The most powerful woman in golf? That title might arguably be held by Cindy Davis. A former collegiate All-America golfer at Furman, and an ex-executive with the Golf Channel, Davis now wields a big stick as Nike’s general manager for United States golf. That means working with a clientele that includes Tiger Woods and Michelle Wie, two of the biggest draws in the game. With Wie on the verge of participating in two big events – this week’s U.S. Women’s Open and the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic – Davis recently took some time for a chat.
Anthony Cotton: Do you get to make trades like baseball general managers? Is there anyone you want to get rid of?
Cindy Davis: Ahh … I don’t know about that, but I definitely get to sweat the results like they do.
AC: What does the job encompass, exactly?
CD: I basically oversee the U.S. business. That’s everything from our operations to our sales to our sports marketing.
AC: You’ve got Tiger and Michelle Wie. Isn’t the heavy-lifting almost done in terms of pushing the brand?
CD: Hey, you’ve got to start first with the product, and from there you determine how to take the product to market, and clearly, having a stable of Nike golf athletes is part of our strategy. For years, Tiger was really seen as the sole Nike golf athlete. Certainly he’s still our lead athlete, but we’ve got a real stable now, when you think of people like Chad Campbell and Rory Sabbatini and Stewart Cink and Grace Park and now Michelle Wie.
AC: There was a period of time not too long ago in basketball when companies decided that instead of signing everybody, they would focus on just a few athletes. That’s not happening in golf?
CD: We’ve been growing our stable of players in the last three years. It certainly hasn’t been that way for us. We have a strategy of having golfers on our staff who are head-to-toe Nike athletes. One of the unique things about us is that we can compete in every aspect of the business – golf apparel, shoes, clubs, balls – we’re able to make a unique brand statement.
AC: With Michelle, it hasn’t been a year yet since she has turned pro, but we haven’t seen any commercials yet. What is the strategy with marketing her?
CD: Clearly, she’s in a unique situation because she’s a 16-year-old who’s still in school. She really hasn’t started playing this year until recently because of school. We done some print advertising. You’ll start to see some other television execution, not only U.S.-based. We’re running some stuff in other parts of the world because like Tiger, she’s a global athlete. But really, we’re mindful of the fact that she’s a 16-year-old and of that schedule.
AC: How does it work with you and William Morris (the talent agency that represents Wie)?
CD: Obviously, we have a good relationship with Michelle and her parents, and we work closely with them directly on the product. And what’s great about Michelle is she’s using all of our clubs, and she’s Nike from head-to-toe and using our ball. Then we work with her team, William Morris and others who are stakeholders in Michelle on a variety of things. We just did a video shoot with Michelle in New York a week ago for a commercial that’s going to air in Japan and Korea. It’s all been good.
AC: Is there any part of you that feels weird talking about being a stakeholder in a 16-year-old girl?
CD: Well, hey, Michelle is … We care about the athlete as a person. Our relationship with Michelle is really along her timeline as far as how she wants to evolve as a golfer. We honor that. She’s an exciting athlete, for golf and for women’s sports in general. We’re going to see a lot of her as she continues to mature as an athlete.
AC: In terms of winning, with Tiger and with Michael Jordan, you’ve been associated with two of the greatest winners of all time. How do you deal with the idea that Michelle hasn’t won much of anything yet?
CD: What we respect about Michelle is that she has got big dreams. She’s willing to dream differently than other people. That’s part of the uniqueness of who she is. The fact that she has desires to play in men’s events, or maybe one day even play in the Masters – who are we to tell her what to dream of as an athlete? I think she’s beginning to evolve. We can look at her latest performances, the Kraft Nabisco, almost qualifying for the men’s Open, the McDonald’s LPGA – we’re starting to see that fire more and more, a real appetite to close the deal and win.
AC: There’s the Women’s (U.S.) Open this week and the John Deere in July. If she could win the Open or have a top-20 finish in the other, which do you choose?
CD: You know what? That’s a question for Michelle. We’re excited that every time she steps onto the course, she’s exciting to watch. That’s a question for her. I couldn’t comment on that.
AC: Speaking of dreaming, I’ve heard you describe this as your dream job. You were close to gaining your LPGA card. How did you make the decision to give up playing competitively and go into the real world, as it were?
CD: Well, I had to make a living. Golf was a great part of my life. It afforded me tremendous opportunities. I would have never dreamed that my life would have taken the path it’s has, where I could be on the business side of golf. I went to business school instead of pursuing the professional angle; and frankly, I think I knew myself well enough to know what was a good fit for me.
AC: But when you’re out on the links, you’re still pretty competitive, aren’t you?
CD: Well, yeah, I’m just like everyone else. You are, aren’t you? But you learn to adjust your expectations when you don’t play as much as you used to. But that still takes time, and the game can still make you crazy.
AC: So when you look in the mirror, do you see one of the most powerful people in golf?
CD: I don’t look at it that way. I’m just me, and I’ve been really blessed to have some really fortunate opportunities. I’m lucky to work with some very gifted people in all aspects of our company, and it does inspire you to do your best. Just like our athletes, we like to win, too.
Staff writer Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-820-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com.
