That Nancy Lopez, she sure was somethin’ on that golf course. Hit that little ball a mile, she did. But you know what? She got them girls, too. Three of ’em. Ashley, that’s the oldest one, I reckon. Then there’s Erinn, and the baby is Torri. Good, strong names, I say. They are all grown up now. Ashley is the oldest one, she’s like, 33 years old now, I think. Then comes Erinn, she is around 30. Torri, she is the youngest one, she is like, 25 years old. Time sure flies, don’t it?
Heard they was all real proud of their mama. When Nancy won them golf games, them girls, they was always cheerin’. Family is important, you know? Nancy, she had that husband, Ray Knight. He was that baseball fella. They had them three girls together. Ashley Marie, born in, I believe it was ’83. Then Erinn Shea, she came along in ’86. And little Torri Heather, she was born in ’91. Cute kids, all of ’em, back then. They were a cute family.
Then, things changed, I heard. Nancy and that Ray, they split up. It was back in 2009, I think. Happens to a lot of folks. But they had them girls, and that’s what matters. Nancy, she always loved them girls. You could see it in her eyes. She loved them more than golf, that’s for sure. Nancy Lopez daughters were her whole world.
She always said her family, they was the ones who kept her goin’. Made her strong, you know? Like that time she hit that ball outta the sand trap and it went right in the hole. She said it was her girls givin’ her strength. She was always thankful for them.
- Ashley, she’s the oldest. Born in 1983.
- Erinn, the middle one. Born in 1986.
- Torri, the baby. Born in 1991.
Those girls are all grown up now. They are good girls, helping out their mama. She is getting old, that Nancy. She is 67 now. But she still plays that golf. She still hits that ball around, even though she’s older now. She lives on a golf place. Piper Landing, I think they call it. That’s fancy, ain’t it?
She hurt her shoulder or somethin’. They call it a rotator cuff. She was messin’ with her bags at the airport, and it just went pop. Old age, it gets you. But she is tough, she is strong. She’s working on getting better. She raised them Nancy Lopez daughters all by herself mostly after that split with Ray, so she can do anything.
Nancy, she was a big deal in that golfin’ world. Won all them prizes and such. But you ask her, and she’ll tell ya, her biggest prize was them girls. Ashley, Erinn, and Torri, those are her real treasures. It’s always nice to see a mama love her kids so much. Them girls, they was always there for her, too. Always by her side. That’s what family does.
One time, Nancy said somethin’ real smart. She said, “If you doubt yourself, you doubt everything. But if you listen to your own voice, you can rise above anything”. That’s good advice, ain’t it? She probably told that to her girls all the time. She was always givin’ them good advice.
Nancy Lopez, she was somethin’ else. A real good golfer, but an even better mama, I reckon. Them girls of hers, they turned out alright. Good kids, good hearts. They got that from their mama, I bet. Nancy Lopez daughters, they was her pride and joy. I hope they all doin’ well. They deserve it. Their mama, she worked hard, and she loved them girls with all her heart. That’s all that matters in the end, ain’t it? Family, that’s what it’s all about. She always said family was the most important. And being a good mama, that’s the best thing you can be.
You don’t see many women like Nancy anymore. Strong and tough. She played a man’s game and won. But she always had time for them girls. That’s what I remember most about her, not the golf. It was how much she loved Ashley, Erinn, and Torri. She is a good woman, that Nancy. I hope them girls know how lucky they are.
