Cobra Puma Golf has been on a hot streak lately with some great equipment, highly desirable clothing and some great results from their tour staff. Last year’s KING F8 and KING F8+ drivers were very good – at least as good as most of the competition – but that wasn’t good enough for the engineers at Cobra.
Cobra has taken what they learned with the KING F8 driver and released the KING F9 SPEEDBACK driver. To no one’s surprise, they created a monster. As far as I could tell, the KING F9 SPEEDBACK driver was the most talked about driver at the 2019 PGA Show.
I say it all the time, but fitting matters. There are tens of thousands of possible club and shaft options out there these days, and simply changing shafts can alter the performance of a club dramatically. Fortunately, the Cobra KING F9 driver is available in three lofts (9, 10.5 & 12), has 2 adjustable weight ports, an 8 position adjustable hosel and dozens of custom shaft options.
We’re testing the Cobra KING F9 SPEEDBACK driver now and will be back here in the near future with some test numbers and a full review, so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out the photos and video below!
Not sure where that small nick in the paint came from…
Let’s face it, there were many players at the final stage of LPGA Q School in Daytona Beach this past week who should have saved the $2,500 it cost to play in the event and spent the money on more lessons. Several of the young women pros, as laudable as their ambition and determination might be, did not have a ghost of a chance to earn their LPGA cards for the 2012 season.
When half the field was cut following the fourth round of the grueling 5-day event, the players who were eliminated had shot at least 12 over par over the first four days. Some players had shot 20-25-30-35 over par and even worse in four days. That is the equivalent of averaging 77 to 79 or higher for each of the four 18-hole rounds. Yes, the wind was fairly strong for some of the rounds, but it was no excuse for some of the ballooning scores, especially for women who believe they have the potential to play on the LPGA. Players will never make a living in pro golf averaging in the high 70’s in events.
Any player can have a bad week, and there were some veteran players with past LPGA experience who did not make the cut and earn their way back onto the tour. However, most of those veterans have had very little success when they did earn their LPGA status in past years. That is why they found themselves back at Q School in the first place. There were also a large number of players with many years of experience on the LPGA Futures (now Symetra) Tour who did not make the cut. A lot of those players are now in their late 20’s and early 30’s. They are very good golfers, but their track record over several years in “the minors” would suggest that they will not improve their games to the level of LPGA players.
Every year it seems that the women’s pro game is becoming younger and younger. Three of the players who finished in the top 20 at Q School and earned their full status LPGA cards were teenagers (Victoria Tanco-17, Hannah Yun-19, Rebecca Lee-Bentham-19), and don’t forget about 16 year old Lexi Thompson. She would have been at the final stage and was expected to be the medallist in the event, but she earned her way onto the tour next year with her victory in September in the Navistar LPGA Classic.
The dream of making it to the LPGA is very powerful for most of the women who compete in Q School year after year. That is why many of them spend many years trying to improve their games so they can reach that goal. It is hard to give up on a dream that has been held so close for so long, but reality can be harsh. More aspiring LPGA players discovered that once again this year in Daytona Beach.
About the Author: Dave Andrews is a Harvard-educated former television news reporter. Dave is an avid golfer who has become a fan of the Duramed Futures Tour and is the author of Pops and Sunshine, a novel and screenplay about life on tour. His home course in New Hampshire is annually the site of one of the tour’s events.
The final stage of the LPGA Q School is one month away (Nov. 30-Dec.4). 144 players will compete for 20 “full status” LPGA cards for the 2012 season. The 20 top finishers will be assured of getting into all of the “full field” events on the LPGA schedule (there were 11 this year). Finishing in the top 20 opens the door for those players hoping to make a career on the LPGA, but it is then up to each player to perform well enough to keep her card.
The five-day tournament at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida is often called the most pressure-packed event that any aspiring LPGA professional ever plays in. Last year it took a 5-day total score of 2 over par to finish in the all-important top 20. Another 20 or so of the top finishers earn “limited” LPGA status, but that will only get them into 2 or 3 LPGA events next year, making it very hard for them to earn enough money to keep their LPGA status for the following season.
88 players advanced to the final stage of Q School by finishing high in the second stage of qualifying. The second stage event was held in September in Venice, Florida. Another 17 players qualified for the final stage by finishing high on the LPGA Futures Tour’s money list this year. Another 40 players currently hold low-level LPGA status based on their earnings this year, but they have been forced to return to Q School to maintain their “full status” for next season. No LPGA player ever wants to have to return to Q School to maintain her status, but that is the hard reality in professional golf. If you don’t make enough money one year, you run the risk of not being able to play on tour the following year.
Unlike some previous years, there is no clear “sure thing” this year – that is – a player considered likely to win Q School. 16 year old Lexi Thompson could well have have been that player this year, but she will not have to compete in Q School because of her big win on the tour in September and the tour’s decision to waive the 18 year old age requirement and grant her LPGA membership for next season. I’ve had the chance to attend the last three Q Schools in Daytona (I caddied in one a couple years ago). I’ll be heading there again this year to take in the action and the final day drama. There will be a lot of smiles and a lot of tears among the players that day, on one of the most important days of the professional careers.
I’ve gotten to know several of the players that will be competing this year and I’ll be rooting for them to earn their cards. Below is a list of the 40 players I think have the best chance of finishing in the top 20. I’ll be curious to see how my picks hold up. There are always surprises at Q School… favored players who don’t play well that week and players that come out of nowhere to earn their cards. It is five days of golf where every shot seems to count so much.
Here is my list (in alphabetical order) of 40 players, out of the 144 in the field, that I think have the best chance of finishing in the top 20. I’ll be curious to see how my predictions hold up. Don’t be surprised if I’m way off because anything can happen in golf… Here is the full list of players that will be competing in the final stage of LPGA Q School: http://www.lpga.com/content/QUALIFYINGTOURNAMENTSTAGE3FIELDLIST.pdf
My Predictions
(* player has current LPGA status)
(# qualified via LPGA Futures Tour money list)
Jackie Barenborg#
Mallory Blackwelder#
Minea Blomqvist*
Sara Brown*
Sarah Brown*
Misun Cho*
Cydney Clanton
Jacqui Concolino
Stephanie Connelly
Valentine Derrey#
Jodi Ewart*
Allison Fouch Duncan*
Jennifer Gleason*
Junthima Gulyanamitta
Ginger Howard
Jimin Jeong*
Brittany Johnston#
Hannah Jun*
Ayaka Kaneko#
Danielle Kang
Mitsuki Katahira
Kimberly Kim*
Stephanie Kono
Laura Kueny
Jennie Lee*
Tzu-Chi Lin
Paola Moreno*
Junko Nakada*
Jean Reynolds*
Samantha Richdale*
Lizette Salas
Elisa Serramia
Natalie Sheary
Jessica Shepley*
Sophia Sheridan#
Kristie Smith
Jenny Suh*
Mariajo Uribe*
Leah Wigger#
Hannah Yun
About the Author: Dave Andrews is a Harvard-educated former television news reporter. Dave is an avid golfer who has become a fan of the Duramed Futures Tour and is the author of Pops and Sunshine, a novel and screenplay about life on tour. His home course in New Hampshire is annually the site of one of the tour’s events.
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