A Few Words About Golf With Condoleezza Rice
Verne Lundquist and Condoleezza Rice.
As she did last year, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice came out to the AT&T National, in this case spending time watching the golf with several Marines on Marine Corps Day during the third round. After spending a good while in the gallery around the ninth green, she came to the media tent right off that green for interviews with CBS, the Golf Channel, XM Radio, a military outlet and The Washington Post. Somehow, I was nominated to represent The Post.
As the CBS producers shushed the rest of us, Rice told Verne Lundquist how big a fan she was of his, and how she watches him every Sunday she can. During their interview, she said that she had been playing golf seriously for three years, that she played a round at Andrews Air Force base on Friday and that her handicap is around a 21. She also talked about the importance of this tournament, of honoring the troops, of the 4th of July, and so on.
Then she moved on to the Golf Channel's Mike Ritz. Some of the answers were the same, but she also told Ritz that her best-ever round was an 89, that Tiger Woods's U.S. Open performance was "amazing...just amazing," that her driver is her best club despite recent wildness, and that "you should be able to hit it the same every time and you never can....Golf is a constant challenge."
Then it was my turn. The transcript is below.
So how often do you think you actually play?
Oh, I'm lucky if I get out once a month or so, a couple times a month maybe. For me, the only reliable time in my schedule is Sunday afternoon, so if it's not raining Sunday afternoon I'm out.
Do you play 18?
It depends. If it's late in the day, which it sometimes is, I'll play whatever the light allows. But I've been known to be out there when it's pretty dark.
And your swing, it looks good, or....?
I think I have a pretty good swing, particularly off the tee. I've always been good off the tee, and I putt pretty well. I've just got to get the rest of that in between pulled together a little bit better.
Do you have a policy about mulligans at all? Or not?
I do. I have a policy on mulligans. I try for only one, and after that I count it as a stroke. One per 18. Well, except for the first hole, when we have a "hit until you're happy" rule.
I like that. What do you think the hardest part about golf is?
I think staying in the moment. Yesterday when we played--my family was here, so I took them out yesterday--and I had just a fantastic first hole. I parred a par 5. It was just fantastic. And I couldn't get mentally set for the next hole, and the next thing I knew I double-bogeyed the second hole. So, I think it's staying in the moment. It's very hard.
Do you walk or ride when you play?
I tend to walk. Yeah, I love to walk.
I thought maybe you'd have a bulletproof, tinted windowed golf cart.
Noooo, no no no, I try to walk. I'm rarely outside. I think one of the things I love about golf is that I'm out and I'm walking in the open air, which is really unusual.
So you don't do the whole cigar-smoking and drinking beer and stuff?
No, no, no, no, no, no, definitely not. I'm an athlete.
Do you have a favorite golfer?
Well, everybody loves Tiger Woods, and I know him a little bit from Stanford, so he's terrific. But I've got a lot of golfers that I really love watching. Phil Mickelson I love watching, and Fred Funk, who's out here. And a couple years ago I met Stewart Cink. I've met now a number of golfers. Brad Faxon is somebody I love to watch putt.
Do you have any kind of favorite athletes away from the golf course?
Oh sure. I'm a huge sports fan. Probably my favorite athlete of all time was Michael Jordan, but now, I'm a Cleveland Browns fan, so I'm a big Derek Anderson fan right now. Maybe Brady Quinn next year.
Can I ask you a couple semi-serious questions?
Sure. Not news questions. We're doing golf out here.
Semi-serious sports.
Semi serious sports? We'll see.
Like drug testing. They've started this week....
Yeah, I don't really know. I don't have time to follow such things, but I do think it's important that these sports find a way to be clean. I think that's important.
And this one you're probably going to reject, but looking over political contributions, there's a whole bunch of very well-known athletes who have given to Obama. I'm curious if....
We live in a free country, and people should back whatever candidate they want. I really mean it. We live in a country where you support candidates, and nobody is in a position in this country to judge who a candidate should be for anybody else. That's an individual judgment.
Ok. Have you ever played Augusta?
No.
Would you like to?
I'd like to play all the great golf courses.
Ok. Do you have any kind of feelings at all about the fact that they don't have any female members?
I'm not going to comment on that. It's a private club. I'm not going to comment on it. Obviously I'm a fan of openness and believe in openness across the board, because from my point of view, men and women should be equal in these things.
There's a course around here called Burning Tree....
I'm not going to comment, but I will tell you that it is my view that men and women should be equal in all things.
Ok. This is the last thing, I promise. I'm sure you heard what the President said about how he's not playing golf now. Did you have any kind of feelings about that, because I guess some people in the golf community were a little bit hurt by that somehow.
I just think the President made that choice, and he is somebody who really feels strongly about having people sacrifice. He wanted to do this. I know that the President cares a lot about sports and he keeps himself in awfully good shape. He rides his bike, keeps himself in very good shape, and I think that's the important thing.
So Cabinet secretaries can still play?
Cabinet secretaries and the President can all do exactly what they wish. But all of us are trying to stay in shape in these tough jobs.
The Golf Channel's Mike Ritz, interviewing Condoleezza Rice.
By Dan Steinberg |
July 5, 2008; 2:39 PM ET
| Category:
Golf
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Posted by: Kim | July 5, 2008 3:40 PM
the open-shirt look definitely makes her seem more laid-back. she's still single, right?
and well done interview. did you prepare the questions ahead of time for this one?
Posted by: jamie | July 5, 2008 3:42 PM
Good interview.
Posted by: Lindemann | July 5, 2008 3:52 PM
It's sad that Cheese Boy asks administration officials tougher questions at a golf outing than 80% of the reporters who cover the White House.
