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KPMG WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP MEDIA DAY

May 6, 2019

Chaska, Minnesota

KELLY SCHULTZ: Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the KPMG Women's PGA Championship media day. We are very excited to be with you here in Minneapolis at Target Field. I'm especially happy to be back here; I actually lived here in Minneapolis for six years. I'm Kelly Schultz; I'm the senior director of communications for the LPGA and actually a former Minnesota Twins beat reporter here for MLB.com. So it's very fun to be back here at Target Field, and we want to thank all of you for joining us here today as we get ready to preview and celebrate next month's KPMG Women's PGA Championship that will take place at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska.

This will be the first time in history that this championship has been played at Hazeltine, which has a very rich history, and we have a number of wonderful guests who will be joining us to preview next month's event, and I want to first introduce these three very impressive ladies who are sitting to my left. First up, from New York, the U.S. Chairman and CEO of KPMG, Lynn Doughtie; from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, the President of the PGA of America, Suzy Whaley; and from Daytona Beach, Florida, the chief brand and communications officer for the LPGA, Roberta Bowman. (Applause.)

Suzy, let me start with you. We're here today because of a significant partnership that developed in 2015 between these three groups, the PGA of America, KPMG and the LPGA Tour. Now we're sitting here in Minneapolis getting ready to play the wonderful Hazeltine Golf Club for this championship. How have we been able to see this partnership really come together and achieve so much in such a short time?

SUZY WHALEY: Yeah, well, thank you so much, and thanks to all of you for coming out. We are incredibly excited for June. It can't get here fast enough. We have a couple events before this that we have to worry about at the PGA of America, but we're really excited about this one, as well, and what makes this so special is it's really a unique collaboration between the LPGA, KPMG and the PGA of America, and one that is so unique as all of us have come together to really elevate women on and off the golf course, to get them on network television, to showcase the best female athletes in the world in a way we feel they're deserving of. It's exciting for us. We're happy to be in our fifth year. We're constantly striving to push the envelope and do more, and obviously that's due to our partnership with KPMG and the LPGA.

KELLY SCHULTZ: We've talked about the women's game really has so much talent right now that's really exploding. We've looked at some of the past champions of this beautiful trophy here, Inbee Park, Danielle Kang, Brooke Henderson, Sun Hyun Park, really impressive names, but just as impressive are the amazing venues they've been able to play. We're talking about Hazeltine, but we've also played Westchester, Sahalee, Olympia Fields and Kemper Lakes. What does it mean for the PGA of America to try to elevate the venues these women are able to play for this impressive championship?

SUZY WHALEY: For us at the PGA of America, we always want to take our championships to the highly contested traditional amazing competitive venues for everything we do, and that's including the women. And we're really proud of the fact that we've had the opportunity to put women on golf courses that were traditionally only held for male championships.

We will continue to do that. We have some exciting things coming down the pike that we can't tell you today, but we're really excited about, and then certainly Hazeltine is one of those, hosting our Ryder Cup that Phil was greatly a part of. All of us know what happened there. And incredibly exciting to have PGA Championships that have been hosted at Hazeltine. There's been U.S. Women's Opens at Hazeltine, and now we have the KPMG Women's PGA Championship there. So for us it couldn't be more exciting to be on a venue like Hazeltine. The membership, Ruth, everybody that's been involved in the championship, we're just so pleased to be able to put women's golf on venues that they deserve in championship conditions that we feel they deserve.

KELLY SCHULTZ: Lynn, we're talking about how impressive this championship has become, but can you talk a little bit about why KPMG decided to become title sponsor of this event in 2015.

LYNN DOUGHTIE: Sure, Kelly. At KPMG we have always been about developing and advancing and empowering women, women in business, and this gives us the opportunity to really carry that forward outside of the walls of KPMG. To elevate women in business but also in the game of golf. And we've talked a lot about what the championship has done with the kind of venues like Hazeltine and also it's really important for us to ensure we're one of the top purses on the Tour, as well, and just to make it special for these amazing athletes.

