Lopez says she can identify with Woods
By Mike Kern
Knight-Ridder Newspapers
WILMINGTON, Del. - If there's one person who can appreciate
the scope of the Tiger Woods Magical Mystery Tour, it's Nancy
Lopez.
Two decades ago, about the same time Earl Woods was placing
a club in his son's crib, a young woman of Mexican descent was
dominating golf, at a time when the LPGA needed a lifeline.
Even people who didn't follow the sport couldn't get enough
of the cuddly, brown-haired, 21-year-old rookie with the effervescent
smile. Her emergence transcended birdies and bogeys. By winning
nine times in 1978, including a record five straight, she took
the game from agate type to the front page.
Now, it's deju vu all over again. Only greater.
"When I watch (Woods), and what's going on with his life
and all the attention he's getting, I feel that's about how I
started," Lopez said at the McDonald's LPGA Championship
at DuPont Country Club. "There was a lot of excitement surrounding
me. It seems to be about twice as much for him. Definitely, he's
traveling the same road as I did many years ago.
"It was a great time for me. I really enjoyed it. I was
treated like royalty. All of those things that came with it didn't
bother me. But unless you walk in his footsteps, nobody can know
what it's like. Right now, I think he really has to be able to
pace himself. Everybody's going to want a piece of him.
"I know my first year or two, my phone was ringing all
the time. I was willing to give whatever was asked. Eventually
I sat down with myself and said, 'I don't know if I can do this
forever.' I actually started saying no to a few things, even though
I didn't want to. I needed to. That's what Tiger's going to have
to realize, too."
Lopez has never learned to say no often enough. She's always
been one of the most popular athletes in any sport. The Hall of
Famer remains as personable and approachable as ever.
Will Tiger's career be as endearing? The early returns are
mixed.
"It's just starting for him," said Lopez, who won
this event in 1978, '85 and '89, but never on this course. "He
has a lot of power and strength in what he does by playing golf.
It can open a lot of doors to these kids who want to play just
like he does. He needs to use that. He has the leverage to do
whatever he can to help whoever he can. I think that's real important."
As one role model to another, Lopez was "disappointed"
in a GQ article in which Woods tells jokes about lesbians and
jokes with racial overtones.
"Half the time, I didn't understand it," Lopez said.
"I would never let myself get in that situation. I don't
know if that's a male-female thing. But I had just watched him
win the Masters and I really admired him for all that. Then I
read that, and it made me feel funny. I respected him a little
bit less. And that bothered me, because I don't know if that should
have influenced me. They caught him.
"He's a star. And I guess when athletes are in that kind
of limelight, they have to really be careful. Everything (an athlete)
does impacts so many people who admire him, or her. I'd tell him
not to forget where he came from. He's a great player, but that
doesn't make him a better person than everyone else. He can't
treat people that way.
"He has to make his own decisions. I think he's probably
smart enough to do that. He has to feel that out for himself.
He can do so much for so many, I want him to stay on that pedestal
everyone's putting him on. It would be great for all of golf.
At times, he'll probably struggle with what goes on. It's different
for everybody. I wish him luck, because he's so exciting to watch."
Not too long ago, golf had ceased to be fun for Lopez. But
she went on a diet, began working out daily with a trainer and
devoted more time to her game. Three weeks ago, she won the rain-shortened
Chick-fil-A Charity Championship near Atlanta, her first win since
1993 and 48th overall. She ranks seventh on this season's LPGA
money list, having earned almost $219,000 in eight appearances.
"Right before the start of last season, I just really
wasn't happy with very much, and I kept thinking something's going
to have to change," said Lopez, who has shed 40 pounds and
plans to release an exercise video. "I was tired of watching
myself play the way I was playing. If I tried something else and
it didn't work, maybe it was time to go home and not play anymore.
"I still have a little ways to go. But I'm feeling better
and better. I wanted to get back in there and compete against
the best. At the first tournament in 1996, I could not fit into
my clothes, and they were a size 14. I'm not shy about talking
about it. I felt gross. The first time I worked out, my body smelled
so bad. There were so many poisons in there. My body was miserable.
It was like all the frustrations, bogeys and other stuff was coming
out of it. It felt great.
"I think women get really grumpy when they're not happy
with themselves. I feel like I have a new life again."
(c) 1997, Philadelphia Daily News.
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