Holly grew up playing golf at a very early age. Holly's dad was an Optometrist and Holly's mother was a pro golfer. She was tough on Holly, and she feels that she never got to actually enjoy the sports she played. She dedicated herself early on and became an All-State athlete in high school. From there, she competed in NCAA tournaments and graduated from Michigan State. On a whim, she signed up for weekend classes in communications while training for golf. This is where it all turned around for Holly & who she thought she wanted to be in life.
At 22 years old, 5 days after competing at the highest level NCAA golf tournament in the country, Holly was scheduled to have breast implants. She feels that because she was a child & teenage athlete, she was robbed of her youth & womanly development. She was always expected to perform on a professional level, with little time for her own personal needs. She was always considered "one of the guys" or a tomboy when playing sports as a college athlete. After she proved to herself that she could do what she set out to do, she wanted to explore herself as a woman, and herself as a model & journalism figure.
Her focus turned to television. She had to get a start somewhere, so she started out doing local hard-hitting news in Rhode Island. Eventually, she got a job with the Golf Channel, of course doing commentary on Golf, a sport she loves, grew up with, and has a vast amount of knowledge and experience with. She had to deal with a male-dominated workforce & gender pay gaps, as well as prove herself to the producers to host her own show. It was tough, but she was able to earn the respect of her peers and finally have the creative freedom to do her thing.
Now, Holly is focused on her new relationship & life with ex-boxer Oscar De La Hoya. Even though she resents her mother for being so hard on her at a young age, and resents the game of golf as well because of that, she also realizes that same discipline is how she's able to live comfortable & have the things she needs at this stage in her life. She wouldn't have met Oscar or had the relationships & experiences she had if she didn't start out with golf. This is something many child athletes & actors feel when their parents basically force them into a skill or profession. She's learned from it, capitalized on it & let it form her into the strong, independent woman she is today.
This is Holly Saunders in her own words, on Knockin' Doorz Down.
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