Tag: live-ladies-tours

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Uncategorized

Angela Stanford Named Captain for 2026 U.S. Solheim Cup Team

Angela Stanford will be Solheim Cup captain for Team USA at the 2026 Solheim Cup. (Photo: Getty)
Angela Stanford will be Solheim Cup captain for Team USA at the 2026 Solheim Cup. (Photo: Getty)

After three turns as an assistant captain, Angela Stanford will take the helm of her first U.S. Solheim Cup Team in 2026. Stanford, a six-time veteran of the American squad, will captain the top 12 American female golfers as they represent their country at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands, from Sept. 11-13, 2026.

Solheim Cup 2026: Angela Stanford will be captain

“I’m extremely grateful to be named the next American captain for the Solheim Cup and join a list of my heroes in the game. I’ve always believed that I represent more than myself on the LPGA Tour, and there is no greater honor than representing your country,” said Stanford. “I consider this the pinnacle of my career, and I’m looking forward to leading our players to the Netherlands in 2026.

“Angela Stanford will certainly be a wonderful captain for the U.S. Team at the 2026 Solheim Cup,” said Interim LPGA Commissioner Liz Moore. “Angela has always been a spark on and off the course, a true leader and a dedicated partner to her teammates. It’s now her time to take the helm of the U.S. Team, and I have no doubt that she will lead her squad to a successful week in the Netherlands.”

Stanford retired in 2024 after a 23-year LPGA Tour career. She has seven LPGA Tour victories, earning her first major title at the 2018 Amundi Evian Championship in her 18th season on Tour. Stanford has also won the 2023 and 2024 Senior LPGA Championships.

She competed in 98 consecutive major championships from 2002 to 2024, second only to Jack Nicklaus for consecutive majors played in professional golf.

Stanford has competed in six Solheim Cups, representing the USA in 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015. In 2015, Stanford earned the winning point for the U.S. Team with her 2-and-1 victory over Suzann Pettersen. She then served as an assistant captain in 2021 under Captain Pat Hurst, and again in 2023 and 2024 under Captain Stacy Lewis.

Prior to joining the LPGA Tour, Stanford was a four-year All-American at Texas Christian University, where she won nine collegiate tournaments. She is a 2000 TCU graduate with a degree in Speech Communications and is enshrined in the Texas Golf Hall of Fame and the TCU Athletics Hall of Fame.

Off the course, Stanford runs the Angela Stanford Foundation, which provides scholarships to kids in her native Texas whose families have fallen victim to breast cancer. Stanford works in honor of her mother, Nan, who battled the disease for 13 years before her death in 2022.

Information on ticket options and prices for the 2026 Solheim Cup is available at www.solheimcup2026.golf. Anna Nordqvist was recently announced as captain for the 2026 European Solheim Cup Team.

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Highlights Tours

Solheim Cup 2026: Anna Nordqvist takes command for Europe

The three-time major winner will lead the European team at the 2026 Solheim Cup. (Photo: Getty)
The three-time major winner will lead the European team at the 2026 Solheim Cup. (Photo: Getty)

For Anna Nordqvist, the Solheim Cup is more than just a tournament – it is part of her golf DNA. In 2003, as a teenager in Sweden, she stood on the fairway and watched her first Solheim Cup live. At the time, she had just started playing golf properly. Now, more than 20 years later, she returns as captain – and thus comes full circle.

Since her debut in 2009, she has played for Europe in nine Solheim Cups and was the playing vice-captain in 2023 and 2024. Now she is taking over the helm from Suzann Pettersen and aims to lead Europe to victory at the 2026 Solheim Cup in the Netherlands. “The Solheim Cup has played such a huge part in my career ever since I made my debut in 2009 in Chicago”, said Nordqvist in the tournaments’ press release. “The friendships I have made, and the memories created during the nine matches I’ve played, make it so incredibly special to be given the opportunity to be European Captain at my tenth Solheim Cup!”

The Solheim Cup is coming to Bernadus Golf

From September 7-13, 2026, Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands will be the stage for one of the biggest events in women’s golf. “It’s a superb course,” says Nordqvist. “It’s also super close to Amsterdam so I think the fans are going to have an amazing experience enjoying its rich culture and the famous warm Dutch hospitality.” After the dramatic 14-14 draw in Spain in 2023 and the defeat in Virginia in 2024, the European team is keen to get the trophy back.

A new perspective on the sport

Nordqvist has experienced a lot on and off the course. In recent years, she has had to cope with serious personal setbacks, including the sudden death of her ex-husband and health challenges. But instead of being broken by them, she has fought back time and again.

