Tag: LPGA Tour

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LPGA Tour

LPGA Tour Announces Record-Breaking 2023 Schedule

Pebble Beach becoes host to LPGA Tour tournament 2023. (Photo: Getty)
Pebble Beach becoes host to LPGA Tour tournament 2023. (Photo: Getty)

 In a breakthrough moment in the history of women’s sports, the athletes of the LPGA Tour, the world’s leading destination for female professional golfers, will compete for more than $101 million in official purses in 2023. The LPGA today announced that the 2023 schedule will comprise 33 official events, with a total official prize fund of $101.4 million, along with the biennial playings of the Solheim Cup and the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown.

“Because of our athletes, partners, volunteers and incredible fans, 2023 will be a banner year for the LPGA Tour,” said LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan. “The schedule features new events, elevated purses, unique formats and world-class golf courses. Our athletes are playing for more total prize money than any time in history, and we have over 500 hours of broadcast television. All those things combine to make the LPGA the leading women’s professional sports property in the world. The LPGA Tour has never had better or more committed partners who see the commercial value in investing in women’s sports and who understand how their partnerships elevate women and girls on and off the golf course. As the home to the world’s best female golfers, the LPGA provides a platform to inspire young girls and women to dream big.”

The 2023 global schedule will take the LPGA Tour to 11 states across the United States and 12 countries and regions. Starting with the annual season kickoff at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, the Tour will visit Asia before heading to Superstition Mountain Golf Club in Gold Canyon, Ariz., for the fifth playing of the LPGA Drive On Championship. Superstition Mountain, the home club for numerous LPGA Tour stars, hosted the 2004-2008 Safeway International, with a Hall-of-Fame list of winners in Annika Sorenstam (2004, 2005), Juli Inkster (2006) and Lorena Ochoa (2007, 2008).

The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, will make its debut as host of The Chevron Championship, the first women’s major of the season, with a newly elevated purse of $5.1 million. The following week, the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro will join the Tour schedule at Wilshire Golf Club in Los Angeles, boasting a $3 million purse.

New Jersey will host four events in 2023, starting with the Cognizant Founders Cup at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, the LPGA Tour’s annual celebration of the past, present and future of the women’s game. The Mizuho Americas Open at Jersey City’s Liberty National Golf Club will include 24 elite female amateurs competing in a concurrent AJGA Invitational, playing alongside their professional heroes. The Bay Course at Seaview in Atlantic City will host the 35th playing of the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer, and the swing through the Garden State will end with a minimum $9 million purse at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, just the second elite women’s competition to be held on the Lower Course at the famed Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield.

Two weeks later, the U.S. Women’s Open presented by ProMedica will bring female professional golfers to Pebble Beach for the first time, adding a new page to a history book that includes seven men’s majors. Players will compete for at least $10 million at one of the country’s most popular venues.

In July and August, the Tour will make its usual swing through Europe, opening in France with the Amundi Evian Championship and its $6.5 million purse. The AIG Women’s Open, which will be contested with a purse of at least $7.3 million, will take place at Walton Heath, host venue for the 1981 Ryder Cup. The LPGA Tour will then compete across the United States and Canada before heading back to Asia for the month of October.   

2023’s competitive schedule will culminate with back-to-back events along the Southwestern Florida coast. THE ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, featuring a purse of $3.25 million, will welcome 72-time LPGA Tour winner Annika Sorenstam as the official tournament host. Finally, the season will end at Tiburon Golf Club for the CME Group Tour Championship, with the winner receiving $2 million, the largest single prize in the history of women’s golf.

The 2023 season will also feature two exhilarating team competitions. The Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown, a team match-play competition that showcases the best female golfers from the top eight countries across the globe, will return to the LPGA Tour calendar for the first time since 2018

and will be held at San Francisco’s famed TPC Harding Park on May 4-7. And on Sept. 22-24, the Solheim Cup, featuring the 12 best U.S. players versus the 12 best European players, will be held at Finca Cortesin in Spain.

