By Tim Maitland
Put together, the names sound like one of those dusty law firms or quaint gentleman’s outfitters that have been passed from generation to generation, but there’s nothing old about the Stanford & Hull arriving in Singapore.
The names Angela Stanford and Katherine Hull belong together because the two of them are the most dramatically improved and, arguably, hottest players in the world-class field assembling for the HSBC Women’s Champions.
They also belong together because the two players happen to be the best of friends.
The similarities are strong. Both suddenly started winning late last year. Both finished 2008 in sparkling form and both have proved it was no fluke by winning again at the start of this year.
And the fact that the two buddies have taken their games to an unprecedented high at exactly the same time is not a total coincidence.
“I think when your friends are doing good you want to do good. I think people feed off each other and I think friends feed off each other,” says Stanford, a 31-year-old Texan, winner of the LPGA’s season-opening SBS Open in Hawaii last month.
In the case of her relationship with the 27-year-old Queenslander, the spark is often their never-say-die attitude to sport.
“She’s super competitive at everything,” says Hull, who got her season off to a flying start by winning the ANZ Masters in her own back yard on the Gold Coast.
“There’s just so much fight in her. Her determination is probably one of the biggest things to spot in her game,” she adds admitting that the fight applies in every sport the play together and that even a game of Tiddlywinks could turn into a fight to the death
“It probably would be if she knew how to play it!” she laughs.
Stanford agrees, but points out that the fact that they can release the competitive beast against each other is proof of how strong their bond is.
“She’s such a good friend that we can get on the golf course or the tennis court and play and go at each other and when it’s done it’s done; then we’re friends again. That’s when you know when you have a good friend, when you can put that aside and get on with fighting and fighting and then when it’s done it’s done,” she explains.
You would be forgiven thinking that the competitive streak extends to the way both players have simultaneously shot up the world rankings after the drastic epiphanies they went through late last year.
Angela, now rated sixth in the world, was 31st before she won the Bell Micro Classic in September, since then she’s won the Lorena Ochoa Invitational and in Hawaii (Hull playing with her in the final group in the final round each time) and hasn’t finished lower than sixth in her four other tournaments.
Katherine was 89th the week she won the CN Canadian Open in August, but is now 18th having the finished the LPGA season with seven top-10 finishes out of 11 events, with two other top-20s. In the Australasian events at the start of this year she’s finished runner-up twice, grabbed her maiden professional win in her home country and finished sixth in the Australian Open.
The changes over the past 12 months have been dramatic for the two friends, but they’ve also been markedly different, despite the common thread of the role their religious faith has in their golf. Hull found she had not truly committed to winning, while Stanford discovered she wanted to win too much.
“I wanted to win but not to the point that I was working my butt off to win,” Hull confesses.
I wasn’t doing anything about it. There wasn’t a burning desire to win. I wasn’t doing anything that a professional should have been doing. I still needed a good kick up the backside a year ago.”
“I think I’d pressed so hard to win and I wanted the results and I wanted everything that came with winning and I wanted to be the top American and I wanted all that, but I was upset all the time,” Stanford recalls.
“I just got to the point where I became content with whatever God has in store with me, I’m OK with. That moment on, it was just “relax, enjoy the game and enjoy the abilities he gave me”, instead of “why don’t I have this? And why am I not here?” I fell in love with playing the game again.
“It’s kind of the chicken or the egg. Are you happy because you win, or are you happy before you win and that’s why you win? For me I started having so much fun playing the game and hitting the golf ball, getting so wrapped up in “okay, what am I going to do with the golf ball this time?” I was so happy playing the game that the results started happening.”
For Hull happiness came through knowing that she was finally making the kind of commitment that would rekindle the kind of results she had had all through a dominant amateur and college career; results that had been missing during her five years on tour as, in her own words, she settled for mediocrity. Right now, she’s inspired by a quote from the legendary heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali: “The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.”
Hull has taken on board a comment Annika Sorenstam made to her in Singapore last year and is dedicated herself to “pushing herself” in every thing she does before she steps inside the ropes.
“There’s a really fine line between pushing and forcing. I think at this point I’m at the pushing stage; I’m not at the forcing stage. It’s challenging myself to do extra work in the gym and to do extra practice, to get better at time management and to not take the easy way to do things. It’s raising the quality of what I do. It’s not expecting to win this week or that week or a Major. To me they’re outcome related, whereas I’m trying to push myself in the process-related areas.”