I was actually just -- look. I think I know her. It's like, they are so phenomenal, but you know, this is way more than just a golf tournament. It combines the KPMG Women's Leadership Summit and also the KPMG Future Leaders Program, and the Summit allows us to do our part to advance more women into the C-suite, and we have over 80 of the top companies in the world who -- their CEOs nominate two women from our organization to attend the Summit, which allows them to hear from amazing leaders. It allows them to have a year-long program of leadership development, and it also gives them the opportunity to do that in a really cool venue like this golf tournament, overlooking 18 green.

And then the part that I think means the most to all of us who have been a part of this is the KPMG Future Leaders Program, and 100 percent of the proceeds of the tournament as well as the Leadership Summit goes to sponsoring scholarships and leadership development to girls who are taking their first step into college, and we're investing in that next generation of future leaders, and also to be able to introduce them to the game of golf, as well, but also give them the confidence that they need as they start their careers.

So when you put all of that together, I think it's one of the most amazing things that we are a part of at KPMG, and the partnership with the PGA of America, with the LPGA, as well as NBC and The Golf Channel and kind of making it all happen has just been a spectacular partnership for all of us.

KELLY SCHULTZ: We're very excited to bring that summit and some of those future leaders here to Minneapolis next month. I know you have a little news to share about this year's summit. Can you tell us a little bit more?

LYNN DOUGHTIE: I do. I mentioned the women at the Leadership Summit are hearing from just some amazing women and men who inspire them about the things that they need to do to get into the C-suite. This year we are so excited to have, again, as keynote speakers, this year we have Dr. Condoleezza Rice as well as two-time Olympic gold medalist Mia Hamm will be our two keynotes for the year. We will also have a host of other amazing speakers, one being the president of the PGA of America, Suzy Whaley will be there, as well. We'll have Brian Cornell, who we have to thank for Target Field, the CEO of Target will be one of the speakers. We will have -- actually Minneapolis's own Michele Tafoya will be our host again. I think this is year three for Michele, and she does such an amazing job. I think we all know Michele from NBC Sunday Night Football on the sidelines at the NFL, and I am forgetting some other amazing leaders, Peter Grauer, chairman of Bloomberg, we have Cathy Bessant, an executive at Bank of America, and the list goes on and on. And this will be an opportunity for these women to be really inspired.

KELLY SCHULTZ: Wonderful. Thanks, Lynn. Roberta, this has been one of the longest running major championships in the LPGA history, and you were a member of the LPGA's board of directors when this concept of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship was first brought up. How has this championship measured up to what kind of was expected by the LPGA and the players?

ROBERTA BOWMAN: Yeah, thank you all for being here. And what a warm welcome it's been to Minneapolis and this whole region. It's been a flashback moment, as I see Phil sitting here and Scott and Stacy and Sean. I've had the opportunity to be part of this conversation from the start. I was actually there when Stacy was being auditioned for KPMG way back when, and it was a windy day in Charlotte. I don't know if you remember that, Phil, but my goodness, it's hard to believe that this championship has only been five years old.

The LPGA Championship was the second longest running, and it was an event deeply revered and protected by our players. So this idea of a new partnership, as exciting as it was, I think that as a board and as a board where the majority of our members were players on Tour, we wanted to be sure that that deep and rich history was respected and reflected, and I have to say this is a rare case where new and improved really did exceed expectations.

Every year that we come here, we see a magnificent event elevated even further, and I think that truly is a credit to our fantastic partnership with the PGA of America and what they know about running a fabulous event, and the leadership that KPMG has brought. We use the word elevation, and elevation really is a principle that we have followed here, and every year we leave, we say how do we do better next year, and somehow Lynn and her team and Suzy and her team and the wonderful team with the LPGA, they find a way forward.