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Ladies Tours

LPGA Tour: Tickets on sale for the 2023 AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath

Tickets are now on sale for the AIG Women's Open to be played at Walton Heath from 9-13 August 2023. (Photo: R&A)
Tickets are now on sale for the AIG Women's Open to be played at Walton Heath from 9-13 August 2023. (Photo: R&A)

The AIG Women’s Open will visit  the Surrey venue for the first time in 2023 with the renowned layout having previously hosted the Ryder Cup, British Masters and The Senior Open presented by Rolex.

Taking place just outside London, a number of new ticket offers have been launched to entice fans in to enjoying the most international major in women’s golf.

Fans will now be able to watch the players practising on Wednesday 9 August with Practice Day tickets available to purchase along with Thursday to Sunday Championship Day tickets.

Ticket prices will start at £30 for an adult on Championship Days and from £10 on Practice Days, with this launch offer available for a limited time only.

“Delighted to play at Walton Heath”

Zoe Ridgway, Championship Director – AIG Women’s Open at The R&A said, “We are delighted to be playing the AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath in 2023. As we return to the South-East for the first time in four years our goal is to make the Championship as accessible as possible for everyone.

“We are anticipating rising levels of interest and demand to attend the AIG Women’s Open and we have introduced Wednesday Practice Day tickets to offer fans even more opportunities to watch their favourite players in this world-class major championship.”

A number of offers are also available, including a £10 discount when booking a weekend bundle and a saving of £30 when booking the new five-day ticket offering.

Mastercard holders are also eligible for £10 off their ticket purchase when booking between 21-29 November 2022 as part of The R&A’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers.

To encourage children and young people to attend the AIG Women’s Open, The R&A will continue the successful ‘Kids go Free’ programme, which provides children under-16-years-old free entry to the Championship when accompanied by a paying adult. Half-price youth tickets are also available for 16-24-year-olds.

Hospitality packages are also on general sale, offering an unrivalled way to experience the Championship in which guests can enjoy over 10 hours of world-class action and fully inclusive hospitality. Visit www.aigwomensopen.com/hospitality/heathlandsuite for further information. 

For information on the AIG Women’s Open or to purchase tickets, please visit www.aigwomensopen.com

Text: R&A Media

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LPGA Tour

LPGA Tour: Atthaya Thitikul Wins 2022 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award

Atthaya Thitikul is named LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year. (Photo: Getty)
Atthaya Thitikul is named LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year. (Photo: Getty)

The LPGA Tour announced today that Atthaya Thitikul has earned the 2022 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award. Thitikul, who has two victories this season – the JTBC Classic presented by Barbasol and the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G – has clinched the honor after finishing in a tie for 10th at last week’s TOTO Japan Classic. Thitikul has earned 1,537 points and holds an insurmountable 250-point lead over Hye-Jin Choi, who withdrew from the Pelican Women’s Championship, with two events remaining in the 2022 season.

Thitikul is the second consecutive player from Thailand to earn Rookie of the Year honors and third overall, joining Patty Tavatanakit (2021) and Moriya Jutanugarn (2013).

LPGA Tour: Rookie of the Year

“It is such an honor to win the Rookie of the Year award, especially being the second consecutive player from Thailand to win this honor,” said Thitikul. “I’m happy to have made my home country proud. My rookie year has been really fun and memorable, but we still have a long way to go.”

The 19-year-old first earned LPGA Tour Membership after she finished third at LPGA Q-Series in 2021. In March, Thitikul became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the JTBC Classic when she defeated Nanna Koerstz Madsen in a playoff at Aviara Golf Club. She earned her second Tour title in September, beating Danielle Kang with birdie on the second playoff hole to win the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Along with her two victories, Thitikul has 13 additional top-10 finishes this season, including a solo fourth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a tie for eighth at the Amundi Evian Championship and a tie for seventh at the AIG Women’s Open.