“I think my life perspective has changed a little bit like the last couple of years and you’ve just got to do things that you want to do”, she told the Sky Sports Golf podcast.

Despite her new role, she remains active on the LPGA Tour – not only for personal ambition, but also to keep a closer eye on her potential team members. “I was interested because I wanted to do this at a time in my career when I can still be out there [competing]”, Nordqvist explained. “I still know the players, the coaches, the caddies and everyone, because I wanted to be approachable.”

Nordqvist has already spoken to former captains and wants to put her own stamp on the role. “There are so many things I admire about all the different captains. I think at the end of the day, you can learn and you can try to implement things, but I think the most important is just me trying to be myself.”

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Ladies Tours

Defaulting payer: LPGA Tour cancels tournament

Fir Hills LPGA event canceled. (Image: Getty)
Fir Hills LPGA event canceled. (Image: Getty)

The LPGA Tour has canceled the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship (March 20-23) at Palos Verdes Golf Club near Los Angeles, the sixth tournament on the circuit, which kicks off the season this week with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida. According to an LPGA statement, a business partner had not met its obligations and had not made the payments for 2024 and 2025. The cancellation of the tournament, which is hosted by five-time Korean major winner Seri Pak, was therefore unavoidable.

It remains unclear whether the sponsor refers to the main sponsor Fir Hills. The Silicon Valley investment firm signed a multi-year contract with the LPGA at the beginning of last year to sponsor the tournament. However, it is revealing that interim commissioner Liz Moore apologized to the players and fans and thanked the club and the organizer, but did not mention Fir Hills at all. The LPGA is currently looking to host the tournament in the fall, where Nelly Korda is the defending champion.

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Panorama

LPGA Tour and USGA: New Gender Guidelines Cause Discussion

With a far-reaching change to their gender policy, the LPGA Tour and the USGA are sending a clear signal from the 2025 season. (Photos: Getty)
With a far-reaching change to their gender policy, the LPGA Tour and the USGA are sending a clear signal from the 2025 season. (Photos: Getty)

The LPGA Tour, together with the USGA, has announced a fundamental adjustment to its gender policy. The changes, which will apply from 2025, are intended to ensure a balance between inclusion and fair competition.

A Balancing Act Between Fairness and Inclusion

New, stricter gender guidelines will apply from the 2025 season. According to the LPGA and USGA, these are intended to preserve the sporting integrity of the women’s tour by excluding female athletes who have gone through male puberty. This change affects all of the organization’s elite tournaments, from the Epson Tour to the Ladies European Tour.

According to the organizations’ statements, the rules were developed in cooperation with the USGA and are to be based on scientific findings. The medical standards are strict: testosterone levels must be permanently below a certain limit and development must not have gone beyond Tanner Stage 2 – a threshold that lies in early puberty.

“The policy represent our continued commitment to ensuring that all feel welcome within our organization, while preserving the fairness and competitive equity of our elite competitions”, explained Mollie Marcoux Samaan, Commissioner of the LPGA Tour.

The Controversy Surrounding Hailey Davidson

The decision particularly affects Hailey Davidson, who qualified for the Epson Tour in 2025. As the second transgender golfer in the history of professional golf, Davidson seemed to be on the verge of a milestone – but the new rules make further participation impossible.

Davidson expressed her disappointment on social media and spoke of a step backwards. “I’m being penalized for something that doesn’t give me an advantage,” she wrote in a statement. Davidson emphasized that she is regularly outperformed by other players and criticized the lack of support from the golf community.

Golf in the Footsteps of Other Sports

With its new guidelines, the LPGA Tour is following a trend that can also be observed in other sports. Organizations such as World Aquatics and the World Athletics Council have issued similar regulations to ensure equal opportunities in women’s competitions. The realignment of the gender policy is a response to years of demands from the golf world. Players such as Amy Olson, former LPGA proette, had repeatedly called for a return to a “female-at-birth” approach. “I am very, very sad that women’s organizations have waited so long to change their gender policies,” said Olson. “There are people, human beings in the middle of these situations that it effects. I wish that it could’ve been dealt with before there was a face and a name involved.”

USGA CEO Mike Whan emphasized the importance of fairness as the basis for the decision: “It was all based on competitive fairness as the North Star. Right or wrong, let’s be able to look ourselves in the face and any competitor in one of our women’s events in the face and say if you’re in this event, nobody has a competitive advantage relative to their gender.”

