GWAA Podcast

Ann Liguori joins this month's episode to discuss her three decades working in sports media. She shares the details of her first cable TV interview with Mickey Mantle and how it unexpectedly turned emotional. Liguori also explains how she managed to land an interview with Ted Williams and the assertive steps she took to track him down. Liguori also discusses why after years covering a variety of sports for WFAN she chose to write her first two books about golf. Liguori also describes the pressure she put on herself throughout her career and the value of putting together a great team to work alongside.

Liz McCollum has spent nearly two decades working as a part of the team at BZA PR and McCollum joins the podcast to discuss the inner workings her team puts into getting a PGA Tour event ready to host the media. McCollum also details her time spent working at Disney and how that experience became a fork-in-the-road moment that shaped her future in the industry. McCollum also shares the advice that has shaped how she goes about her work each and every day, which she has passed along to her own children. McCollum also details some of the highlights of her career in public relations including trips to the Super Bowl and the Olympics.

Longtime sports reporter Jimmy Roberts joins the GWAA Podcast to discuss his career, lessons learned, and the advice he's passed along to his own three sons. Roberts opens up about his new venture, Big Swing Media, and explains how an interesting fact about McDonald's led to the creation of the new media endeavor. Roberts also discusses whether he has a formula for crafting interview questions and shares the details about one interview he conducted that took an unexpected turn.

Veteran sports journalist Gene Wojciechowski, who spent more than two decades at ESPN, joins the podcast to discuss his 13th book, All Carry. Wojciechowski explains why he wanted to write a novel and the inspiration behind the book. He also discusses his career and says that its been defined by a series of leaps of faith and that ending up on ESPN was a complete accident. The longtime sports writer also explains how his longtime friend, Rick Reilly, inspired him to start writing books.

Tod Leonard is a Senior Editor at Golf Digest who recently published stories covering Nelly Korda's victory at the U.S. Women's Open at Riviera Country Club while also being a part of the team that broke the story about Phil Mickelson being accused of inappropriate contact at a golf club in San Diego. Leonard joins this month's GWAA Podcast to talk about his stories on both Korda and Mickelson and also details his journey to working at Golf Digest.

A panel of GWAA members from across the golf media landscape met with students, who have applied for the 2026 Herbert V. Kohler Jr./GWAA Journalism Scholarship, to share their background, insights into their careers, and lessons learned. This episode features highlights from this year's panelists:

Jeremy Friedman, Outlyr

Rex Hoggard, Golf Channel

Julia Pine, USGA

Beth Ann Nichols, Golfweek

Amy Rogers, Golf Channel

Golf Channel on-course reporter Karen Stupples joins the podcast to share the details of how she prepares to cover a major championship as she explains how she goes about learning a new venue like Memorial Park Golf Course, the site of the Chevron Championship. The major champion turned television reporter explains how she made the transition from competing to working in radio and then television and shares insights into who she has learned from throughout her career, including legendary broadcaster Judy Rankin. Stupples also discusses what the next chapter of her career may look like as she turns her focus to helping the next generation of players looking to make their own way in the professional ranks.

Veteran golf journalist Bill Fields details the process that went into writing his memoir, A Quick Nine Before Dark, A Life in Golf. Fields shares the reasons for wanting to share not just his professional journey but the details of his personal life, the challenges that came with writing a book, and what he hopes readers will take away from reading his memoir. Fields begins his book with a fascinating story about Tiger Woods, and later describes experiences flying with Arnold Palmer, covering the 1986 Masters, and the misadventure that came after covering Jean van de Velde's misfortune at The Open in 1999.

Nolan Clay and Daniel Polce have been named the Herbert V. Kohler/GWAA Journalism Scholarship recipients for 2025-2026. The two students join this month's podcast to share how they were attracted to covering golf. Clay, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, was inspired by watching fellow Texan, Jordan Spieth. Clay also discusses how the game of golf, he says, has changed his life and helped him cope with anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. Polce shares how he has made the transition from studying to become a PGA Professional at Florida Golf Coast University to creating his own digital magazine en route to making a career in golf media.

Former professional golfer Kelly Okun explains why she exited the professional ranks in order to create her own media company, Fairway to Green. Okun describes how she made that transition, shares her goals for the future, and some advice for not just other professionals who may be looking to make a career change but also offers some educational programming for junior golfers to help them and their parents navigate the world of golf.