In a rookie year to the world’s best

Thitikul recently ascended to No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings on Oct. 31, becoming just the second Thai player to ever do so alongside Ariya Jutanugarn. With two events left, she is currently second in the Race to CME Globe standings (2,690.127 points), third in scoring average (69.435) and tied for third in the Rolex Player of the Year standings (130 points), 20 points behind leader Lydia Ko. Thitikul is leading the LPGA Tour in both birdies (392) and top-10 finishes (15), is fifth on the season’s Official Money List ($2,110,142) and is tied for third in strokes gained total (1.950). She is also tied for fourth in eagles made this season (11).

Thitikul turned professional in 2020 after a stellar amateur career that saw her become the youngest person ever to win a professional tournament at the 2017 Ladies European Thailand Championship at 14 years, 4 months and 19 days. She also won the 2019 Ladies European Thailand Championship as an amateur.

Prior to joining the LPGA Tour, Thitikul won the Race to Costa del Sol, Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors in 2021 on the Ladies European Tour, joining Dame Laura Davies, Carlota Ciganda and Esther Henseleit as the only players to win the Race to Costa del Sol and Rookie of the Year in the same season. She is the youngest-ever winner of the Race to Costa del Sol at 18 years, 9 months and 8 days.

Thitikul will receive the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award at the 2022 Rolex LPGA Awards ceremony, to be held Thursday, Nov. 17, at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Fla. during the week of the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. 

Since its inception in 1962, 12 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year winners have become members of either the LPGA Hall of Fame or World Golf Hall of Fame: Susie Maxwell Berning (1964), Joanne Carner (1970), Jan Stephenson (1974), Amy Alcott (1975), Nancy Lopez (1978), Beth Daniel (1979), Patty Sheehan (1981), Juli Inkster (1984), Annika Sorenstam (1994), Karrie Webb (1996), Se Ri Pak (1998) and Lorena Ochoa (2003).

Text: LPGA Tour

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Ladies Tours

Solheim Cup 2024: New points system and return to even years

The 2024 Solheim Cup at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. (Photo: Getty)
The 2024 Solheim Cup at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. (Photo: Getty)

The LPGA announced today that the 2024 Solheim Cup will be held Sept. 10-15 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va. The 2024 Solheim Cup, the 19th playing of the international team competition, will bring together the best female golfers from the United States and Europe, just outside the nation’s capital, for a celebration of athleticism and patriotism.

LPGA Tour: “We are looking forward to an unforgettable event”.

“We are so excited to finally share the official dates of the 2024 Solheim Cup, marking another step closer to bringing this incredible competition to life,” said Lindsay Allen, Executive Director of the 2024 Solheim Cup. “Robert Trent Jones Golf Club and the greater Northern Virginia area are already serving as gracious hosts for the Solheim Cup, providing the setting for what will undoubtedly be a can’t-miss event for sports fans around the world.”

New qualification system for Team USA

Points for the 2024 United States Team will start accruing at the 2023 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. In a new structure to the U.S. Solheim Cup points standings, players finishing in the top 40 at official LPGA Tour competitions will earn points, with those points doubled at the five major championships. In the Solheim Cup year, all points values will increase by 50%.

At the end of the 2024 qualification period, the top seven players in the U.S. Solheim Cup points standings will be named to the team. They will be joined by the top two players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings not already qualified and three captain’s picks.

“After taking an in-depth look at the history of the U.S. Solheim Cup qualifying process, we feel this new points structure will provide the most comprehensive picture of the American talent working toward representing their country,” said Tommy Tangtiphaiboontana, Senior Vice President of Tour Operations.

The 2023 U.S. Team will be built using the previous point structure, with points earned for top-20 finishes, points for the majors doubled, and points increasing by 50% in the Solheim Cup year. The U.S. Team qualification period will end following the 2023 CP Women’s Open.  

Solheim Cup returns to even year numbers

2024 will mark the Solheim Cup’s return to an even-year rotation, opposite the Ryder Cup, and for just the second time in history, it will be held in consecutive years, along with 2002 and 2003. The 2023 Solheim Cup will be held at Finca Cortesin in Spain on Sept. 22-24, with Stacy Lewis serving as captain for Team USA and Suzann Pettersen serving as captain for Team Europe.

