THE MODERATOR: Thanks for coming here everybody. It's an exciting moment. I know we were here last year for the Solheim Cup, and so you guys know the excitement that's the Solheim Cup.
So we are here with a fun announcement today here in the middle with our U.S. captain, Stacy Lewis. Over to her right, because I have my right and my left straight, we have assistant captain Morgan Pressel, and then to Stacy's left we have Mike Elliott, CEO of Dunning Golf.
Half hour ago we had the announcement that Dunning Golf will be the official uniform supplier for the 2023-2024 Solheim Cup team.
Stacy, I'll start with you. We just literally came out of a design session. We were in Spain a couple weeks ago and you go the to wear the Dunning gear. What's it like so far to work with Mike and the team at Dunning?
STACY LEWIS: It's been amazing. This has obviously been a work in progress now for a few months. Probably was one of the first things on my list when we started this process, our checklist of what we weeded to do.
Dunning actually came to us, which we were pretty excited about, and the clothes are amazing. It's been a fun process of customizing for the players, and I think they're going to love it. That's the No. 1 goal, is that the players love it. When you feel great, you're going to play better golf. That's the whole goal in this process.
THE MODERATOR: Morgan, I know when Stacy brought you on, the uniforms, the passion for that was certainly a big thing she wanted to hand to you. What was the last hour like working with Mike getting the chance to dig in and feel some of the fabrics and see what's different about Dunning and what they're going to bring on this team.
MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, it's been a lot of fun. Having been on the other side and worn clothing that other people have picked out, it's been fun to be on the other side.
And to see kind of especially with Dunning all the different little intricacies and the things we can change just to add little bits and touches. I think the fabrics are phenomenal. The players have never worn a fabric like that they're going -- the multiple different fabrics.
So I think that's a really neat part of working with Dunning on that. And then, Mike, you and your team have just been, what do you want, and we can basically make it for you. That is what they have said to us.
Following Stacy's lead on kind of the look that she wants and pulling it all together, it's been a lot of fun.
THE MODERATOR: Mike, I'll turn it over to you as Stacy said and you D team reached timeout team with the interest in uniforming the team. Where did that come from and what's the excitement been for and you the team as you are starting to build out these opportunities?
MIKE ELLIOTT: First of all, I am an American, so I live here and I experienced the Solheim Cup in Des Moines for the first time, and I took my wife, Layla, with me. It was the most incredible week. We talk about it to this day everywhere that we go.
The fact that I've been associated with the game a long time, I play it, she plays, experienced the Solheim Cup, it's different from any other golf event I've ever attended.
So it really started with that. Little would we know that we were going to launch into the women's business and have the opportunity. So there is this excitement and thrill from having experienced it, and now being involved at another level it's an honor for me personally, but it's a great honor for our team at Dunning to be able to do this.
As Stacy and Morgan alluded to, we have a great team behind the scenes. We know it's a great product. It's exciting to see players embrace it and feel it and talk about it in terms of truly being something different in the market for women's golf apparel.
So an exciting time for us.
THE MODERATOR: Stacy, I know we're still a year plus out from going to Spain, but when we were sitting in there talking, I didn't think about, well you can't have this color next to this color because of how the skin would react to it. How eye opening was the last hour and all of this process been for you in your first time as captain?
STACY LEWIS: Well, I've learned a lot. I think we've had a great partner, so they made it very easy of showing us different options and look. And I know there is certain things that are not my forte, and that's why she's here. (Gesturing to Morgan.
I thin that's one thing about being a leader is you got to know your limitations. I've learned a lot through the process, and the players are going to look great, feel great, and we're excited to -- we can't share it with anybody yet, but we're excited to get it all put together.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. Hey, everybody, how is it going? When you said that the fabric is unlike anything that you've ever experienced before, could you explain a little bit more about that, a detail behind that?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, I think it's just really advanced technology. It's so comfortable. Mike, tell us a little bit about the mesh fabric that you were showing us earlier, because you know more of the exact science behind it.
MIKE ELLIOTT: Yeah. Dunning is truly the only brand in golf that utilizes cool mesh yarns in all of our polos and actually all of our bottoms as well. So it not only does it provide maximum performance, but cooling to the body, so it truly is more comfortable.
What Morgan just mentioned, we've introduced to performance mesh where now not only do you get the comfort and the wicking, if you will, in the fabric, you get breathability at the same time, which of course enhances fabric.
Our tagline which is truly our DNA at Dunning, is engineered for athletes, designed for players.
In the end, we believe that if you look better, but more importantly you feel better, then you're going to perform better. That's truly at the root, the DNA of the Dunning brand.
MORGAN PRESSEL: I think specifically on that point too, I've never played a Solheim Cup in Europe where we've been worried about being too hot.
STACY LEWIS: Yes, that's true.
MORGAN PRESSEL: We usually play in much cooler climates, and so to have these fabrics in Spain is going to be nice. Hopefully, beautiful, warm. Even beyond that, if we do need those layering pieces, there is that insulation on a couple of pieces where if it does get cool we have that options as well.
MIKE ELLIOTT: Yeah, very exciting. You're referring to the PrimaLoft. We are looking at some layering pieces. Still to be finalized, but a great session with Stacy and Morgan and others today.
Q. (No microphone.)
STACY LEWIS: I mean, my only parameters were I was kind of going off what Julia has done in the past where we wear red on Friday, white on Sunday, blue on Sunday -- or Saturday and Sunday. Gosh, I can't talk. So red, white, blue those days.
And then from there, we took what Dunning does. They do prints like this, they have solids, different versions, and we kind of were able to make it our own from there. But wanted our fans to wear red with us that are there on Friday, wear white with us on Saturday, and then wear blue with us on Sunday.