So Stanford & Hull will arrive in Singapore as two names to place in the same company as Lorena Ochoa, Paula Creamer, Suzann Pettersen and the young Asian Tigers like Yani Tseng and Jiyai Shin as potential challengers for the coveted HSBC Women’s Champions.
Both are keeping their fingers crossed that their hot streaks stay hot.
“I’d like to prolong it as looooooong as possible,” says Stanford, laughing as she stretches her Texan drawl to the length of a stretch limo.
“…but I understand this game. Somebody like Katherine, somebody like me, we’ve seen so many low moments that it really keeps you humble. It could all go away. In this game it can change at the drop of a dime. We’ve seen the other side of it. It’s not that you’re scared of it, but you’re aware of it. You don’t get up there and have streaks like this and think all of a sudden you’re invincible.”
And right on cue Katherine walked off the 18th tee at the Honda LPGA Thailand laughing at herself having just taken a 10, her highest score on a hole as a professional. “That’s golf!”
Angela Stanford
Q: Stanford & Hull sounds like a legal firm or one of those old gentlemen’s outfitters, but you two are the hottest things in golf right now.
A: I guess we are. I was kidding with her at the end of last year that I’d pay her to play with me the last day because if we’re together in the final group I usually come out quite good. I know Katherine’s worked really hard on her game and I’m really happy for her. We’re both in the same fellowship, I’m so happy for her.
I think people feed off each other and I think friends feed off each other. It’s a positive thing.
Q: And you think the two of you have that kind of relationship?
A: I think so, not that we’ve talked about it or anything. I think when your friends are doing good you want to do good. It’s that kind of thing I guess.
Q: I know the two of you have been winding each other up and that the fact that she is 0 and 2 against you when it really matters is on her radar.
A: Yeah, I feel kind of bad about that. (Laughs) Kind of… A little bit.
Q: And she says you’d fight to the death in anything, in any sport.
A: That’s the thing. She’s such a good friend that we can get on the golf course or the tennis court and play and go at each other and when it’s done it’s done; then we’re friends again. That’s when you know when you have a good friend, when you can put that aside and get on with fighting and fighting and then when it’s done it’s done.
Q: That could test some friendships couldn’t it, especially those two wins?
A: Yes. But both of us know there’s a larger plan, so it makes it easier.
Q: Your faith and her faith are both key motivations aren’t they?
A: Yes. For me I’ve always said it’s interwoven in my golf game, my faith. I can’t have one without the other.
Q: How does it feel to have a run of form like yours? It must almost be like you can’t play badly even if you try.
A: That’s the weird thing about this game. People talk about getting in the zone, and I guess it’s across every sport, but I think right now I’m having so much fun playing. I have a very good understanding of how to hit the ball and how I’m rolling my putts. Everything just really makes sense right now. There’s some clarity. It’s just been fun because I feel like when I get to the career I can always look back and say this strip of time, however long it is, was really special and a lot of people never see it. It feels pretty cool to get the chance.
Q: Is it one of those things where you try not to think to hard about it?
A: Yes. In Hawaii I was surprised as anybody that I won the golf tournament. You would think after a couple of months off… I just didn’t expect it. I never really play well at that golf course. I was surprised as anybody.
I call myself a late bloomer. I needed all of those experiences to learn. I can’t explain it. I think you learn from all the different experiences. I wouldn’t be the player I am today without the last eight years on tour and the four years at college and the high school. All those years I struggled, I needed that to be the player I am today. Some people don’t need that, but I guess I did.
Q: Is there a particular point that you regard as your dark days?
A: Probably 04 to 05. 2004 and 2005 were the roughest. My first year was 01 and as a rookie you’re just trying to survive. 02 I was getting my feet wet. 03 I won and got to play in the Solheim Cup and I think I just thought it was just going to happen. I won once and it’s just going to happen. I think I got lazy and took certain things for granted. 04 and 05 were tough. Without that I wouldn’t have changed my fitness, I wouldn’t have changed my golf swing, I wouldn’t have changed my commitment level. So, I needed that low point to get better.
Q: Is relief the right word to describe coming out this year and stamping last year’s form right away?
A: My relief was in Mobile last year. When I won in Mobile it was I went huh, like that sigh of relief to say OK it can happen again. It seems after that I’ve just said “All right, I’ll just have at it every week”. Maybe it was the same for Katherine. Maybe it was “Huh, OK I can do it”.