Information on tickets and sales packages for the 2024 Solheim Cup will be available in early 2023.

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LPGA Tour

2022 Pelican Championship shortendes to 54 holes

The LPGA Tour shortens the Pelican Women's Championship by one round. (Photo: Getty)
The LPGA Tour shortens the Pelican Women's Championship by one round. (Photo: Getty)

After meeting with senior LPGA and tournament leadership and in consultation with our on-site meteorologist, Pelican Golf Club will be closed on Thursday due to Tropical Storm Nicole. Due to the chance of a delay in Friday’s start of play, the LPGA has made the decision to shorten the Pelican Women’s Championship to 54 holes.

Forecasts call for 1-3 inches of rain and strong winds, with gusts up to 50 MPH. Local authorities have closed schools and may need to close bridges, which would affect access to the course. Due to the high winds, it is not safe to have players, caddies, fans, volunteers and staff on site.

The first round of the Pelican Women’s Championship will begin no earlier than Friday at 6:55 a.m. Friday morning’s forecast from our on-site meteorologist, who is constantly monitoring the latest data, includes a chance of a lingering thunderstorm. The Friday forecast is thankfully trending in a positive direction, and we will share additional information with you as soon as we can.

With a full field and limited daylight, we feel this decision provides the fairest test to the entire field. All services at Pelican Golf Club will be closed on Thursday, including dining, the gym and all practice facilities. We will have an update on Friday’s start of play on Thursday afternoon.

NELLY KORDA READY TO DEFEND TITLE AFTER ROCKIEST PATCH OF PLAY THIS SEASON

After taking five weeks off from LPGA Tour competition, NellyKorda will defend her title at the Pelican Women’s Championship presented by Konica Minolta and Raymond James and make what she hopes will be a triumphant return. However, Korda would prefer to win in a different fashion than last year, when she survived a four-person playoff against majorchampions Lydia Ko, Lexi Thompson and Sei Young Kim.

“Last year it was definitely a very interesting finish. I think I tripled 17 and then I birdied 18 to get into the playoff, and then I birdied my first hole in the playoff. So, yeah, didn’t make it very easy for myself,” laughed Korda, who birdied the first playoff hole in 2021 to take home the title. “I definitely lost a couple years off my life with the stress that I caused. Other than that, amazing memories coming back here. Hopefully I can make some really good ones this year.”

Korda’s victory at Pelican Golf Club is her most recent win on Tour, and the event was one of the last she played before she suffered a blood clot in her left arm in February of 2022, which forced her to spend nearly four months away from the game. She returned to the Tour in June in resounding fashion, earning five top-10 finishes in 10 events since coming back. But it all hasn’t been smooth sailing.  

“I would recap (this season) in it was a rollercoaster. There was definitely a lot of ups, a lot of downs,” Korda said. “I played some solid golf since coming back, but I’ve also overdone it and also played some poor golf. So, definitely a learning year, more about myself, more about my body.”

Korda missed the cut in her two most recent LPGA starts, the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G and The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America, the first of which marked the first time she missed playing the weekend since June of 2021. The seven-time Tour winner has only missed one cut in each of the 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons. Luckily, Korda says it isn’t an injury that has contributed to her lackluster play as of late, but rather an overly competitive desire to make up for lost time.

“I think I missed so much of the year that I kind of wanted to make it all up in a sense,” she said. “I think I came back at the time that I needed to, or that was acceptable. The only thing that I may have made a mistake in is then trying to catch up and just being on the road too much and not taking a breather and stepping back and being fresh.”

Text: LPGA Tour

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Ladies Tours

Atthaya Thitikul Becomes No. 1 in Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings

Atthaya Thitikul on the LPGA Tour. (Photo: Getty)
Atthaya Thitikul on the LPGA Tour. (Photo: Getty)

For the first time in her career, Atthaya Thitikul has reached No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings as of the latest Rankings update. She becomes the 16th different player to reach No. 1 as well as the second player from Thailand to sit atop the Rolex Rankings following Ariya Jutanugarn, who was No. 1 for 23 total weeks between June 2017 and March 2019. Thitikul is also the second player to reach the No. 1 ranking in her LPGA Tour rookie year, after Sung Hyun Park in November 2017.

