Lopez Leads Team USA to Win in Handa Cup

By: Elisa Gaudet

With all the hoopla surrounding Tom Watson and his captaincy of the losing American Ryder Cup squad, perhaps the focus should shift to Nancy Lopez and her victorious formula in the Handa Cup, an International team competition that pits 12 American-born LPGA legends against 12 of their international contemporaries in 36 holes of team and singles matches over two days.

Players compete in match play and team points are awarded for wins and ties. In the ninth Handa Cup, Team U.S. defeated the World team, 28-20, in West Point, Miss., on the very same weekend the Ryder Cup was being played at Gleneagles in Scotland. In suffering their third straight defeat in the biennial Ryder Cup, this time by a score of 16½ to 11½, the Yanks came under fire and so did Watson for his questionable decisions.

Similar to a plot twist in a Sherlock Holmes novel, we find that Mississippi and Boston are just one degree of separation. While New England's Keegan Bradley was overseas playing in the Ryder Cup, his aunt, Pat Bradley, was busy in the Handa Cup at Old Waverly Golf Course. The event showcased the enduring talent of the LPGA legends as well as Southern hospitality.

The teams were like a Who's Who of woman's golf. Team USA, captioned by Lopez, included: Elaine Crosby, Bradley, Beth Daniel, Juli Inkster, Christa Johnson, Rosie Jones, Meg Mallon, Barb Mucha, Laurie Rinker, Nancy Scranton, Val Skinner, Sherri Steinhauer and Sherri Turner. Team World, captioned by Sally Little, featured: Dawn Coe-Jones, Helen Alfredsson, Jane Crafter, Laura Davies, Alicia Dibos, Wendy Doolan, Trish Johnson, Lorie Kane, Jenny Lidback, Liselotte Neumann, Alison Nicholas, Mieko Nomura and Jan Stephenson.

Bradley, originally from Westford, Mass., now lives in Hyannisport on Cape Cod. "After 30 years of living in Dallas I wanted to get back to my New England roots" she said. Coincidentally, Bradley played in the Handa Cup pro-am with Margaret Ferriss White, daughter of Dave "Boo" Ferriss, a Mississippi native and Boston Red Sox pitcher who was part of the 1946 World Series team that included Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, Bobby Doerr and Dom DiMaggio.

Ferriss hurled a shutout in Game 4 (Boston lost in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals) and later became a Red Sox pitching coach before returning to Mississippi. In 2002, he was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame. Now 92, Boo said of Beantown: "We love the Boston area and New England is a great place to be. Fenway is number one, there is no doubt about it, and the fans are something else. They live and die for their Red Sox."

His favorite memories of New England include fall foliage, clams and lobster. And what Ferriss would like everyone to know about Mississippi? "The people are great, they are friendly, care about each other and stay close to one another. It is a great place to visit and people are always amazed by the history and the great Mississippi river"

Perhaps it is the distinctive drawl and the way "y'all" runs off Southerners' tongues, or their gentility. The South is blessed with a leisurely pace of life that makes you want to listen a little more carefully and stay awhile longer.

Elisa Gaudet brings a wealth of entertainment and golf experience to Cybergolf. Elisa has spent the past several years in the golf industry in the U.S., Latin America and Spain. She worked for the PGA Tour and the Tour de las Americas before founding Executive Golf International, a marketing company that works with clients to develop strategies using golf to develop and implement golf-related programs. Elisa worked in the entertainment industry for over 10 years as a model and SAG and AFTRA actress. She has appeared on numerous radio and TV programs and has been a guest speaker on a variety of golf topics. Elisa published her first book, "Two Good Rounds" (Skyhorse Publishing). The second book, "Two Good Rounds Superstars," was published in late 2013 and her most recent, "Two Good Rounds TITANS," was released in late 2014. Her story for Cybergolf, "Golf a Romantic Affair at Cabin Bluff," won first prize in ING's 2012 Travel Writing category, and that same year she won the ING's Outstanding Achievement award for the Op/Ed Writing Category for her Cybergolf article, "I Want to Fall in Love with Tiger Again." For more information about Elisa, visit her websites at www.twogoodrounds.com or Executive Golf International www.execgolfintl.com. She splits her time between New York City and Florida.

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