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We sat down and chatted with Top 50 ranked LPGA Tour Pro Mina Harigae, whose star continues to rise in the LPGA and is the first and only Jordan Brand-supported athlete on the LPGA. We discussed golf, sneakers, and what it’s like being the only woman on tour repping the Jumpman. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
NK: Thanks for taking the time to sit down and chat with us! My first question is what’s your history with sneakers? Did you grow up with any sneakers or have any shoes growing up that hold any nostalgic value or are you fairly new to the whole sneaker community?
MH: Actually, this whole Jordan Brand partnership got started because a golf shoe that I wore for like four or five years, the Nike Roshe Golf Tours, was discontinued. I needed to find a golf shoe that I could play in that was comfortable so I tried a couple of different golf shoes and they just weren’t comfortable, or the height of the cut wasn’t right. And then my fiancee, Travis, asked “Why don’t you try some Jordans?” I never really thought about that, I just thought they didn’t carry women’s sizes so I never really gave it a thought.
Travis ordered me a pair of the Jordan ADGs and as soon as I put it on, I was like, “Wow, these are so comfortable!” They’re comfortable and they’re a lot wider than they actually look, so that surprised me as well. The first day I practiced in them, they were so comfortable and they felt great, so I fell in love with them right away.
And then I started to play well in them, qualified for the 2021 US Open at Olympic Club, and luckily some people at Jordan Brand took notice and started a relationship from there. Also, a superstition and tradition came about where I would buy golf shoes in different colors every time I would play well. My fiance would actually buy himself a pair of Jordans just because saying “Oh, she played well again. Ok, I’m going to buy another pair.” So from there just spiraled, and now we have a partnership and so many shoes.
NK: And what is it like being the only LPGA athlete repping Jordan Brand?
MH: It’s amazing, I mean, I’m the only one who wears them, so I feel really special. I don’t know why I’m the only one wearing them because they’re so good as a golf shoe and add in that they look great, it’s amazing.
NK: Pro golfers, you guys are very particular about your equipment. You have to dial in your loft angles, your lie angles, all that other stuff. Are you like that with your footwear at all? Are you switching out your spikes, are you particular about how they’re placed? Or are you like you said, going back to it’s just a superstition part, just wearing something that’s comfortable.
MH: I think it’s more of a superstition thing. The only thing I’m particular about is that I don’t slip in them, which I haven’t slipped in my Jordans so far. As you know, I’ve had a lot of success in the ADGs and I tried a few of the others. I really like the Air Jordan 4s in the golf shoot, but they’re a little heavy for me to walk around in. But I do love to practice in them because they look so cool.
And then I do have a few pairs of AJ5s, the Tie-Dyes, and the Wings, and I’ve played pretty well in those. They’re a little heavier, so I don’t wear them for all four rounds, typically just wear them for a round, definitely in a practice round or maybe in a tournament round. And I recently played in the new AJ1s.
NK: Those are going so crazy right now within the golf and sneaker community, having people camp outside of PGA Superstores and whatnot. A friend of mine recently broke out a pair as well.
MH: I know! And some of the girls were saying “Those are so sick!” but I haven’t played that great in them yet, so I need to. I need to get a couple of good rounds in them at home first because I do want to wear them in tournaments. But I need to get some birdies in them.
NK: When you come to tournaments, how many pairs of golf shoes are you typically bringing with you over the weekend?
MH: So I always take like three or four to a trip. So usually our tournaments are stacked two, three or four in a row, so I’ll take three or four pairs for those. And then when I come back, I’ll switch them off for fresh pairs because they get kind of dirty, just to keep the rotation, because there are so many pairs that I like. I wish I could bring all of them.
NK: And off the course, what are you typically wearing? Do you stick with Jordans off the course as well or keep it just on the course? And what’s the last sneaker, outside of a golf shoe, that you’ve picked up recently?
MH: I actually do wear Jordans off the course too, just because I never really I never wore girly shoes growing up anyway, I was always wearing Converse and Vans when I was younger, so now I just wear Jordans. I really like the AJ1s because they’re just a classic. I have some AJ1 Lows that are easy just for me to slip on and off when I go to the golf course. But then when I actually go out and do something with friends, I do like the Mids a lot because they look really good.
NK: You’ve mentioned, your favorite golf sneaker is the ADG and that has a nostalgic value because you’re playing well in them. But if Jordan Brand offered a PE to you, is there a specific Air Jordan that you will want?
MH: I would really really want a pair of AJ3s. I don’t really care what color. I really like the UNCs because I like the baby blue on them, it’s really pretty to me. I’ve been thinking about AJ3s for the last couple of months, I just haven’t been able to pull the trigger on a pair yet.
NK: And the last question I have is if you had to pick a foursome to play with within the sneaker community, who would the 3 other people be?
MH: I never thought about that but Michael Jordan for sure. I don’t care who the rest are, he’s the GOAT. I wouldn’t know what to say if I met him.
Much thanks to Mina and John Van Dyk for taking the time out of their busy days and schedules to talk sneakers with us.