Rolex Ranking: Jin Young Ko must relinquish top position

Thitikul moved one spot on the Rolex Rankings to World No. 1, passing Jin Young Ko, who has held the top spot since Jan. 31, 2022. Ko first became World No. 1 in April 2019 and has spent 152 total weeks atop the Rankings, six weeks shy of Lorena Ochoa’s record 158 weeks at the No. 1 position.

Thitikul is only the second player under age 20 to reach No. 1 at 19 years, 8 months and 11 days, joining Lydia Ko. Ko was 17 years, 9 months and 9 days when she first reached No. 1 in February 2015, and 18 years, 6 months and 2 days the second time she ascended to the top spot of the Rolex Rankings in October 2015.

Atthaya Thitikul: “It is a great honor”

“It means a lot for my team, my family, my supporters and myself. It is such an honor to have my name at the top amongst the biggest names of the game,” said Thitikul. “It is very special to get to the top but it is much harder to retain it. I still have a lot to learn from all the legends and current players both on and off the course. I will continue to work hard for my family, my team, my fans and my country.”

Thitikul has two victories so far in 2022, becoming a Rolex First-Time Winner at the JTBC Classic presented by Barbasol and adding another win at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G. Along with her wins, Thitikul has recorded 12 additional top-10 finishes this season, including three at major championships. She currently leads in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year standings with 1,487 points, is third in scoring average on Tour (69.432) and fourth in the race to become Rolex Player of the Year (129 points). Thitikul also ranks first on Tour in birdies (375), second in rounds in the 60s (44) and tied for fourth in number of eagles (11).

The successful step onto the LPGA Tour

Prior to joining the LPGA Tour, Thitikul became the youngest player ever to win the Ladies European Tour’s Race to Costa del Sol in 2021 while also securing Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors. At 14 years, 4 months and 19 days, Thitikul also became the youngest golfer to ever win a professional golf tournament with her victory at the LET’s Thailand Championship in 2017.

Text: LPGA Tour

Categories
Ladies Tours

Up 26%: R&A announces prize fund for AIG Women’s Open 2022

The AIG Women's Open 2022 is held in Muirfield, England. (Credit: Getty)
The AIG Women's Open 2022 is held in Muirfield, England. (Credit: Getty)

The R&A and AIG continue to increase the prize fund for the AIG Women’s Open with the winner set to receive USD 1.095 million.

The R&A announced that the total prize fund for the AIG Women’s Open, played from 4-7 August 2022 at Muirfield, will be USD7.3 million, a 26% increase on 2021.

With the support of title sponsor AIG, the prize fund for the Championship has grown by 125% since 2018, the year before AIG’s partnership with The R&A commenced.

Follow the AIG Women`s

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “Last year we took a very bold step to substantially increase the prize fund of the AIG Women’s Open. This year at the AIG Women’s Open, the players will be competing for $7.3 million, which is an increase of 26% on last year and also sees the total investment into the prize fund increase by just over $4million or 125% since The R&A and AIG began our partnership in 2019.

“In AIG, we have the support of a deeply trusted partner, as we look to continue to elevate the AIG Women’s Open.”

Peter Zaffino, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of AIG said, “We are proud to be the title sponsor of the AIG Women’s Open and to serve as allies to women in golf, business and the communities where we live and work. Thanks to our great partnership with The R&A we continue to make progress on pay equity while raising the profile of women’s golf and showcasing the tremendous talent of the elite women athletes competing in this iconic Championship.”

