Rylee Suttor on how she found golf and what life is like trying to earn a tour card

Pro golfer Rylee Suttor on how she became the NCAA Division III's #1-ranked player (while at Centre College), a famous coach getting her to switch from tennis to golf, having joy despite the trial and tribulations of the game, playing on a pro tour, and still shooting to be on the LPGA Tour...

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
You were with news radio eight fortywh s Terry Miners here. I can
smell the weekend from here. WhenI'm thinking about the weekend, I'm oftentimes
thinking about golf. That's just howthat goes. Riley's suitors in a studio
with me. We met a longtime ago. Hi, Riley, it's
good to see you again. Goodto see you too. We played golf

(00:20):
when you were like sixteen, sixteensixteen. Yeah, we played golf again
since then, and uh, youknow you were correct me if I'm wrong
here, But weren't you number onein America? D three? Yeah,
that that's correct. I got Igot the Ping Award for that. So
ping is in the manufacturers, Yeah, it's in the club coming. That's

(00:42):
yeah. I played with their clubs. I like those. They're pretty great.
So wait a minute, you werenumber one? You were at Center
College at that time, right,yeah, Danville, Kentucky. Yeah,
I was there, a beautiful place. It's great. So wait a minute,
were you like number two and thenyou jumped to number one? Or
how does that work? Does somebodycall you? Do they play a dumping
in your dorm room? You're numberone? I don't remember how that worked.

(01:04):
All of a sudden we got tonumber one, and I was like,
oh, that's pretty sweet. That'snot too bad there. It shows
you, you know. I remembergetting the list and it showed you and
your magnificent swing, and I thought, well, it's going to be a
pretty good day. Yeah, nottoo bad of a day there yet.
And then so you played for Center, and then you went to u of
L and played for as one ortwo seasons there. I used my COVID

(01:26):
year, so I did my senioryear at u of L and then also
my grad COVID year. So I'mworking on my masters right now. So
that was one good thing that cameout of COVID, right, Yeah,
everybody got an extra year. Yeah, exactly, fantastic. So everybody always
says this to each other golfers,who's your golf game? I know yours
is great. I don't even needto ask. Yeah, it's not too
bad. It's in a good placeright now. But when you were at

(01:48):
Center and you're number one in America, that's D three, So U of
L's D one. What's the differencewhen you're playing in a tournament. A
golf course is a golf course.This is very true. I feel like
the most thing that I struggled withthe most was just getting that like competition
because I didn't have as much competition, there wasn't a wide variety of people

(02:08):
in there. And then getting thatconfidence as well because I didn't feel like
I belonged. But now after playingfor two years, I feel like I've
belong and I'm right where I was. Absolutely. Golf is such a funny
game because it does mess with yourhead. It's the same thing. It's
a ball sitting on the grass,and it's you and your hands and your
brain and your soul and all thatfiguring out what to do next exactly.

(02:30):
It's so weird. Yeah, Idon't know why. Yeah, I don't
get intimidated by famous courses. Imean, I've been lucky enough to play
Augusta National two days. Yeah,but it was like it's I still got
to hit the ball, you know, and it was just fun. It
was fun to get to do that. I've gotten to play a lot of
other places, but a golf coursesgolf for us. My brothers and I

(02:52):
played Seneca a Monday this week,the day after the crusade for children on
the day off, so we playedgolf, and there's some lot of challenging
that of the same as Augusta.They're a little different, the surface is
a little different. No one inAugusta does this, Hey, next down

(03:13):
team number one, minor minor minnermanner. No one did that. But
actually on the second day Augusta,I was the first person to hit a
ball. That's pretty cool. Yeah, my host said, you look like
you're ready to go ahead, Terry. I stepped up and a lot of
people think that's a pressure packed moment. Boom. I hit it beautifully.

(03:36):
You've seen the Masters, so youknow on number one you got to go
up that hill. You got thattrap on the right, right in the
middle of the fairway. I'm there. It's like there's one ball on the
Augusta National Course. It's mine andit's awesome. But that's the beauty of
that game. It is. It'sjust a matter of working within whatever you

(03:57):
have. Now. You know,obviously you're much more skilled golfer than I,
because you and I have played afew times. I've seen and you
hit some great shots. You justdo and I never know what's going to
happen with me, but I don'tcare. I still get joy from the
game. That's the beauty. Doyou still what it's all about? Yeah?
Do you still feel that joy everytime you're playing? I still feel
the joy every day I go outto the golf course. You know,
it's all about the process. Ithink it's all process based. So I

(04:20):
still find enjoyment and the little thingsin golf and making games out of fun
little things and playing with my friends, right, little competitions, a little
exact, a little smack talking thatgoes on among them. Yeah, these
other girls, that's funny. Buthow did you find golf? So I
first got introduced. I was playingcornhole with Buddy Ryan, who was a
football coach. Yeah, we kindof know who Buddy Ryan is, the

(04:42):
famous guy. Yeah. So hewas our neighbor and I was fortunate enough
to be over his house and hewas like, you know, you should
play golf instead of tennis. Sohe gave me called his old clubs and
we went out to the public courseWisinger in Chubbyville. Get out of here.
Yeah, we had a few,gave you some of his Yeah,
I forgot about that. Buddy Ryanlived in Kentucky for a while because he

(05:02):
loved horses. Did Yeah, hehad a horse farm, and so they
just happened to be your next doorneighbor. Yeah, and you're a tennis
player, and so he's a loudmouthcoach, is always telling people what to
do exactly. Yeah, but itworked on it worked, It worked in
my favor, so I'll take it. So how long did it take for
you to sort of get rolling withgolf? I played in the junior league

(05:25):
type stuff, so it got morelike it made golf more interesting and more
fun for kids. So that's howI really got into golf. You like
competition, Yeah, I do.Yeah, And so I played tennis and
golf at the same time in highschool and then I was like, you
know what, I was doing thoselittle golf swings with my tennis racket on
the tennis court, and that's whenI was like, I probably like the

(05:45):
golf course more. So I'm goingto stick to that. Your tennis coach
was irritated. Yeah, probably you'reswinging like onus the golf club. I'm
thinking about golf. Yeah. See, that's the beauty of golf. As
the ball is sitting still and you'regetting to take a crack at it,
and antenna somebody is doing all kindsof things to it to mess you up.
Yeah, exactly. So it's yourown universe. Yeah, Okay,

(06:06):
So at this point I was justlooking at your schedule. I see,
later this month, you were inthe Redbird Championship. Where's that? That's
in Bloomingtoon, Illinois. Okay?What is this? What is this tour
called? It's the Women's Opera Tours. What are we playing on? It's
basically like a mini tour for thewomen. Okay? And so you go
around to these various events and thenI'm looking at here. You're going to

(06:28):
be here, and you're going tobe in the Kentucky Women's Open in July,
the Heritage Classic. That sounds familiar. Where's that? It's in Kansas?
Okay, Kansas? And then Isee in August. Later in August
Old Q School Qualifying School. Nowagain it's a matter of keeping your not
getting too nervous, right, Butyes, that's true. I'm pretty measured,

(06:50):
aren't you. Yeah, I'm prettycalm and content. I'd take especially.
I feel like I learned from whenI transferred what not to do?
You know? So I feel likeI just said that way, and I
learned from transferring from d one,so I'll have a good mental attitude for
Q school. And how long isQ school? How does that work?
Obviously you're trying to earn a tourcard. So the first stage is out

(07:11):
in California for four or five rounds, I want to say, and then
they make a cut and then youhave Stage two. How many people are
in the initial fee? I meanthey have a lot of people. You
just got to make a cut.You think they get rid of half of
them? Just okay? And thenyou go to Stage two, which is
in Florida, and then you playlike four or five more rounds and then
make a cut again. Oh boy. And then you go to stage three,

(07:33):
which is the final one, andthat's in Alabama. Wow. And
you don't have to win the wholething like to get to know, you
just have to make the cut andthen it's got to make the cut in
Yeah. Well that's that is awesome. So how does all this work?
The all pro tour that you're on, I mean, how do you fund
all this? How does all thiswork? Yeah? It's hard. So

(07:55):
right now I'm looking to find abunch of different donors and sponsors to kind
of like help me throughout my journeyto play professional just because it's so hard
for especially the women to play inthis realm. Really because you play in
the Women's OPOA Tour and t feesare around eight hundred dollars and then you
got to travel, your expenses,your gas, your hotel, you know,
you got to pay and you're justout of college. You're also working

(08:16):
on a master yeah, paying offmy loan still, you know. So
it's it's quite hard, and soyou have to find a bunch of different
people that can support you. Andespecially being from the Louisville community, I
feel like I've had a lot ofpeople like reach out and say that like
they would be willing. So Ifeel like Louisville's a great community to no
doubt, you know, start this. I'm so glad you've been a great

(08:37):
Louisville Cardinal too, exactly because obviouslyI know you when you were in high
school and then you go off toCenter and you kill it there and then
you came O, we're here tothe University of Louisville. It's like,
ah, all the cars, let'sgo. It was definitely surreal. When
I transferred, it was great.It was like, this is my dream
school. This is so awesome.Yeah, so I'm so glad that my
coach, Whitney young col give methe opportunity to play for Louisville. So

(08:58):
that's fantastic. So now we're intothis next face and then how are you
going to work this master's work inhere too? I get your education masters,
Yeah, you got to work onthe education first. So I'm currently
just doing online classes and then shouldfinish some time in August. Does your
mind when you're trying to study foreducational purposes does it drift into golf?
It does drift. I can't focuson it. I know it. That's

(09:20):
the thing about the game is yourelive shots, You relive your thought process
about where I should have placed itover here instead of over there exactly.
That's the hard part about golf.Yeah, do you go walk a course
as soon as you get there whenthere's going to be a tournament. Let's
say you go and walk it rightaway, and then in your mind you're
just sort of breaking down the slopeof everything. Not really, now,

(09:43):
I'll just go Mainly the big thingis putting, because different courses you have
different speeds of greens. But you'regonna hit your irons most likely the same.
So putting is the big part,and there's different undulations in the greens,
and so you got to figure outI gotta get to that back shell
for a while, yeah, exactly, and just finding out where to place
the ball really, so you dothat during practice rounds. It's hard to
tell how far your ball's gonna goand how it's gonna roll when you just

(10:05):
walk the golf course. You wereout there at Valhalla during this PGA Championship
walking around during the practice rounds.Do you learn anything watching those people?
Yeah? It was great. Iwas watching them chip and hit some putts
and it was kind of crazy.I just they did the same things that
I do during practice. So itgave me a lot of confidence, Like,
okay, I do that, Likethat's a good time. Do you
practice like it? Were you watchingthe order they were going in? Like

(10:26):
are they are? They do theypractice sand shops? They don't do that,
do they? They just practice puttingin the driving range, right,
Yeah, they just do. Yeah. I didn't see anybody going a trap
and hit anything out of there.But it's like that's one of the places
I always like to visit. Iwant to get that feel back right away.
But at that level, they don'tworry about that. They're they're happy
when it's in the trap. Yeahprobably they can control it, yeah,

(10:46):
much better. And then with yourdriver, what are we talking about?
Are you? Are you smacking thatthing two hundred to forty to one eighty?
Well, I don't know, yeah, two for to carry Usually,
I'm just trying to I'm smaller comparedto all the girls on the OPGA tour,
so I'm trying to get bigger,trying to get stronger. That's the

(11:07):
main goal, and get more theball out there further. It makes it
easier if the ball's out there.Is that about core strength? Is it
about weightlifting? What are you supposedto do to improve that? I feel
like it's more like legs and stuff, Like you push off the ground and
you can use your legs to getit really going. So don't skip leg
day. Yeah, don't skip legday. Yeah, that's how that goes.

(11:28):
Nutrition's all a part of it.And then somebody's staying in your head
to who's at your dad? Yeah, he's in my head. I've known
your dad a long time. He'salways in his voice in there. Yeah,
I hear it. Yeah, doeshe caddy for you when any of
these events? Sometimes he does.Yeah, he's not too bad. He
knows what he's talking about. Soyou got to listen to it. Yeah
most of the time, most ofthe time. Yeah, all right,
Well, I'm going to send peopleto your website to learn more about what

(11:52):
you're doing. Riley Suitor Golf.Her first name is spelled r y l
ee, and then Suitor is syou t t o R golf dot com
and we'll post this audio on wuhasdot com. So then that way people
can find you and learn more aboutyour game and what you're up to and
sponsorships that you have and all theother perfect, thank you so much things.

(12:16):
All right, So what's the planfor the rest of the week.
You're you're going to Illinois. Isaid, that's like two weeks from now.
It's a sixteenth. Yeah, yougive yourself a day off on Sundays
usually, Yeah, that's my day. That's good. Depends on what I'm
doing the days before, if Ineed to take it at a different day
or you know, you don't playmore than eighteen though on a day,
though some people love double bagging doubleround day. Sometimes sometimes I do.

(12:37):
The US Open qualifier played in theother day was thirty six holes in one
day, so you have to beprepped to handle that throughout the day.
Yeah, and you got to feedyourself hydrate through all that business. And
yeah, because you're that's a that'sa trudge. That's the major part is
hydration and you know, feeding yourself, giving yourself that energy because you just
lost it all walking. So yeah, indeed, best of Lockiley, it's

(13:00):
seeing you again. Let's get outand well I don't say that, I
don't put any more pressure on andwe'll get out and play sometime in my
cost. That sound good, Thatsounds great, Thanks so much for having
me. All right, say hito your family too, Riley Suitor.
It's R Y l E E sU T t O R golf dot com.
Coming right back on news radio eightforty w U H A S