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Photos by Dawn Watson
With a manicured yard that includes a large putting green and interior furnishings and memorabilia that reflects every facet of her award-winning golf and sports broadcasting career, the Westhampton home of Ann Liguori definitely suits her to a “tee.”
Ms. Liguori’s post-modern home is chock-full of photographs of the sports legends and celebrities she’s interviewed (from Ted Williams and Arnold Palmer to Matthew McConaughey and Vince Gill), posters from the six Olympic Games she’s covered, framed articles she’s written (a USA Today cover about Wimbledon, for example), as well as thousands of autographed balls and a few oddball tchotchkes.
“I’m definitely easy to buy for,” laughed Ms. Liguori as she held up toilet plunger with a clear acrylic handle filled with golf tees that she had received as a gift from a friend. “This is something for the woman golfer who has everything. I actually have two of them!”
For more than two decades, Ms. Liguori has hosted a live, weekly call-in sports show on WFAN 660 AM Radio. She also works as the station’s expert golf and tennis correspondent, covering such events as The Masters, US Open Golf (and Tennis), the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup.
As owner of Ann Liguori Productions, Inc., she is widely known for producing “Sports Innerview with Ann Liguori,” the longest-running syndicated sports cable show hosted, owned and produced by a woman. Locally, Ms. Liguori’s weekly radio show, “Golf Innerview with Ann Liguori,” airs on WLIU 88.3 FM on Saturday mornings from 9 to 10 a.m.
The busy broadcaster and sports journalist is also the author of the book “A Passion for Golf: Celebrity Musings about the Game” and is a celebrity spokesperson, marketing consultant, and president/founder of the charitable Ann Liguori Foundation. Each October, she hosts a charity golf classic (often at the Maidstone Club in East Hampton), which has raised more than $1 million for cancer research. She also serves on the Women’s Advisory Board of the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. And her golf handicap is an impressive 12.
Still lightly tan from a Thanksgiving family cruise to Jamaica, Ms. Liguori recently sat down in her cozy French Country living room—gleaming with Christmas lights and decorations—to talk about how her home in the Hamptons offers respite from her busy schedule and worldwide travels.
“Before I could even unpack from the cruise, the whole Tiger Woods story broke and I was whisked into the city to appear on “Fox and Friends” and WFAN Radio,” she said. “I’ve covered Tiger’s career from the start, so the media wanted to know if I was shocked by it all. I think it definitely tarnishes his image and his brand because I believe that athletes should be role models.”
Entering the nearby hall bathroom on the first floor, Ms. Liguori pointed out a framed photograph of Mr. Woods which hangs over the commode, though the politically correct broadcaster did not seem to notice the irony of the photo’s placement now that the scandalized golfer’s career is going down the toilet. “This picture shows how powerful Tiger’s swing is,” she said instead.
The bathroom, papered with dog-themed wallpaper, is a nod to Ms. Liguori’s love of animals, especially her beloved golden retriever, Skye, who lopes around the house offering constant love and affection. The room also contains autographed photographs of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. A dozen souvenir golf towels from courses all over the world are creatively displayed on the towel rack.
Another first-floor bathroom features an autographed Kevin Costner poster from the movie “Tin Cup,” a limited-edition poster from the Bill Murray comedy, “Caddy Shack” and a poster from the 1995 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.
Ms. Liguori said she bought the 2,800-square-foot house 15 years ago and has been living in it full-time since 2002. Housemate Scott Vallary, her significant other (and young Richard Gere look-alike), works as a sales representative for Ann Liguori Productions.
Ms. Liguori said she knew the house was as good as hers from the moment she first arrived, though she reflected that she didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. “The house was owned by Anthony Bonner of Sea Level Construction and I knew I had to buy it when my old golden retriever happily jumped in the pool the day we saw it,” she laughed.
Ms. Liguori’s favorite room in the house is the family/living room “because of the coziness factor,” she said. With its brick fireplace, buttery yellow walls, large overstuffed floral chairs and a 52-inch big screen television for watching sporting events (perched on a delicate blue French Country table), the space is perfect for entertaining and relaxing. A lover of Christmas decorations, Ms. Liguori manages to cram an all-gold Christmas tree, a real tree and a small fiber-optic tree into the living room during the holidays.
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