I have to say, coming to Minneapolis at this fifth year, it's a wonderful opportunity to see not just the best players that you may know from NCAAs, but the LPGA and the folks that qualify for this event are the best in the world. So this is like the Olympics coming to your community. It's a place where dreams come true. Not just for the winner, but it actually is a dream for everyone in the event to play in a major. But the other dreams are the dreams that are just ignited that day, from seeing the best in the world do what they do and create new opportunities and new ideas. Really, really excited about this.

KELLY SCHULTZ: You talk about the best in the world and the depth that we currently have on the LPGA Tour is as great as it has ever been. For the last three years, the top 100 on the Money List play in this event in the 156-player field. What can people expect when they go out to see this event, and are we expecting the same type of field that we've seen in past years?

ROBERTA BOWMAN: This has become -- if you get an invitation to play in this event, you're there. I think Stacy will tell you that the players are so excited about what this event represents, not just the quality of the course but the quality of the staging, that sense of respect and excitement that comes with this event, and I have to say, the fans are a big part of that, as well.

So we have been so lucky to have not just great venues but great fans around them, all of whom come out and see literally some of the best golf in the world. So it's -- I don't know the script for this event. None of us do. But we know that all the players will be at the best of their game. It'll be a great event, and majors do what majors do, and that is produce a major champion.

KELLY SCHULTZ: We have a couple more people who we do have to welcome up who we all know are pretty much the stars of the show, but ladies, it was an honor just chatting with the three of you. No offense to anyone up here, but we do know who the golfers are.

(Applause.)

First of all, for three impressive female leaders together on stage, I do want to kind of acknowledge that. This really speaks to us to what this championship is all about, advancing and empowering women both on and off the golf course and really you three women are an example of all three of these organizations doing just that. So thank you so much for joining us here today. Suzy and Roberta, we're going to let you take a seat and welcome up a couple of KPMG ambassadors.

Another round of applause for all the women who were up here on the stage.

(Applause.)

Not that either of these two need an introduction, but of course I have to introduce because the resumes are so impressive. So first off, I want to welcome from Houston, Texas, 12-time LPGA Tour winner, a two-time major champion, and also a new mom who is traveling with her young daughter this week, Stacy Lewis. And we are very pleased today to be joined by one of the stars of the PGA TOUR, from San Diego, California, 44-time PGA Tour winner and a five-time major champion, Phil Mickelson.

(Applause.)

Stacy, I'm going to start with you. You are going to be playing in this championship next month, and I know a lot has been going on. First off, congratulations on your now six-month-old daughter Chesnee. Tell us how parenthood has sort of changed your perspective or routine as you return to golf following maternity leave.

STACY LEWIS: Well, my life has changed completely. There's not any part of it that's really the same other than when I get to play golf and I'm inside the ropes. You know, she's really changed my life. Just puts golf in perspective. It puts what a bad day is, even what a good day is. It doesn't really matter. When I walk into day care every day and she's got a big smile on her face, that's all that really matters.

Life has changed. It's hard to travel on the road with a six month old, I will tell you that. It's a lot of luggage, a lot of suitcases and car seats and strollers. It's hard, but it's definitely worth it, and the LPGA Tour has day care on the road, so it's great that I get to see her every day and don't have to leave her at home. Life is good.

KELLY SCHULTZ: And life was good when KPMG really stepped forward and supported you last year when you were out on maternity leave. Lynn, talk about your support of Stacy during this time. It was really sort of unprecedented as a sponsor. Now we've seen others really following your lead, and that includes the U.S. Women's Open has given Stacy a special exemption to play in their event. Take us through that decision-making process and why that decision was made to support Stacy through that.

LYNN DOUGHTIE: It's kind of interesting because I get that question a lot, and there really was no decision-making process. It was so -- we were at the Masters, and Stacy and Gerrod shared the exciting news about, going to have a baby --

STACY LEWIS: I think she knew before we told her. We kind of had to pull her aside, so I think she knew what was coming.

