In the latest LPGA Tour Twitter Q&A, former two-time Major League Baseball All-Star and 2017 Diamond Resorts Invitational celebrity division champion Mark Mulder joined to talk about his experience at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, playing career and transition to competitive golf, among other topics.
— LPGA (@LPGA) June 29, 2020“I’ve learned they hit it straight as ever,” said Mulder, referring to playing alongside top LPGA Tour pros in the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. “Very seldom are they outside of the fairway. They may not be driving it 320 yards, but whether I play with Lexi [Thompson], or Brooke [Henderson], they’re still hitting it 270-280 and it is dead straight.
“Brooke is probably the best example. I don’t know if she ever missed the center of the fairway a few years ago when I was paired with her. You’re not just playing with any LPGA players; you are playing with the winners, the best of the best. That is what makes it even more special. The accuracy with their irons and wedges is my favorite because it just creates extreme jealousy.”
Mulder spent five seasons with the Oakland Athletics and the final four years of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2001 as a member of the A’s, he led the American League in wins (21). Since his first retirement from baseball in 2010, Mulder has dived into the world of competitive golf and is a three-time winner of the American Century Championship.
“I always tried to figure out what made me good, what were my strengths,” Mulder said. “Too many times I was going into games my rookie year, pitching to hitter’s weaknesses. Those were not my strengths. In my second year [2001], I was pitching to my strengths.
“I had to trust that I was better than him. You have to have that inner confidence, you have to have that inner belief that you will succeed, will be better. If you don’t, you won’t last long in any sport that you’re playing.”
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