Ann Liguori is a sports media trailblazer, author, philanthropist, speaker and businesswoman. Liguori’s journey to become a well-respected and legendary TV and radio personality is an inspiring one.
In the 1980’s, Ann became the first woman to host her own call-in sport’s talk show on the nation’s first all-sports radio station, WFAN-NY. ‘Hey Liguori, What’s the Story’ aired weekly for 25 years. Ann continues to host ‘Talking Golf with Ann Liguori’ on WFAN-NY and audacy.com on Sunday mornings, April – September. She also became the first woman to host her own prime-time, weekly show on the Golf Channel, ‘Conversations with Ann Liguori.’
Ann Liguori’s 2024 release, Life on the Green, Lessons and Wisdom from Legends of Golf, (Hatherleigh Press), features 12 golf legends sharing wisdom and life lessons for everyone.
Liguori joined SportsJam with Doug Doyle to talk about the book and her barrier-breaking broadcasting career.
Life on the Green includes Ann's recent interviews with Jack Nicklaus, Nancy Lopez, Tom Watson, Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player, Dottie Pepper, Ben Crenshaw, Jan Stephenson, Padraig Harrington, Renee Powell, Bernhard Langer and Amy Alcott.
"Every chapter we talked a lot about life lessons and what they bring from their iconic golf careers that they use in their day-to-day life. If I heard something that they really spent more time on than other themes I kind of circled back and focused on those themes. Every one of the legends in the book, six men and six women, they all focused on different themes. It was unbelievable."
Jim Nantz, famed CBS Sports Broadcaster who is "the Voice of The Masters", who wrote the foreword in the book. Liguori says she and Nantz have attended so many of the big sporting events together through the years.
"I've covered 26 Masters. I see him at the Masters every year. I would see him at Super Bowls I covered. One of my most special moments at the Masters is standing right by the clubhouse as the honorary starters come out that Thursday morning, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson go to the first tee to kick off the Masters, and Jim Nantz is always there. We stand kind of together watching these legends come out, so I get to visit with him every year."
In Life on the Green, Liguori delves into the values that have propelled these legends to the top: humility, integrity, sportsmanship, resilience, passion for what you do, and relentless preparation. These qualities drive success not only on the green but also in the corporate world.
Jack Nicklaus loves the chapter about him so much he keeps Ann's book on his kitchen table.
"Obviously, that made my year. What a thrill to sit down with Jack Nicklaus. I've interviewed him through the years but all these interviews in this book are brand new interviews. Jack gave me a lot of time. He was just so willing to share his stories and family is so important to him."
Family is also important to Ann Liguori. She dedicates Life on the Green to her late parents and brother Jim who died at age 22.
"My heroes are my parents for sure. My mother was so wise, we had her til she was 95. She passed a few years ago. I lost my dad to cancer when I was in college. He was only 63. I learned so much from my parents. I grew up in a small town in Ohio and they were just the best parents in the world. They were both professors. They were just so giving and loving and taught us good morals. My brother was a year older than me. I'm an athlete today because of my brother Jim. After school, everyone would come to our backyard. We had a pretty big backyard and we played every sport imaginable, from kickball to softball, football, baseball and I'm athletic because of my brother Jim. Everything he did in sports I had to do. I'm been very blessed. I have a younger sister and a younger brother. We're all very, very close."
Ann lettered in volleyball, basketball and eventually tennis. There wasn't a girls tennis team at her school, but she qualified for the boys tennis team where she would eventually become the number one singles player. She didn't pick up golf until her mid 20's. Golf, however, would become a huge part of her life and career.
"Well, obviously, golf is a metaphor for life. It basically has provided me a platform that I use professionally and personally. It's just a beautiful game. It just teaches you so many life lessons. Every time I take vacation I'm going to a golf course. Normally, it's in Ireland on an incredible links course. It's my favorite place to play golf. The people in the game are just so interesting and multi-faceted. I've never had a bad interview with a golfer because there's so much they want to talk about and they're smart."
You can SEE the entire SportsJam interview with Ann Ligouri here.