LYNN DOUGHTIE: No, but I was hoping. I was hoping. It was so exciting. We started talking about it later that day, and I just asked a question, I said, so like how does all this -- what's in her contract, how does all this work, and it was just like, well, of course Stacy will have what anybody has that works as part of the KPMG team, and parental leave is important, and at KPMG we have always been a leader in supporting women and men for that matter that are parents, and you shouldn't have to be disadvantaged because you're doing the most important -- I think the most important job you'll ever do in your life is the role as a parent.

And so for us there was really no decision to be made other than ensuring that Stacy had the support just like we would give the support to anybody at KPMG.

KELLY SCHULTZ: Stacy, your relationship with KPMG has been special from the beginning for you, and now to see what you get to hear from other players and their feedback of this championship and what it has been elevated to with KPMG's support, can you just talk a little bit about what players have given that feedback to you and why you think this championship is really becoming so special?

STACY LEWIS: Yeah, I think you ask most players, they'll probably tell you this is the best tournament that we have now. And just as far as the way the players are treated, and when you show up on the grounds, it feels like a major championship. The builds are big. There's a lot of things going on. I feel like the bigger you make it, the more people are going to show up to watch it, and that's ultimately, like Roberta said, that's what makes it feel like a major is when the fans really show up.

Just little things. We get great cars to drive around, and the things in the locker room, and just things we don't always get from week to week. I mean, I think it was the first year at Westchester, a lot of the feedback that the team got from KPMG was about the snacks on the golf course, and they're like, really? We spent all this money and everybody loved the snacks on the golf course. You know, so it's just amazing how little things like that can really just make a championship big.

They've exceeded all my expectations. I kind of pushed John Veihmeyer into this a few years ago, and they've completely blown it out of the water of all the expectations I've had.

KELLY SCHULTZ: Lynn, I'm sure to hear all that feedback is really positive, and you've talked about what this whole event comes down to is what you were able to do with the KPMG Future Leaders Program and who gets to benefit. Tell us a little more about that and some of these young girls who have benefitted from this program.

LYNN DOUGHTIE: Yeah, that really is a special thing about all of this is we're able to give back and pay it forward, and I mentioned that we have women who are part of our Women's Leadership Summit who are business executives and many of the top companies in the world, and they get to play a part in mentoring these future leaders where we are able to give scholarships, $10,000 a year, to help them for four years of college. They also are part of a leadership development program themselves that is run actually by Condoleezza Rice and her team at Stanford University. They spend several days getting prepared for what's it going to be like when you go to college, and also the PGA of America does so much to also introduce them to golf and encourages them to continue with golf, as well.

And I think that we now are in -- we have our first class are now seniors in college, and it's just been so heartwarming to watch them grow and to hear their stories, and their stories usually start with something like, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship changed my life forever. And that's really what it's all about for us.

KELLY SCHULTZ: Phil, I know some of these folks know you're a KPMG ambassador, but they might not know that you've been really involved with the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and the Future Leaders Program. Why is it so important for you to help support these programs?

PHIL MICKELSON: I love the game of golf, and I think that this event, bringing these two entities, KPMG and the PGA of America together, is a great partnership that helps grow the game of golf, and I'm a big fan of that. I love the way the PGA of America has 27,000 professionals that promote this game, and I love the way KPMG has given every young female golfer something to strive to attain, which is to compete in this championship.

And to move this tournament around to such great venues, and specifically here in Minnesota, is such a remarkable thing for this event because the way this community has supported the game of golf, it has given me some of the most memorable moments in my career, specifically the 2016 Ryder Cup, I'll never forget the way that feel was on the golf course. Being part of the most exciting coming together of a crowd that I've ever witnessed or been a part of is something I'll always cherish, and they have done that in every event that I've played in and competed here at Hazeltine, going back all the way back to 1991, not to age myself, but playing in the U.S. Open there and see the support for that event, the people here are going to support this tournament in a way that no other place will, and it just elevates the status of this event. It's a phenomenal partnership between a company that has led by example in every role of how to treat people, employees, and elevated women's golf and the PGA of America, which has done everything that they've done to grow the game.