How the AIG Women’s Open prize fund has grown

2022 – $7.3million
2021 – $5.8million
2020 – $4.5million
2019 – $4.5million (beginning of The R&A and AIG partnership)
2018 – $3.25million
The prize fund for the 2022 AIG Women’s Open

Place USD

1 1,095,000
2 720,028
3 521,498
4 402,734
5 323,565
6 264,183
7 220,638
8 192,929
9 173,135
10 157,299
11 145,419
12 135,522
13 126,813
14 118,898
15 111,771
16 105,438
17 99,899
18 95,147
19 91,190
20 88,019
21 84,857
22 81,686
23 78,524
24 75,353
25 72,584
26 69,815
27 67,037
28 64,268
29 61,499
30 59,123
31 56,747
32 54,371
33 51,995
34 49,619
35 47,645
36 45,662
37 43,687
38 41,705
39 39,722
40 38,141
41 36,560
42 34,978
43 33,389
44 31,808
45 30,620
46 29,432
47 28,244
48 27,056
49 25,868
50 24,680
51 23,893
52 23,099
53 22,304
54 21,517
55 20,723
56 19,928
57 19,142
58 18,347
59 17,560
60 16,766
61 16,372
62 15,971
63 15,578
64 15,184
65 14,783
66 14,390
67 13,996
68 13,595
69 13,202
70 12,808
71 9,559
72 9,338
73 9,117
74 8,896
75 8,675
76 8,454
(Press Release by R&A)

Categories
LPGA Tour

Two months after surgery: Is Nelly Korda about to make a comeback?

Nelly Korda could make her comeback to the LPGA Tour at the 2022 US Women's Open. (Photo: Getty)
Nelly Korda could make her comeback to the LPGA Tour at the 2022 US Women's Open. (Photo: Getty)

Nelly Korda, former number two in women’s golf is probably on the verge of her comeback. The 23-year-old was diagnosed with a blood clot in her left arm three months ago, after complaining of pain in her left arm at a press event in early March. After successful surgery in April, she was on the road to recovery, but there was no talk of a return to the LPGA Tour until now. Now there is news from Nelly Korda’s side. GolfCentral announced in a Twitter post on May 26, 2022, that Korda would attend the press conference for the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open in Southern Pines, North Carolina, a possible sign of her start at this important major in the women’s golf world.

Is Nelly Korda’s time off from the LPGA Tour over?

Korda won a total of four LPGA Tour titles last year, including her first major victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, as well as the gold medal at the Olympics. That’s when the unwanted time off due to the blood clot was a major blow to the young golfer. But just three months after the diagnosis and two months after surgery, she could now celebrate her return to the LPGA Tour. Because in addition to the announced press conference in the run-up to the tournament, she showed up again on Instagram with golf clubs on the driving range.

Although the American continues to wear a supportive sleeve on her operated left arm, her swing is promising. And sister Jessica Korda is also confident that she will soon be able to welcome her sister back to the tour. “It’s like you never left!” the elder Korda sister commented under the video.

Categories
LPGA Tour

LPGA Tour Announces Change to Q-Series

LPGA Tour Q Series criterias will be changed beginning in 2022 (Foto: Getty)

The LPGA announced today that beginning in 2022, players must compete as professionals in Q-Series, the final stage of qualifying for the LPGA Tour. If an amateur player advances to or is exempt into Q-Series, she must turn professional to compete for the opportunity to earn LPGA Tour Membership.

All players who qualify for Q-Series through Stage II of Q School receive Epson Tour status. Amateur players can continue to compete as an amateur, which is permitted on the Epson Tour, or may elect to turn professional and compete for an opportunity to advance directly to the LPGA Tour.

The Epson Tour, the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour, has a mission to prepare the world’s best young women professional golfers for a successful competitive career. Since its inception in 1999, more than 600 Epson Tour alumnae have earned LPGA Tour Membership, including major champions Nelly Korda, Lorena Ochoa and Inbee Park.

This decision, which came following feedback from the LPGA Tour Membership and the college coaching community, will provide the most fair and consistent pathways to the LPGA Tour. Requiring professional status for Q-Series competitors will set an equal playing field for those committed to competing full time on the LPGA Tour.

