‘Like It Is’ — Lisa Cornwell and Brittany Lincicome talk mental health, tour life and more — Must-click women’s golf links
By Addie Parker
The IX: Golf Thursday with Addie Parker, May 19, 2022
Welcome to Golf Thursday. It’s unfortunate that the main outlet to broadcast women’s golf is a place where female employees feel uncomfortable and mistreated…and that’s putting things lightly.
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Lisa Cornwell is a golf broadcasting legend, and it’s been almost 18 months since she spilled the beans on what life at the Golf Channel is really like. Between 1996 and 2009, six lawsuits were filed against the network from varying allegations around sexual harassment, discrimination, and unpaid wages — all six were settled by the network. The most shocking allegation came from an earlier lawsuit from an anonymous employee claiming that the executive producer masturbated in front of two women.
But things don’t end there. Lisa’s battle with the network began in 2016, and she has been dealing with the fallout ever since. But she’s rewriting the narrative and telling it “like it is”.
I had the pleasure of talking to Lisa about her new podcast ‘Like It Is’ and what she hopes this new journey will accomplish.
“Soon after making my story public on January 1, 2021, upwards of 30 women reached out to me privately about their own encounters [with] mistreatment. Unfortunately, most of these women have been unable to speak on their own because of Non-Disclosure Agreements they signed after losing their jobs. Others are afraid that voicing their struggles will blackball them in the industry moving forward. Either way, it’s both heartbreaking and infuriating.
That’s when the idea of ‘Like It Is’ was born. My story is one in a million that needs to be told, and we plan to tell as many of them as we can. We want to give people a voice and let those who are afraid of speaking up know they aren’t alone.”
Lisa Cornwell, ‘Like It Is’
She finds great pride in being outspoken, and this podcast is her outlet for doing so. She wants to make noise and disrupt the traditional landscape in golf. Why? Because the way the golfing industry treats women, people of color, and juniors is unacceptable.
“I have and will always be an advocate,” Lisa told me over the phone. “I want this show to be natural and reactionary,” unlike traditional golf media where things can often feel performative and disingenuous. Case and point being the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. It’s wonderful that this event is granting exposure to high school and college level girls, but a majority of LPGA Tour players have yet to play Augusta. It’s progress…but at what cost when the event is over the same weekend as the first major on schedule?
‘Like It Is’ is centered around having the conversations we are too afraid to engage in — and I’m all for it. As a minority in this game, it is exhausting to constantly have to prove my worth. The wayward glances I receive, the unsolicited advice on the driving range, and the overall discomfort I feel when I step foot on any new course all impact me psychologically and emotionally. And after a while, I stopped asking myself if these things happen to me because I’m a woman or because I’m Black (I’ll let y’all do the math).
Enter the other mind behind ‘Like It Is’, Donna Davis. Donna will be the other voice featured on the show to engage in the topics that the interview episodes may have missed out on. I got the scoop on how the show will be formatted. Twice a month a guest will come on for Lisa to hold a conversation with discussing varying topics (nothing is off limits). The following week, Lisa and Donna will recap the previous conversations and revisit topics worth diving into a little deeper.
Both women want to rally the community of women in golf and enact real change. Lisa told me that her ultimate goal is to have tennis legend Billie Jean King on an episode because of how King revolutionized women’s tennis and never stopped fighting for their equality.
Episode one is now live! Lisa sits down with LPGA Tour and multi-major winning player Brittany Lincicome. I have linked the video in this week’s Five at The IX, so don’t miss out on this wonderful conversation.
This podcast is something I’m extremely excited about and I want to thank Lisa and Donna for the work they have done already and for what’s to be done. And I hope you all join me in supporting ‘Like It Is’ and never being silent on the issues you care about.
“I’m convinced of this: Good done anywhere is good done everywhere. For a change, start by speaking to people rather than walking by them like they’re stones that don’t matter. As long as you’re breathing, it’s never too late to do some good.”
— Maya Angelou
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This week in women’s golf
If you have links you wish to share for Golf Thursday, sources for golf news, or want to talk about anything at all, you can email me at addieparker25@gmail.com ! Discussion of any kind is always welcome…I mean it…MESSAGE ME!
LPGA News
Major news this week about one of the major tournaments, The Amundi Evian Championship purse has increased to $6.5 million, with first place earning $1 million. Details about the increase, and comments from Commissioner Samaan are linked!
To recap last week, it was another remarkable Founder’s Cup with so many special moments highlighting the core values of the LPGA and what it means to “act like a founder”. One of my favorite moments from last week was this:
I was apart of Girls Golf at my local First Tee chapter and it changed my life forever, gave me a love for the game, and I made friends that I still talk to today. The future of women’s golf is so incredibly bright and I’m grateful that we got to witness something like this happening last week.
Special shoutout to Minjee Lee (post-winning press conference quotes) on being victorious and to Lexi Thompson on her weekend rally to finish second! It was so good to see her name on the first page of the leaderboard again.
We look ahead to the U.S. Open in North Carolina in 2 weeks (though there’s an event next week). Here are some notable players who have qualified for the Open.
LET News
Belgium’s Manon De Roey clinched her first LET title winning the Aramco Team Series – Bangkok Individual title by three strokes. Watch the highlights of her final round.
The Ladies European Tour returns to Europe this week, as 132 players get ready to tee it up at the Jabra Ladies Open Presented by Bitstamp. Situated in the picturesque Evian Resort Golf Club on the banks of Lake Geneva, the French destination will see the LET stars compete for a €250,000 purse over 54 holes from Thursday to Saturday this week!
Epson Tour News
Ever wonder what it’s like to play golf with a pro? Well here’s your chance to experience what it would be like to play with Alyaa Abdulghany! (by the way…Alyaa qualified for the U.S. Open)
NCAA News
Gearing up for the NCAA Division I National Championship in Arizona…All live updates can be found here!!! And I’m calling it, Oregon is my pick to win it all. Go Ducks! Also rooting for my fellow Hokie, Emily Mahar who qualified as an individual!
ANNIKA Award: Final watch list for 2021-22 women’s college golf season (the award honors the player of the year in women’s college golf, as selected by college golfers, coaches and members of the college golf media)
Findlay women’s golf wins 2022 NCAA Division II National Championship
Emory women’s golf wins 2022 NCAA Division III Championship
Other News
This isn’t women’s golf related but rather a special shoutout to my brother, Gavin Parker, PGA member and one of Golf Digest’s best in state instructors has launched his YouTube series that details what we do at our academy and how we are reshaping the junior golf landscape! Episode 1: More than a golf coach is now live, go watch, like and subscribe!!!
Also…THIS!!!! U.S. women’s and men’s national soccer teams close pay gap with ‘game-changing’ deal!!!
Five at The IX: New podcast from Lisa Cornwell, episode 1
From healthcare, to social media, to LPGA vs. PGA Tour coverage…Lisa and Brittany dive into it all in the first episode of ‘Like It Is’.
As always, I encourage you to watch the entire thing because they cover SO much ground, however, if you’re pressed for time start at 5:50 and listen to all of Brittany’s answer about the new sponsorships and what it means for players to have more money coming into the tour.
| Mondays: Soccer |
| By: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Women’s Soccer |
| Tuesdays: Tennis |
| By: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer |
| Wednesdays: Basketball |
| By: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The Next |
| Thursdays: Golf |
| By: Addie Parker, @addie_parker, The IX |
| Fridays: Hockey |
| By: @TheIceGarden, The Ice Garden |
| Saturdays: Gymnastics |
| By: Lela Moore, @runlelarun, Freelance Writer |