And the way they've brought out free lessons for a month, to get kids started, free clinics, their hands-on approach to the game of golf, knowing what is needed at a local level to get people into the game has just been a big thing for the growth of the game. I'm very appreciative of that, and so this partnership is a wonderful thing.

LYNN DOUGHTIE: One thing I just wanted to add, to thank Phil and Amy, after we started the Future Leaders Program, it was their personal contribution, as well, that enabled us to fund more girls to be part of this program, and so I mean, I think everybody has really wanted to be involved and do their part, and we're very thankful for that.

PHIL MICKELSON: Thank you.

KELLY SCHULTZ: Phil, you talked about some of those incredible memories that you had at Hazeltine, including the 2016 Ryder Cup. What can some of the LPGA Tour players expect from that golf course and some of the things that it can provide?

PHIL MICKELSON: It's such a spectacular venue, and the holes provide great risk-reward, great opportunities for birdies, tough pars. It's just got a great mixture. I don't think -- well, one of my greatest rounds of golf was the match with Sergio where we both shot 9-under and ended up halving the match. I still am a little bitter about that outcome, but we won the Ryder Cup. But the venue is such a terrific host to a major championship, and it has proven as such every time they've hosted the event.

But I think the biggest thing is the community and the way the people here support the game. We have the largest crowds, we have the most enthusiastic crowds here, maybe because we haven't had tournaments here every year, I don't know, but this is a great sports town. You look at the setup here for all the major sports, the way people support it, and they treat golf the same way, and I think the LPGA is in for a great treat to be hosting a major championship here in this city.

KELLY SCHULTZ: I'm going to open it up now for questions.

Q. Stacy, have you played here before?
STACY LEWIS: I have not, no. Obviously I watched that Ryder Cup and saw some of the holes there, but I'm interested to see what the setup will be like with the rough. I know they've made it a little bit more playable for the guys. So we'll see what they do with the rough and how hard it is.

Q. Stacy, at 6,800 yards I think it's going to be long; is that right?
STACY LEWIS: That's long. I'm okay; the harder the better. I think you want a championship that tests all aspects of your game, and it'll be a little long for me, but I'm okay with that. I think the harder, the better.

Q. How does your preparation change between a major and a regular TOUR event?
PHIL MICKELSON: Well, to give you an example, there's a much greater challenge, a much greater penalty for a mis-hit, and so you have to have more in-depth preparation. We have our PGA Championship coming up in a week at Bethpage. I'm actually heading there tonight to spend the next couple of days because it takes that extra preparation to really know the nuances of a golf course, because there are many spots throughout the course the way it is set up, whether it's the rough, the firmness of the greens, the speed of the greens that you simply cannot go and have a shot, and so you need to know where those are and you need to find out where the best spots are to be and play to those spots. A lot of times at a regular TOUR event you can get away with missing it in those spots because of the lack of severity of the elements. The greens aren't quite as fast, they're a little bit softer, the rough isn't as bad. You can short-side yourself, still get up-and-down. Major championships, those are more severe and extreme, and so you need to know the nuances of the golf course and be much more strategic.

STACY LEWIS: I think the biggest difference in a major is just playing a different venue every year, so you have to -- I usually try to spend more time on the golf course than I would say at a normal Tour event just because a normal Tour event you get to play it year after year, you develop some knowledge of the golf course, but like Hazeltine I've never played, so I'm going to get here in just a few days, try to play as much as I can, just to, like Phil said, learn little things about the golf course and get comfortable with tee shots and learn little chip shots around the greens and things like that. But it's really just playing the course as much as I can.

KELLY SCHULTZ: Well, I want to thank everyone. Phil, Lynn, Stacy, Robert, Suzy, thank you so much for coming and joining us here today. It really is a pleasure and an honor of mine to share the stage with all of you and all of these people who have really helped to elevate this championship and make it what it is today for women's golf.

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