Ann Liguori St. Jude’s Charity Golf Classic Returns to Westhampton May 27

“We’ve all been directly or indirectly affected by cancer,” golf broadcast veteran Ann Liguori says. “When I was a junior in college, my father who was only 63 at the time succumbed to stomach cancer,” she says. “And then a year and half later when I was just starting out in New York as a journalist, my brother got leukemia,” she continues. “He was only a year older than me, so he was 22 at the time. It was very emotional.”

Liguori vowed to do something about it. Her annual golf fundraiser has been played all over the Hamptons for years. “The first one 27 years ago was at Westhampton. In year 10, I started the Ann Liguori Foundation and we took it to Maidstone, Sebonac, The Bridge, Friar’s Head, Hampton Hills — all these great golf courses. We’ve raised well over a million dollars,” she says, adding that her career was “part of my therapy.”

Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking was a big influence early on. “I played in and covered a ton of charity golf events and galas, so I decided to put this one together.”

Liguori recently attended the Masters in Augusta. Coincidently her 27th time. And when we chat, she’s back in the Hamptons after attending the Gary Player Gala in Florida. “The Masters never gets old,” she says with a laugh. “I’ve been there for WFAN and a variety of others over the years,” she adds. “Every year is exciting, it’s paradise, walking the grounds, the magnolia trees. Seeing the players. I always catch up with Jim Nantz. He wrote the forward to my book.”

The sought-after swag bag at her tournament has a Masters theme embroidered belt with the Westhampton Country Club logo on the other side. A fitting tribute to the place it all began. That’s from Doc Murphy. Other sponsors include Birdie Balou, Callaway, Dooney & Bourke, EyeKing Sunglasses, IBKUL, TaylorMade, Sandals Resorts and TourEdge. Local sponsors include Canoe Place Inn and Cottages and of course, Westhampton Country Club. Whatever the score, no one goes home empty handed. There’s also a copy of her latest book Life on the Green: Lessons and Wisdom from Legends of Golf.

Consider the resume. Liguori has covered six Olympics, The World Cup, World Series and NBA finals, but says, “being under the big oak tree at Augusta Club House is really special.” She brushes over her accomplishments, but does admit it was “impossible in the beginning. There were very few women in sports broadcasting.”

These days it’s a little better. In addition to writing books and covering tournaments, running one of her own and contributing to others, she also has a WLIW-FM radio show in Southampton. “That’s been going on for almost 20 years. It’s called Sports Inner View. Saturdays from 7 to 8 a.m. in the morning.” And she’s also a Brand Ambassador the IBKUL gear and wears it wherever she goes.

On the evening of the event there’s a cocktail reception, awards dinner, silent and live auction, and a pretty swell hang with a woman who has seen it all. Met everyone. Nicklaus, Palmer, Tiger. She calls her pal Gary Player “an international treasure. He’s a massive voice for wisdom, love and goodwill. Honest and open. Sometimes it gets him in trouble,” she says with a smile.

Back to the event. She’s still pitching. There may be a foursome or two available at AnnLiguori.com with foursomes at $8000. Or just join the cause for cocktails and dinner at $500.

She never stops working. On Tuesday, May 27, Liguori will be greeting and checking the players in. They’re there for a good cause. For her it’s personal. The rest of us will just try not to three-putt.

Follow Ann Liguori on Intagram @TheAnnLiguori

Bill McCuddy hosts several podcasts, a WLIW-FM monthly show and a summer weekly LTV television show Weekend Live: The Hamptons Now. He plays golf badly and will prove it at this tournament.