Q: Both of you’re recent runs project into the kind of form that will take you into the top five in the world if you can prolong it.
A: I’d like to prolong it as looooooong as possible. (Laughs) But I understand this game. Somebody like Katherine, somebody like me, we’ve seen so many low moments that it really keeps you humble. It could all go away. In this game it can change at the drop of a dime. We’ve seen the other side of it. It’s not that you’re scared of it, but you’re aware of it. You don’t get up there and have streaks like this and think all of a sudden you’re invincible.
Q: It’s amazing, a year ago you and Katherine came to the HSBC Women’s Champions and you were, no disrespect, also-rans… now you’re contenders.
A: That’s not disrespectful. I can’t be offended by the truth and that’s the truth. It’s wild what a year’s difference can make.
Q: How different is the Angela Stanford who will step out at Tanah Merah as one of the contenders, one of the in-form players on the tour.
A: It’s funny. People I think see me differently, but I still feel the same. Between my friends and playing Shady Oaks at home I stay pretty humble. My friends give me a hard time and Shady Oaks is such a hard golf course that, if I start feeling good about my game I go out there and shoot four or five over. I don’t feel I’m very different from last year. I think I have more confidence. That’s the difference.
Q: You must be happier in yourself too?
A: Yeah, but you know the interesting thing about that? It’s kind of the chicken or the egg. Are you happy because you win, or are you happy before you win and that’s why you win? For me I started having so much fun playing the game and hitting the golf ball, getting so wrapped up in “okay, what am I going to do with the golf ball this time?” I was so happy playing the game that the results started happening.
Q: Have you made a big transformation from being an angry golfer into a happy one?
A: I think that is one of the misperceptions of me. When people see me on the golf course they think I’m mad all the time… mad-angry, although I am a little crazy too… I don’t think I’m mad the whole time. I think I’m a perfectionist. I think I hit a shot and think that could have been better because of whatever reason, but I feel like I’ve done a better of getting over it.
My friends and family tell me you need to smile more, you need to smile more. I tell them I’m not mad, I’m just focused. I’m thinking about something else, I’m not thinking about smiling, but that doesn’t mean I’m mad.
Q: How did you learn to be happy doing what you are doing?
A: I just became content. It’s kind of where my faith comes in. I think I’d pressed so hard to win and I wanted the results and I wanted everything that came with winning and I wanted to be the top American and I wanted all that, but I was upset all the time. I just got to the point where I became content with whatever God has in store with me, I’m OK with. I’m going to play my heart out and I’m going to give 110 per cent and whatever happens the Lord is going to take care of me. He’s going to put me where I need to be. That moment on, it was just “relax, enjoy the game and enjoy the abilities he gave me”, instead of “why don’t I have this? And why am I not here?” I fell in love with playing the game again.
Katherine Hull
Q: You and Angela Stanford are bubbling like Champagne at the moment!
A: (Laughs) It’s an interesting way of putting it. Angela finished of 08 awesome and has started off this year awesome. She’s definitely in form. I was happy to continue my momentum from last year. It would be nice to get a win early, that’s for sure.
Actually I’m really happy for her. She’s one of my friends. We were in the same bible study group last year. She’s super competitive at everything. We’ve played a bit of tennis and basketball and she will fight to the very end. I’m not surprised that she’s playing this well. I’m really happy for her.
Q: So even playing tiddlywinks is a fight to the death with her?
A: Tiddlywinks? What’s Tiddlywinks?
It probably would be if she knew how to play it! (Laughs)
Q: Are their similarities between the two of you? You’re both blooming relatively late.
A: Yep. Definitely the competitive nature. I think we realize that we’ve been given a gift to play. Although it’s not everything – it’s just a game – I think it’s a way for us to glorify God. So we both look at it a little differently to the way most people do.
Q: So you both use your faith to drive yourselves?
A: Yes. I would say so.
Q: Have the two of you sat down of you to talk about it?
A: We haven’t talked about it, but I got paired with her in Mobile (at the Bell Micro LPGA Classic in September) in the last round and she won that won. Then we played in Mexico together too (at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in November) in the final round and she won that one too! She’s two up on me. I’ve got a little bit of catching up to do.
It was funny we joked about it playing in the ADT. I said “Hey, how much will you pay me to get into the same pairing as you on Sunday in the ADT? Because every time it happens you win!”