Those were my only parameters, and then we kind of took their lead and they came with some options already and then we just kind of tweaked them from there.
MORGAN PRESSEL: I think it's an athletic but a classic look. I think it's a very clean, classic aesthetic, and that's kind of just the Dunning fit, is geared towards the athletes, but also has the classic look but also ties in with the athletic look. I mean, look at the polo Stacy is wearing. It has both of that feel to it.
Q. (Regarding experiencing Solheim Cup.) Now you're designing uniforms and everything else. What has that been like, the learning process?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, it's been a learning process. We've got a great team of people behind us that are kind of helping us with the step by steps of what we need to get done and when we need to get it done.
I think the good part, she's played in a ton, I've played in a ton. I was the assistant captain last year. We have worn a lot of different clothes. We know what we definitely don't like.
So I mean, we have a really good idea of what the players like. Ultimately we're doing this for the players, not ourselves. It's trying to make them feel good so they can play good golf.
Q. (No microphone.)
STACY LEWIS: Yep. Yep.
Q. (No microphone.)
STACY LEWIS: Right.
Q. What does that mean to come here and...
STACY LEWIS: I mean, it's really cool. I think along the way we've had a lot of announcements with Solheim Cup. We've announced at different places different things. It's fitting that we are here in Toledo where we played, gosh, almost a year ago now Solheim Cup. I obviously have a lot of ties here.
But it was more just the timing worked out. But Dunning, you guys have been so great. We're really trying to finalize the designs and looking forward to moving onto the next thing and checking that box.
Q. Morgan, you have ties to the tournament, too. What is this all like for you?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, it's awesome. Definitely ties. Played in this event many, many times. Been close a couple times to closing the deal. But I'm excited to this year be on the broadcast side for the first time and be a part of Golf Channel NBC Sports team here.
It's a lot of fun. I've always loved playing this golf course. It's one of my favorites. It's very old school and always suited my game, so a little biased in that respect, and being so close to where my family is from in Michigan it's a special treat.
Q. (Regarding the possibility of entering the tournament and broadcasting at the same time.)
MORGAN PRESSEL: That would be very challenging. No, I have not thought about that.
STACY LEWIS: I think she's very far past the entering the tournament stage.
MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah.
MIKE ELLIOTT: I would be remiss if I didn't say that I'm a big Judy Rankin fan. I've loved watching Judy for a long time. But I have to say, I've really enjoyed watching Morgan in the booth and the energy that you bring to the telecast. It's very refreshing. It's fresh, and I think it's great for the LPGA that you're in there.
MORGAN PRESSEL: Thanks, Mike.
MIKE ELLIOTT: For what that's worth.
MORGAN PRESSEL: Thank you.
Q. (No microphone.)
STACY LEWIS: For all the players to band together. I think the players have to stick together right now probably more than ever. They have to realize how far this tour has come over the last -- especially the last five years how far we've come.
And we have done that by working together. We've done that by players making sacrifices and doing things that they maybe wouldn't want to do. But it's important for this tour. Helping get sponsors, doing extra things at tournaments. We still have to work hard as a tour.
Yes, we're playing for a lot of money, we have great opportunities, but this tour needs to stick together right now and keep pushing and trying to get better.
That's not just our purses. We've got to keep getting better as people. We got to get better with our fans. We got to get better engagement numbers on social media from our players.
So we got to keep working together.
MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, I totally agree with what Stacy said. I don't know what the right answer is. I don't know that the LPGA Tour can survive what the PGA Tour is going through right now.
Thinking of I'm very proud to be part of the longest running women's sports organization in the world, and the phrase "Act Like a Founder" is very important to me, and I've always tried to play that way, like just really feel that in my heart on and off the golf course.
So I think all the players really need to embrace that at this moment, truly acting like a Founder and think of all the women who came before us and what they did to build this incredible organization and how far we have come.
Q. (No microphone.)
MORGAN PRESSEL: I don't know what the right answer is.
STACY LEWIS: We really don't know.
THE MODERATOR: What we do know is Toledo always has great fans that show up here. The support here is great. We saw that you were both in in Canada last week, Stacy playing Morgan in the booth. How excited are you guys to be back here in Toledo, where Toledo has meant so much to us over the last two years where we came back during COVID, really now back to quote, unquote normal.
Stacy, how are you feeling as you head inside the ropes?
STACY LEWIS: Feeling good. This tournament has survived over the years. It's pretty incredible what Judd and his team have continued to do. For me, obviously it's homecoming. I get tons of family this week and tons of time together, so it's a lot of fun for me.
I played with Lilia Vu yesterday and she was playing the golf course for the first time and I was like, gosh, I don't know how many rounds I've played here.
It was kind of fun to see it through a rookie's eyes, but yeah, it's a fun and relaxing week for me, so...
THE MODERATOR: Morgan, I know we got the all-female crew this week. Cara Banks stepping in for our friend, Grant Boone. What's the feeling out in the compound as you guys get ready to add the all-female crew to the women inside the ropes?
MORGAN PRESSEL: Yeah, it's great. I wasn't part of all-female broadcast last year, so this will be my first time working with Cara, and I'm excited about that.
I think it'll just be a great week. Luckily looks like the weather might be a little nicer than last year, so we have that to look forward to. It's gorgeous today.
But, yeah, my friends at Golf Channel, my colleagues there are all tremendous. For the first time for me to be a part of the all-women's broadcast, it's going to be a lot of fun.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks you guys so much again. Mike, thank you. We appreciate the support. Everybody, come on over to Spain. It's awesome.
STACY LEWIS: Yes, it is.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports