NAPLES, Fla. – Cristie Kerr will make her debut in the Golf Channel booth on Thursday at the CME Group Tour Championship, but she’s not quitting golf anytime soon.
“It’s been a helluva year,” said Kerr, who had an emergency root canal in Portland, dealt with a minor lower back injury and missed out qualifying for the Solheim Cup, the Asian swing and the chance at a $1.5 million payday. A 20-time winner on the LPGA, Kerr finished 80th on the money list with $181,456. Sixty players qualified for this week’s season-ending event at Tiburon Golf Club.
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“It was kind of a bit of a wake-up call for me because I felt like I was fitting golf in,” said Kerr of her 2019. “As competitive as it is out here now, you can’t fit anything in. You’ve got to make it a priority. For however many years I have left, whether it’s two, five or 10, I’m going to make the most of it, and I’m going to go out on my terms, whenever that is.”
The 42-year-old mother of two kept busy this fall juggling family and her growing wine business. Kerr said her family won’t travel with her on the road next year outside of a few of the California events that are easy to drive to. She’s in the market for a new caddie and new clubs for 2020. And she’s ready for a fresh start.
“This year I’ve been pulled in so many different directions,” said Kerr, “probably for the first time in my career I didn’t know how to handle everything. I just thought ‘Oh I can just go practice for an hour and a half or two every day and it will work.’ Clearly not.”
The only upside to not qualifying for the CME is that Kerr gets a rare opportunity to test the waters of television commentating. She’ll be in the booth alongside Judy Rankin and Terry Gannon on Thursday and will shadow Jerry Foltz for on-course reporting on Friday.
“I’ve been playing professional golf for 24 years,” said Kerr. “I have a lot to talk about. That’s why I’m here this week is to learn the ropes.”
Kerr’s fine wine business puts out around 2,500 cases annually. She’d like to get that up to 10,000 in the next six to nine years. Longtime friend Kelli Kuehne will join the staff full time next year as director of events. They’ll soon be opening a tasting room in Napa.
“I’m pretty serious about my wine,” said Kerr.
One day she might be serious about the TV business too.
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