what the players are thinking, the shots they may be thinking to hit. He goes, I really want you to come do another event. And I said, There's not one on our schedule that I can do. I'm president of the tour. I can't he goes, No, you've got to come do a second event for me because I want you to start doing more and more. So he finally talked me into doing Rochester, New York. And so I did Rochester for him, and then he came to me and he said, Okay, you've got to do more next year. You did two this year, can you do four next year? And I said, Okay, well, let's sit down and look at the schedule before I set my playing schedule and we'll figure that out. So I did four that year, so I guess that was probably 2004, and then 2005, I was set to do four more, and I got hurt, and I called him and I said, How many more would you like me to do? So um, when I got hurt in June, um, I went and worked the rest pretty much the rest of the season for him after that, and so then had, you know, they only did eight to ten events each year. So it was the perfect mix of I don't have to be on the road traveling all the time. I can be at home more, spend more time with my family, um, and still teach and work full-time for Mrs. Bell. So it was a great transition for me and just felt like the right doors opened for me.

Mike Gonzalez 26:34

Yeah. Harder than it looks.

Donna Andrews 26:36

It is harder than it looks. It takes more studying than people realize. Um, people, most people don't realize the homework and stuff that you do to get to know the players, to know um, you know, what clubs they hit, to know more about them so that you could talk about them on the golf course. Most people don't realize the homework that goes into it each week.

Mike Gonzalez 26:55

Yeah. Bruce was a a bit of a pioneer as it related to on course reporting on the men's side, weren't you, Bruce?

Bruce Devlin 27:00

I was, yeah, 1978. I have I do have one story about it. The very first day we did it was uh at the tournament in Tucson, actually. And uh Tom Watson was in the last group and I I went to him on the practice team and I said, Hey Tom, I'm gonna be uh I'm gonna be walking with the group today and talking about uh you know the shots you're playing and all the rest. But he said, now you better be re be careful, you know, because you know, we're out here making a living. And I said, Yeah, I've been doing that for the last 15 years. Anyhow, we we've we've often talked about that over the years, how funny it was. It didn't seem too funny to me at the time, but it was nice at all. No.

Mike Gonzalez 27:52

Then it's thank you for listening to another episode of For the Good of the Game. And please, wherever you listen to your podcast on Apple and Spotify, if you like what you hear, please subscribe, spread the word, and tell your friends until we tee it up again for the good of the game. So long, everybody.

Outro Music 28:17

It went smack down the fairway. When it started just like just smacked off line. My headache, as long as you're still in the stage, you're okay. It went straight down the middle, twilight away statistics.