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Live

Prize Money: How much LPGA Stars earn Compared to the PGA

(Photo: Getty)
(Photo: Getty)

The LPGA Tour made history in 2024: Jeeno Thitikul became the top earner with annual earnings of over 6 million US dollars. Her victory at the CME Group Tour Championship, which was worth USD 4 million, marked a historic moment. Never before had there been such a high individual prize in women’s golf. But while Thitikul topped the tour’s prize money list, Nelly Korda also achieved an impressive record with just under 4.4 million dollars. Nevertheless, a look at the PGA Tour shows how far there is still to go to achieve equality.

The superstar gap: Korda and Scheffler in a prize money comparison

The year 2024 brought exceptional performances for both Scottie Scheffler on the PGA Tour and Nelly Korda. Scheffler triumphed in seven tournaments, including several prestigious events, and finished the season with record prize money of 29.2 million US dollars. His victory at the Players Championship alone earned him $4.5 million – more than Korda’s entire season.

Nelly Korda had a season to rival the best in LPGA history in 2024, becoming only the third player to break the $4 million mark before the season finale. With seven titles, including a major, she recorded earnings of $4.39 million – yet she remains only second in the annual rankings behind Jeeno Thitikul. A further comparison shows the dimensions of her achievement: on the PGA Tour prize money list, Korda would ‘only’ rank 39th despite her outstanding year, 38 places behind the men’s top earner, Scottie Scheffler.

New records, old differences

The history of prize money in women’s golf nevertheless shows progress. What began in the 1950s with sums of a few thousand dollars has developed into millions, especially through events such as the CME Group Tour Championship – the LPGA season finale set a mark with Thitikul’s $4 million victory. Never before has there been such a large prize in women’s golf.

The gap between the tours

On the PGA Tour, however, such a sum has long been standard. The financial explosion triggered by LIV Golf has drastically increased the prize money on the men’s tour and forced the PGA Tour to massively increase its payouts – a development from which players like Scheffler benefit. Since his PGA Tour debut four years ago, Scheffler has already earned 71.79 million US dollars, while the women are still waiting for their big breakthrough.

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LPGA Tour

LPGA Tour Tee Times. Nelly Korda Highlights CME Group Tour Championship

Tee Times at the CME Group Tour Championship on the LPGA Tour. (Photo: Getty)
Tee Times at the CME Group Tour Championship on the LPGA Tour. (Photo: Getty)

The LPGA Tour Tee Times for the CME Group Tour Championship are set in Naples, Florida. This event, hosted at the Tiburón Golf Club on the Gold Course, features a par of 72 and a prize purse of $11,000,000. Last year’s winner was Amy Yang.

LPGA Tour Tee Times for American Players

Nelly Korda is teaming up with Haeran Ryu from South Korea. The first round tee time is at 12:35 PM. No second round tee time has been set yet.

Lexi Thompson will start her round with Pajaree Anannarukarn from Thailand at 08:35 AM.

Rose Zhang partners with Jin Hee Im of South Korea starting at 10:55 AM.

Megan Khang is scheduled to tee off with fellow American Jennifer Kupcho at 10:45 AM.

Ally Ewing joins forces with Canadian Brooke Mackenzie Henderson. Their group takes the course at 11:35 AM.

All Tee Times for the LPGA’s CME Group Tour Championship
Round Time Player Nationality Co-Player Nationality
1 08:35 Lexi Thompson USA Pajaree Anannarukarn THA
1 10:45 Megan Khang USA Jennifer Kupcho USA
1 10:55 Rose Zhang USA Jin Hee Im KOR
1 11:35 Ally Ewing USA Brooke Mackenzie Henderson CAN
1 12:35 Nelly Korda USA Haeran Ryu KOR
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LPGA Tour

LPGA Tour Tee Times: Charley Hull at the CME Group Tour Championship

Tee Times at the CME Group Tour Championship on the LPGA Tour. (Photo: Getty)
Tee Times at the CME Group Tour Championship on the LPGA Tour. (Photo: Getty)

The CME Group Tour Championship will be held at the Tiburón Golf Club, Gold Course in Naples, Florida. This prestigious event is part of the LPGA Tour and carries a significant prize purse of $11,000,000. The course is set at par 72, and the current defending champion is Amy Yang.

LPGA Tour Tee Times

Charley Hull from England will participate in the tournament. Hull’s first-round tee time is scheduled at 09:55 alongside Sarah Schmelzel from the USA. The second round does not have a specified time yet.

All Tee Times for the LPGA’s CME Group Tour Championship
Round Tee Time Player 1 Name Player 1 Nationality Player 2 Name Player 2 Nationality Player 3 Name Player 3 Nationality
1 09:55 Charley Hull ENG Sarah Schmelzel USA
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Equipment

WITB: Nelly Korda Wins Seventh Tournament on LPGA Tour

Nelly Korda's WITB with TaylorMade. (Photo: Getty)
Nelly Korda's WITB with TaylorMade. (Photo: Getty)

Nelly Korda has once again prevailed and claimed her seventh victory shortly before the end of the season. her sixth win of the season. At the beginning of the year, she won six titles in seven starts on the LPGA Tour, including a major victory at the 2024 Chevron Championship. A look inside the American’s golf bag shows a set of TaylorMade clubs.