I’m really happy for her, being one of my buddies. I’m happy for anyone who plays well out here, whether they be a friend or not, because it’s great for women’s golf and great for the tour. We need as much good publicity as possible. I’m all for people playing well, so that I’m challenged to work harder and play better.
Q: Describe Angela as a golfer.
A: Her strengths are she doesn’t make many mistakes, she’s very steady and she’s got a bit of length to her too. She just grinds everything out. There’s just so much fight in her. Her determination is probably one of the biggest things to spot in her game. She’s just solid all round.
Q: How would you compare yourself as a golfer?
A: I’m not long, by any means. I’m medium length. My putting would be my strength. My iron play has got better over the last couple of years. I’ve worked those to my advantage when I’m playing. I think I’m very much a strategic golfer. I don’t play aggressively. I don’t rip the hole out of the golf course. I make birdies the smart way, if there is a smart way. That’s paid off for me ever since I was a junior golfer and it’s something I’ve stuck with.
Q: Going back to Singapore now compared to last year’s HSBC Women’s Champions. Last year you were chewing the chairs in frustration. It’s not the same Katherine Hull going back this time.
A: No! Thankfully! (Laughs) I still needed a good kick up the backside a year ago. Now it’s only a half-kick.
My goals have changed again even in the last half year. Something I realized at the Lexus Cup listening to Annika talk. She said there was a point in her career where she decided to push herself. I asked myself “Have I pushed myself? No I Haven’t! Let’s do it. Let’s see what that means and what results come from it.” So that’s my next goal; to push myself.
Q: Are you able to do it?
A: Yes, in a few aspects I am. Not everything. I’m a realist too, so I understand that everything can’t happen overnight. But I believe I’m going in the right direction and I’ve got the right people around me to help me stay focused and to also push me. John, my caddie John (aka “Portland” John Powell), made me realize that I don’t go outside my comfort zone. He made me realize that there are more things I need to change.
Q: When you say you’ve got new goals, does that mean loftier targets, winning next week, winning a major, or is it not that kind of commitment?
A: There’s a really fine line between pushing and forcing. I think at this point I’m at the pushing stage; I’m not at the forcing stage. It’s challenging myself to do extra work in the gym and to do extra practice, to get better at time management and to not take the easy way to do things. It’s raising the quality of what I do. It’s not expecting to win this week or that week or a Major. To me they’re outcome related, whereas I’m trying to push myself in the process-related areas.
My off season I was training six days a week in the gym and there were days when I didn’t want to go and there were days when my body was tired. And I said to myself “No! You won’t achieve your goals if you don’t go.” So I pushed myself to go to the gym and get that stuff done when I haven’t wanted to.
Muhammad Ali said something that my Dad sent me last week. It basically said “The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.”
I think that’s very true of success on tour. People don’t see what goes on behind the scenes and I agree that the work that you put in that people don’t see is really what makes you great and what can hinder your performance too. You can’t win inside the ropes unless you’re working hard outside the ropes.
Q: Those four Australasian events, two seconds, a win and a sixth. Was that above your expectations?
A: I didn’t really have expectations going in, obviously I wanted to win, but I was disappointed I didn’t win the first two because I was in contention in both. I got beaten by the better players on the day, that’s golf, but I think that fuelled a better mindset for the ANZ (Ladies Masters) and I was able to put four really good rounds together and win by five, which was absolutely awesome because I was able to enjoy the last few holes with a comfortable lead and really cherish the moment and enjoy that with my family after.
I was able to turn disappointment into a positive.
I didn’t get to prepare all that well for the Aussie Open and that kind of hindered my performance on the Thursday and to some extent on the Friday. Friday was more that I wasn’t feeling 100 per cent. But I felt great standing on the tee on the Saturday and Sunday and that’s why I played well that weekend. I believe I could have gone a lot better but at the same time I was really happy to win the ANZ.
Q: How special was that; to win your first pro event in Australia in your own back yard?
A: It’s hard to describe it because that’s the tournament that I wanted to win ever since I started to play golf because it is literally in my own back yard. It’s not everyday my parents get to watch a tournament, let alone to see me win one, so… it kind of seems like a long time ago. Golf is such a fickle sport because you win one week, but on a Monday you’re at another tournament trying to focus on winning the next event and you’re old news.
Your mind has to get over a win and focus on the next tournament. You can enjoy it, but more of it comes at the end of the year when you reflect on it.