Posted by: Anonymous | July 5, 2008 3:52 PM
Great read and interesting insight.
Posted by: Jenks | July 5, 2008 4:32 PM
Why isn't she running for president??????
Posted by: Buddy Burnett | July 5, 2008 5:46 PM
Should have asked her if she had any special feelings about Michael Strahan and other such notably gap-toothed athletes. Also, who among her fellow cabinet members would win in a closest to the pin contest? And is the head of the EPA especially anal when it comes to divot repair?
Posted by: Mike | July 5, 2008 6:18 PM
She should be impeached with Bush. High (war) crimes and misdemeanors. How dare she talk golf while our tropps suffer in ger wars.
Posted by: Schwartz1 | July 5, 2008 7:34 PM
When did Wolf Blitzer get guest posts on the Bog?
Posted by: StetSports.com | July 5, 2008 7:43 PM
Hey, Schwartz1, you're a real genius, aren't you? First of all, she was there, talking golf, because the At&T National specifically benefits and honors our military. You may have whatever views you wish, but they hold the conviction that they are fighting wars so that we can have the freedom to play golf, or talk about it as the case may be. So the idea that the Secretary of State is insulting our armed forces by attending a golf tournament that honors them is just ludicrous.
As for your suggestion that she be brought up for impeachment, along with Bush... well... maybe you could go lobby the Hague. Let us know how it goes. Seeing as how your case rests on "War Crimes," you should at least be able to get the ball rolling there.
Posted by: Mike | July 5, 2008 11:24 PM
Cheeseboy is a regular Helen Thomas.
Posted by: JDP | July 6, 2008 12:01 AM
You guys have finally jumped the idiot shark with this one.
Golf?
You steinberg are a god forsaken moron giving this crunt a shred of anything. thanks for losing all respectablility over this garbage dude!
First Dbags from Viennna who need to move out off their parents homes and now stupid token politicians who need to move the f out of the white house...
WE CANT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
STOP MAKING US SICk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Way to go dork!
Posted by: dumb fuchs | July 6, 2008 12:14 AM
I want to move to "Viennna," with three "n"s.
Posted by: Lindemann | July 6, 2008 11:56 AM
Yeah, what dumb fuchs said - you and those salmon-tainted tomatos, making us sick. Please stop...
But seriously, you didn't ask her what her favorite cheese was?
And I don't know about the tinted window armor-plated golf cart, but she certainly had quite the entourage of carts out on the course laden with Secret Service packing some serious heat...
Posted by: Rob Iola | July 6, 2008 11:57 AM
Who cares what this intelligent, yet morally-lossed, I-need-to-be-the-center-of-attention sycophant thinks about golf or anything else. Besides, she seems think she is an athlete instead of the top US diplomat.
Posted by: EnufAlready | July 6, 2008 12:15 PM
Would have been nice if you asked her if she has played any courses near New Orleans.
Posted by: Rob | July 6, 2008 2:47 PM
When is the first course being developed in Iraq? i hear Condi secured the deal for Halibutron to develop the course
Posted by: Bill | July 6, 2008 3:08 PM
I had no idea that Condoleezza was serious about golf!
Politics aside, she certainly is an impressive woman. I love to see that someone who suffered through segregation and the death of her playmates in the Birmingham bombing of a church is now the face of our government to foreign heads of state.
Yo-Yo Ma requested that she accompany him on the piano when he received the National Medal of the Arts. You might not like her, but she's more talented than almost all of us - and unfortunately, people resent her for it.
Nice article to read on a Sunday afternoon!
Posted by: Casual Golfer | July 6, 2008 4:42 PM
Mixing politics and golf.....now that's what I call a sticky situation.
Posted by: Fushezzi | July 6, 2008 7:47 PM
we resent her because she aided in sending innocent troops to their death for oil
Posted by: hello | July 6, 2008 9:22 PM
Next time remember that you're a sports blog geek and she's one of the most powerful people in the world. You couldn't be an athlete and couldn't be a writer, so you started a sports blog. Just be more aware of that. This wasn't the big moment that you thought it was. It just showed that you're a trashy person who was in way over his head and, of course, was too dumb to know it.
Posted by: dan | July 6, 2008 9:47 PM
This wasn't the big moment that you thought it was. It just showed that you're a trashy person who was in way over his head and, of course, was too dumb to know it.
Posted by: dan | July 6, 2008 9:47 PM
eh?
Posted by: Rob | July 7, 2008 4:06 AM
There has to be video of this, no? Your questions read way less awkward and squeaky than I assume them to have been.
Honestly, good job with the interview under the circumstances. You asked really good questions, even if she didn't give you much in return.
Posted by: Dan Levy | July 7, 2008 8:57 AM
"Why isn't she running for president??????
Posted by: Buddy Burnett | July 5, 2008 5:46 PM "
Because she's incompetent??????
Posted by: Andy | July 7, 2008 10:06 AM
Wow.
And I thought the pro-soccer/anti-soccer comments were ugly....
Well done people, way to lower the bar.
Posted by: Kim | July 7, 2008 10:50 AM
It's so great that Tiger Woods put together a pro tournament to honor the sacrifice of... the State Department. Those diplomats have really done a great job over the past 8 years, which is why America remains at peace throughout the world, and a beacon of credibility to all other nations. Heckuva job, Condi!
Posted by: emrj | July 7, 2008 12:50 PM
Verne Lundquist looks like he hits the sauce a bit much. He's got the famous Irish pink drunk face going...
Posted by: Sam | July 8, 2008 11:22 AM
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You should have gotten assurances that she'd help negotiate your release from a Chinese prison next month.