WITB: Nelly Korda 2024

(Image: TaylorMade)

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 Max (10.5°)

Nelly Korda on why she plays the Qi10 Max Driver: “The reason why I picked the Qi10 Max driver is the look of it compared to the other models. When I put it down and look at it I feel like I can hit any shot I want with the subtle blue face and silver topline. When I look down at it I feel like I can aim it really well and I know where the center of the clubface too. For a golfer, if you don’t like the look of the club, you’re never going to be able to it hit. Once I put the Qi10 Max down and teed it up, I feel like I could hit any shot I wanted to.”

(Image: TaylorMade)

Woods: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15°, 21°)

(Image: TaylorMade)

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (5)

(Image: TaylorMade)

Irons: TaylorMade P7MC (6-PW)

(Image: TaylorMade)

Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 4 (50°,54°,60°)

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X L-Neck

(Image: TaylorMade)

Ball: TaylorMade TP5x

“Nelly was looking to bring the spin down, especially on her driver, so we did some testing in September,” said TaylorMade Senior Tour Manager Ressa. “We saw the benefits of TP5x in her driver and irons bringing the spin down a couple hundred RPMs. Then, around the greens, her launch on chips was a little bit lower and she generated more spin around the greens with TP5x than TP5. She produced a lot more check in a preferred trajectory coming off of the TP5x versus the TP5. She’s been happy with the ball ever since.” 

Text created with Quotes from TaylorMade Golf.

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Equipment What's in the Bag

WITB: Full TaylorMade Set Drives Charley Hull to Victory

Charley Hull secured a victory on the LET using a full set of TaylorMade clubs. (Photo: flickr)
Charley Hull secured a victory on the LET using a full set of TaylorMade clubs. (Photo: flickr)

Starting the day two shots behind the overnight leader, and fellow Team TaylorMade staffer Pia Babnik, Hull continued her sparkling form for the event. Hull began her charge sinking five birdies in the first seven holes to continue her dominance of the front nine. Once Hull reached the summit of the leaderboard, she never looked like relinquishing control.

With a vital birdie on 12 and two further birdies on the back nine Hull concluded on the best round of the day (66). Throughout the tournament Hull showcased incredible shot making and total control with her TP5x golf ball and Qi10 LS driver in the breezy conditions, whilst also slotting in a number of clutch putts throughout the event with her TP Juno putter. This hot streak in Riyadh represents Hull’s second win an Aramco Team Series event following her success in New York in 2021 and has found her back at the top of the podium following a series of near misses over the past couple of seasons.

Charley Hull WITB

Image: TaylorMade

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 LS (10.5°)

Image: TaylorMade

Fairway wood: TaylorMade Stealth2 (15°)

Image: TaylorMade

Hybrid: SIM Max (19°)

Image: TaylorMade

Irons: TaylorMade P7MB (4-PW)

Image: TaylorMade

Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50°, 54°, 60°)

Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno

Image: TaylorMade

Ball: TaylorMade TP5x

Charley Hull Need to Know

  • Driving Distance average has increased 7 yards versus 2023
  • Second win on the Aramco Team Series (New York 2021)
  • 15th on the Rolex World Rankings
  • Hull has also placed 2nd at the other two completed events on the Aramco Team Series this season (Tampa and Korea)

Text: TaylorMade

Categories
LPGA Tour

Nelly Korda: Player of the Year and Soon in Swimwear

Nelly Korda was named LPGA Tour player of the year 2024. (Credit: Getty)
Nelly Korda was named LPGA Tour player of the year 2024. (Credit: Getty)

Happy ending: Nelly Korda’s 2024 season ends with two major honours. Firstly, the 26-year-old was voted Player of the Year on the LPGA Tour after six victories. Secondly, and this is a very special honour, the world number one is part of the line-up of stars and models for the upcoming issue of ‘Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’. The special edition of the sports magazine is by no means just a particularly nicely presented swimwear catalogue: The appointment for ‘SI Swimsuit’, which already has almost iconic status, is tantamount to an accolade in terms of stardom. Sports stars such as Steffi Graf (1997), Serena Williams (2003), Lindsey Vonn (2010) and Simone Biles (2017) have all been photographed for the special edition. Nelly Korda is the first female golfer to appear in the magazine.


Written by Michael Basche