No Amateur Status allowed in Q-Series

“LPGA Q-Series is the final stage to competing on the LPGA Tour, which is a fully professional tour that requires that its Membership competes as professional athletes,” said Ricki Lasky, Chief Tour Business and Operations Officer for the LPGA. “Ensuring all competitors have made the same choice to be a professional player elevates the Q-Series competition and creates the most appropriate options for athletes at different stages of their careers. Providing Epson Tour status to those athletes who advance through Q School but choose to retain their college eligibility provides an appropriate pathway for those players to complete their college season or career and then immediately compete on the Epson Tour.”

In 2018, the LPGA began permitting amateurs who earned LPGA Tour status at Q-Series to defer their Membership until July 1 of the following year. This change gave the amateur athlete the option to finish her college season and/or career before turning professional. Of the 16 amateur players who earned LPGA Tour Membership in 2018, 2019 and 2021 (Q-Series was not held in 2020 due to the pandemic), Jennifer Kupcho and Maria Fassi (both in 2018) are the only players who elected to defer. The remaining 14 amateurs all immediately accepted LPGA Tour Membership, with numerous other players turning professional and competing immediately on the Epson Tour.

The LPGA is committed to working with the Women’s Golf Coaches Association and its membership and will create a working group for further discussion on ways of providing the best opportunities for aspiring professionals to live their dreams. “I am very appreciative of the college coaches who have shared their thoughts on this process. These coaches are developing the future stars of the women’s game, and we want to make sure that they are providing the best opportunities to their players, just as we do at the LPGA Tour,” said Tommy Tangtiphaiboontana, the LPGA’s senior vice president of Tour Operations.

2022 LPGA Q-Series, held over eight rounds in consecutive weeks, will be held Dec. 1-4 at Magnolia Grove (Crossings and Falls Courses) in Mobile, Ala. The second week will be held Dec. 8-11 at Highland Oaks (Highlands and Marshwood Courses) in Dothan, Ala.

Players finishing inside the top 45 and ties following the conclusion of the cumulative eight rounds of Q-Series will receive LPGA Tour status for the following season. All players finishing outside the top 20 and ties will also receive Epson Tour status.

Stage I of 2022 LPGA Q School will be held Aug. 18-21 at Mission Hills Country Club (Dinah Shore and Palmer Courses) in Rancho Mirage, Calif., and Shadow Ridge Golf Club in Palm Desert, Calif. Stage II will be held Oct. 18-21 at Plantation Golf and Country Club (Bobcat and Panther Courses) in Venice, Fla.

(Text: LPGA Tour)

Categories
LPGA Tour

LPGA Tour: Nelly Korda successfully operated after blood clot

Liga-tour-nelly-korda
Nelly Korda was successfully operated (foto: Twitter/@NellyKorda)

Nelly Korda, who won her first major title on the LPGA Tour last year, has been out of action for a long time this year. Following a covid infection, the 23-year-old was diagnosed with a blood clot. Now Korda has undergone successful surgery on her left arm.

“I recently underwent surgery for a blood clot in my subclavian vein. I am happy to report that the surgery went well and the doctors were satisfied with the outcome,” Nelly Korda wrote in a statement posted on social media along with several pictures of her recovery. The Olympic champion had been diagnosed with a blood clot in her arm in mid-March, after which she had to cancel her tournament appearances, including at the LPGA Tour’s first major. “I want to thank everyone for the overwhelming support and messages I have received over the past few weeks,” Korda continued to write. “Your kind words have helped me get through this difficult and scary time.”

Nelly Korda: Setbacks after successful year on the LPGA Tour

In addition, the seven-time LPGA Tour winner revealed that she had been “out of action for some time” earlier in the year from a corona illness. After that, she had tied for fourth in the women’s tour opener and posted two more top-20 results. Last year, the younger of the two Korda sisters had been the standout player on the LPGA Tour alongside Jin Young Ko, winning four tournaments, including her first major with the Women’s PGA Championship, and the Olympic Golf Tournament in Tokyo. “I’m home now recovering and getting ready to start rehab. I’m looking forward to getting back to 100% so I can start practicing,” said the world number two, who is optimistic about the future. It is not yet clear when Korda will be able to return to tournament action. The next important tournament, the US Women’s Open, takes place at the beginning of June, before Korda defends her title at the third major of the year three weeks later.