John D: We miss her terribly. She passed away I believe last January tragically, but in studio now we’re talking golf because the LPGA is leaving but in a way it’s coming back. Mike Vadala is here along with Danah Bordner who is a recent mommy, Game 2. Right, Danah?
Dana B: Yes.
John D: A big Colt fan, we’ll allow that even though we’re in Bill’s country.
Dana B: Sorry.
John D: Mike, who’s your team by the way?
Mike V: I’m a Bill’s fan, big time.
John D: You are?
Mike V: Well, I went to Syracuse so I have the Doug Marone…
John D: Okay, the so you approve of the Kyle Orton move, right?
Mike V: Whatever Doug says. He knows what he’s doing.
John D: I like this.
Mike V: If he took our program from where it was and got us to ball games, he knows what he’s doing. He’s got a plan.
John D: It’s easy. What is it? It’s right? Well, let’s hope.
John D: I’m worried about him having a job once the Pagoolas take over but we’ll talk more football coming up but we’ve got Symetra Tour event. Explain that Mike. It’s coming here. It’s coming here next July.
Mike V: That’s correct. The Symetra Tour is a kin to the web.com Tour and the PGA. It’s the Triple A of women’s golf. The level of play is amazing. The girls are great. It’s everything Rochester loves about the LPGA. The players are gonna come out here. They’re gonna interact with sponsors and fans and kids, play great golf. It’s gonna be a great answer to losing our 38-year event and I think people here will love it. I really do.
John D: And Dana this is called what, the road to the LPGA? This is for aspiring golfers. Like Triple A as Mike just mentioned, Triple A players are equivalent to baseball who wanna get to the next level.
Dana B: Yes, the LPGA Symetra Tour; it’s a great kind of a stepping stone, would you say, and to help girls really gain and have their dream to be on the LPGA and it’s an amazing tour. It’s an amazing step to get there.
John D: How long have you been playing?
Dana B: I’ve been playing too, too long. No, I’ve been playing for ten years. I’ve been on the LPGA for five and it’s a great tour and I’m blessed to be able to do that.
John D: It’s a grind though, isn’t it? It’s a grind.
Dana B: It’s a grind. It’s a grind but I love it and all the girls out there and, you know, we’re kind of like a big family and the sponsors that we get to interact with, it’s great.
John D: And Danah Bordner is here and Mike Vadala, but also next July is this something each year Mike?
Mike V: We hope so.
John D: Is it a one year deal? Or hope to do it more?
Mike V: It’s a one year deal with opportunities to keep it here at our decision at our options. So the tour is, they’re looking for three years out of us minimum. We’ve told them we could guarantee one. We just have to see how it goes but I’m very confident that it’s gonna be huge here and that we’ll be here for more than one year.
John D: How many players then, how many players will, I should say, will take part in this event?
Dana B: There will be 144 players.
John D: Regular?
Dana B: Yes.
John D: Okay.
Dana B: Full field event.
John D: That’s a normal full field then.
Dana B: Yes.
John D: I didn’t realize there is a 144 – Mike.
Mike V: Yeah, and a lot of times this tour plays 3-day events. We’re talking with the LPGA whether this will be a 4-day event so it – they’ve started to move to that. They’re trying to really make this tour like the LPGA and the 4-day events for the largest purses are starting to become more of a regularity so we’re talking about it. We still have to nail down our sponsors and our funding and make sure that we can afford that kind of purse but I think we will and I think Rochester will be out there and this will be one of the great tournaments on this tour.
John D: So if you lose your card Danah, you would go back, you would go to this tour and try to get it back? Is that another route?
Dana B: Yes, that is definitely an opportunity and there’s also LPGA qualifying school that you can try get your card back.
John D: But Danah, how long have you been in Rochester now? Is this your home?
Dana B: We moved here, yes, just two years ago. We are so happy to call Rochester our home. I mean, in the community and the people here are just fantastic.
John D: This is golf. This is golf country, right?
Dana B: Yes. There’s so much history here.
John D: I don’t about in Indy. Did you have a lot of golf courses in Indy?
Dana B: We have a lot of golf courses and a lot of history there too.
John D: Come on.
Dana B: But Rochester, I don’t know, It might beat it.
John D: I think we beat it. One thing we’re better than the Co – better than Indy, better golf courses, Mike.
Mike V: Yes, probably not enough football, yeah but we do have great golf courses here, you know. Brook-Lea, everybody tells me. I’ve been a member there for 18 years and I just love the course.
John D: Yeah.
Mike V: People say that’s the best kept secret. Well, we want to change that, you know. As a member, I’d love to see more people come out and take advantage of our course and see it. And the girls, we had eight girls here last Tuesday for our kick-off media day. They all went out and played and all of the players came back and said ‘this is one of the best courses we’ve played. It’s great.’ So we’re excited. We can’t wait to showcase it and the girls can’t wait to play it. So it’s really gonna be a lot of fun.
John D: I think it’s great. It’s a great way to honor Danielle.
Mike V: Well it is, and Danielle was a member of Brook-Lea and a very close friend of mine personally and, you know, when she was starting out, a few of us at Brook-Lea helped her find sponsors and helped her career get going and she was new, and you know, John. She was on the show so many times but just a delight to deal with, just such a great person, so much fun and to lose her so early on, it’s just a real honor. The LPGA actually called me and asked if we wanted to do a tournament here and asked if we want to call it the Danielle Downey Classic so her reach won’t be on Rochester.
John D: Great.
Mike V: And, you know, we spoke with the family. I know the family very well; wonderful people.
John D: Great.
Mike V: The nicest group and we all got together and said ‘I think Danielle would love it’ and she’d love it because the Symetra tour is a lot of these younger players and she remembers when she was there and she wants to give them their chance. And I think she’s looking down on us and really feeling good about it.
John D: Mike Vadala, Danah Bordner, congratulations. Well, I’m sure we’ll have you up here as we get closer and certainly next year.
Mike V: Yeah, we’ll be bringing players in throughout the year.
John D: Well, come up here on the show.
Mike V: We’ll get some of the girls from the tour and I think they’d love to be here so we’ll talk with you. We’ll stay in touch with you keep it going.
John D: Mike, great seeing you. Dana, go Colts.
Dana B: Go Colts.
John D: IU – I can’t. What if I say don’t go IU, are you okay with that?
Dana B: No.
Mike V: He’s a Penn State guy.
John D: I’m a Penn State guy.
Dana B: Well, I like Penn State.
John D: Well, I like IU then. You’re nice.
Mike V: We both need help.
Dana B: I’m a big 10 girl.
John D: That’s true, we’re family.
Mike V: We both need help.
Dana B: Yes.
John D: Danah Bordner, Mike Vadala – Vick Packo is up next. This is Fox Sports 1280.