Sports Innerview With Ann Liguori

Ann broadcasts from Augusta National on the Saturday morning of Masters weekend and chats with best-selling author and Golf Digest Columnist John Feinstein; Ron Sirak, Contributor, The Golf Channel and Global Golf Post; Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez, who was one of four legends to hit the ceremonial tee shot to open the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur the Saturday before Masters week; and with Dr. Bobby Jones IV, the grandson of Bobby Jones, Co-Founder, Augusta National and The Masters.  

Ann broadcasts from The Valspar Championship, a PGA Tour event at Innisbrook, in the University of South Florida suite overlooking the 18th green and talks with Tracy West, the Tournament Director; USF VP of Athletics, Michael Kelly and Bill McClausland, Director, USF Alumni Association. 

Ann hosts her annual show on Head Injuries in Sports with Liz Giordano, the CEO, Head Injury Association, and previews the Celebrity Sports Forum that Ann will co-host with Dr. Max Gomez, Channel 2 News, on Wednesday with Eli Manning making an appearance. Former Heavyweight boxer Gerry Cooney and former NY Jets Wesley Walker join Ann and Liz. Wesley opens up about suffering memory loss and physical ailments he blames on playing 13 years in the NFL and says he has heard nothing from the league regarding the lawsuit for those who’ve suffered head injuries.

Ann broadcasts from the Arnold Palmer Invitational at BayHill Club & Lodge and shares her stories about Arnold Palmer, her visit with him in Latrobe, months before his passing. She talks with Jon Podany, CEO, Arnold Palmer Enterprises and Pres., Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation, about the work he and his team are doing to grow Palmer’s legacy and businesses.

Ann broadcasts from the Honda Classic at PGA National and talks about the impact of Tiger, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson not playing the Honda Classic and about Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler who are playing. Ann goes behind-the-scenes at PGA National to talk with Jeremiah Lockhart, Dir. of Agronomy; Jane Broderick, Dir. of Golf; Karen St. Angelo, Membership Director; and Celine Thibault, Dir. of Retail. 

Ann continues her travels in Nassau Paradise Island Bahamas and talks with Andy Deiro, Head Golf Pro at Royal Blue Golf Club, a Jack Nicklaus design, talks about this challenging Baha Mar resort course with dramatic landscape & elevation changes; Instructor Georgette Rolle shares insight on their dynamic junior instruction programs and club-fitting/rental program; Robbie Leming, PGA, GM, Ocean Club, talks about the beautiful Tom Weiskopf-design, Ocean Club Golf Course; and Sean O’Connell, in charge of all culinary at Atlantis Resort,  provides an inside look at all the dining options at #Atlantis, including FISH, the Jose Andres masterpiece at The Cove, Atlantis.

Ann hosts her show from Nassau Paradise Island in the Bahamas and talks about all that Atlantis Resort has to offer including Dolphin Cay and their incredible marine mammal operation; their culinary excellance, FISH Restaurant Jose Andres; about the incomparable The Ocean Club A Four Seasons Resort and the Ocean Club Golf Course, a spectacular Tom Weiskopf design. Ann's guests are Doug Trueblood, Sr. VP Marketing, Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board; Taz Rutherford, Associate Director, Marine Mammal Operations, Dolphic Cay, Atlantis; Monica Majors, Dir. of PR, The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort; and Robbie Leming, PGA, General Manager, Ocean Club Golf Course.

Ann hosts a pre-Super Bowl show and replays classic Sports Innerview shows she did with Deacon Jones, who led the Rams from 1961-1971 and coined the term, ‘sack,’ and with Bart Starr, who led the Green Bay Packers to victories in the first two Super Bowls. Jim Nugent, Publisher of Global Golf Post Plus and Bud Garmany of Garmany Golf, talk journalism and golf travel.

Ann broadcasts from the PGA Merchandise Show and chats with Michael Whan, LPGA Commissioner; Kelley Brooke, LPGA Professional of the Year & CEO/Founder, Bethpage Golf Group; Mark Johnson & Tracy Ramin of the USAGA; David Feaser & Nicholas Feaser of Peakvision & my buddies from Ireland: John Farren of Ballyliffen, Alan Maloney of Mt Falcon Estate & John MacLaughlin of North West Coast Links Ireland.

Ann broadcasts from the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in Orlando, Florida, and talks with the uber-talented Lydia Ko, the youngest ever to be ranked # 1 in golf, male or female, about the pressures of the tour, how she deals with all the expectations as a 21-year-old now and changing her hair color to blond. Then Ann talks golf and baseball with Tom Glavine, MVP of the 1995 World Series, who says he studies how the female pros strike the ball, and how much he appreciates the playing ability of the pros on the LPGA Tour and how they balance golf and family. And Mark Lamport-Stokes, the Dir of PR, LPGA, catches us up on all things LPGA.

Ann talks about the refurnished Champion Course, site of the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic at PGA National Resort & Spa with Jane Broderick, Dir. of Golf, and Kathy Casper, Dir. of Marketing. Ann replays her award-winning, classic ‘Sports Innerview’ cable interview, taped in the nineties, with the legendary Ted Williams.

Ann chats with the Alec Sokolow, one of the writers of ‘Toy Story,’ ‘Money Talks,’ ‘Cheaper by the Dozen,’ ‘Garfield,’ to name a few and Ann replays her classic Sports Innerview with NFL Hall of Famer Rocky Bleier, who talks about coming back from getting blown up in the Vietnam War to helping the Steelers win four Super Bowls.

Ann talks with Robert Gamez, former PGA Tour player hoping to play the Champions Tour, about winning the very first PGA Tour event he ever played, holing his 2nd shot at BayHill to best Greg Norman by a shot in 1990, taking putting lessons from Jan Stephenson and about the Team Gamez Foundation. Ann talks with comedian, actor (The King of Queens) and sports fan Gary Valentine about his success story and love for golf and the Mets.

Ann Liguori talks with best-selling author Ian O’Connor about ‘Belichick: The Making of the Greatest Football Coach of all Time,’ and to the legendary Alex Lifeson, lead guitarist of the iconic band RUSH, about his success story and his passion for golf.

Ann talks to Joseph Deitch, Chairman, Southworth Development, about the book he penned, ‘Elevate: An Essential Guide to Life,’ his love of triathlons and for learning; and to Steve Agars, singer-songwriter, music producer, the Music & Culture Ambassador of Mississippi and passionate golfer.

Ann talks with Matt Parziale, firefighter from Brockton, Mass., and 2017 Mid-Am Champion about his incredible year: playing in The Masters, becoming a low-amateur at the US Open at Shinnecock; getting married; as he gets ready to play in the 2018 Mid-Am Championship; and to Chip Beck, former 3-Time Ryder Cup member, as we preview the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National in Paris and the Premier Golf Ryder Cup Viking River Cruise up the Seine River to Normandy.

Ann broadcasts from the US Open and talks about the first week of action, the men’s and women’s draw and several of the top stories of the week: the Sister Act, Serena vs. Venus; Nick Kyrgios, the ‘Bad Boy’ of tennis; the legendary Roger Federer and much more. Her guests are Mal Washington, former Wimbledon finalist & commentator; Aussie radio commentator Graeme Agars and tennis historian Randy Walker, author of ‘This Day in Tennis History’ & ‘This Day in Golf History.’

Ann talks to Dr. Samuel Waxman of the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (a beneficiary of the Ann Liguori Foundation Charity Golf Classic) about progress being made in cancer research, with Marion Waxman about their Hamptons Happening fundraiser & Honoree Chef Matt Lambert, Executive Chef & Co-owner of The Musket Room in Manhattan and to Tom Coyne, Best-selling author of ‘A Course called Scotland’ about his quest to play all the links courses in Scotland, qualify for the Open Championship and find the secret of golf.

Ann hosts her Sports Innerview show from The Travelers Championship, this week’s PGA Tour stop in Hartford, Conn., and talks to Traveler’s Chief Administrative Officer & Executive VP, Andy Bessette; Mike Moriarty, Exe. Dir., First Tee Connecticut; Tim Perra, Stanley Black & Decker, Presenting Sponsor; and Sr. Head Pro, TPC River Highlands, Larry Antinozzi about the more manageable course set-up after the rigorous US Open conditions; why The Travelers is one of the most popular PGA Tour events, it’s charitable component and the star-studded, impressive field.

Ann broadcasts from the US Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club which swarmed in controversy during and after 3rd round play. Ann talks about Phil Mickelson’s strange antics on the 13th green in the third round which resulted in a 2-stroke penalty; about the condition of the wind-blown  greens and the USGA’s response to it; and about the jam-packed leaderboard heading  into the final round. Her guests are Gary Van Sickle, Golf Correspondent, Morning Read, and Dave Marr, Shinnecock member & Fox broadcaster.