Tag: LPGA

Aaron Rai Claims Stunning PGA Championship Victory; Scottie Scheffler Favored at CJ Cup Byron Nelson

There are moments in professional golf when something totally unexpected happens, and Aaron Rai gave us one of those moments this week. His PGA Championship win was genuinely shocking—the kind of victory that tells you as much about the person as it does about his golf game.

The moment everyone will remember isn’t just Rai lifting the Wanamaker Trophy, but that 68-footer he buried to deliver the knockout blow. That putt felt like it carried the weight of all those years he spent grinding through the professional ranks.

PGA Championship

Aaron Rai didn’t follow the typical path to major championship glory. This guy uses head covers on his irons—not to make a statement, but because of how he was raised. “I grew up in very much a working-class family, and golf has always been a very expensive game,” Rai explained. “I started from the age of 4 years old, and my parents made a lot of sacrifices for me to be able to play this game.”

Those head covers say everything about respect—for equipment, for opportunity, for the game itself. While everyone else chases distance and Instagram followers, Rai just quietly built a game on fundamentals and work ethic.

His win proves something important: he’s a completely different kind of major champion. Majors aren’t won with flash—they’re won with precision when everything’s on the line.

The week also brought up the ongoing mess in professional golf. Jon Rahm left the championship without answering LIV questions. Despite playing well, his silence about the tour split shows how the sport is still dealing with this divide.

Justin Thomas had his own weird weekend. After a great Sunday round, he had to sit around for three hours waiting to see where he’d finish. “It was weird, man,” Thomas said about playing well but having to watch everyone else determine his fate. Golf’s like that sometimes—you can do everything right and still not control the outcome.

Looking Ahead: CJ Cup Byron Nelson

The tour heads to Texas this week, where Scottie Scheffler is the overwhelming betting favorite for the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. The odds make sense given how consistently great he’s been. But after watching Rai’s surprise win, those betting lines feel like a reminder that favorites don’t always win. We saw this earlier in the season when Cameron Young pulled off his own upset victory at THE PLAYERS Championship.

LPGA Tour Action

While the men’s major grabbed all the attention, the LPGA Tour played the Kroger Queen City Championship at Maketewah Country Club. The $2 million purse shows how women’s professional golf keeps growing, even when the men’s majors dominate the headlines. The consistency we’ve seen from players like Nelly Korda throughout the season continues to elevate the women’s game.

Equipment Innovation and Industry Movement

Away from tournaments, the golf industry keeps chasing those tiny improvements. Titleist released new GTS Driver technology, with detailed info from the Titleist Performance Institute. It’s funny—Rai won with old-school fundamentals, but the modern game runs on skill plus science.

Getting properly fitted still matters more than most people realize. Recent work shows how swingweight, shaft, and loft changes can add 20+ yards right away. For weekend golfers, proper fitting is probably the fastest way to shoot lower scores.

If you’re planning a golf trip, protecting your clubs becomes pretty important. New reviews of the best golf travel bags show options for protection and convenience—essential if you’ve ever seen what baggage handlers do to golf equipment. For golfers looking to upgrade their equipment, our recent review of the Bushnell Tour V7 Shift rangefinder shows how modern technology can help with course management.

The Bigger Picture

Golf keeps its weekly rhythm with amateur golfers sharing their weekend stories online. These conversations about great rounds and frustrating struggles remind you that golf’s appeal goes way beyond what we see on TV.

The business side keeps expanding too. Events like the Multi-Course & Resort Operators Retreat bring together the people who actually shape how most of us experience golf.

In Spain, La Cala Resort will host the 2026 Andalucía Costa Del Sol Open De España, continuing Europe’s tradition of combining great golf with amazing destinations.

Maybe the best thing about Rai’s win isn’t the putting or handling pressure, but how he built excellence over time. In a sport that’s gotten obsessed with instant results and social media, his victory quietly reminds us that the most meaningful wins often come from the least likely places—and sometimes the longest journey leads to the best ending.

May 18, 2026
Aerotech Releases New TiFiber Shafts
Aerotech’s Golf’s president & mad scientist Chris Hilleary is up to his old tricks again, and this time his experience in composites and engineering wizardry has resulted in the new Aerotech TiFiber shaft. Last season, Aerotech Golf’s SteelFiber shafts delivered 20 wins on pro tours around the world as well as won the coveted CME Race for the Globe Trophy and 2016 Money Title on the LPGA Tour. I’ve been playing with and evangelizing the SteelFiber shafts in my irons & hybrids for over 6 years, and for me, there’s no going back to steel.

Why TiFiber?

While the original SteelFiber shafts are incredibly consistent and playable, in driver and wood lengths they became too heavy for most golfers to be comfortable with. By replacing steel fibers with much lighter titanium, Aerotech was able to adapt the benefits of their SteelFiber technology to full-length driver and fairway wood shafts.

What is TiFiber?

TiFiber shafts combine a high-modulus graphite core like you would find in almost all driver shafts with 47 miles of micro-thin titanium fiber lacing the entire shaft surface. 47 Miles! The addition of high-strength, lightweight titanium fiber increases stability while allowing the weight to be redistributed to optimize tip stiffness. As a result, TiFiber shafts are a great match for modern oversized titanium/composite driver heads.

TiFiber shafts are currently available in two models – the TiFiber Tour 70 and Pro 60.
1. TiFiber Tour 70 shafts feature a “Tour Stiff” tip section to optimize flight by reducing spin and lowering trajectory. The Tour 70 is available in F5 (Stiff) and F6 (X-Stiff) flex options.
2. The TiFiber Pro 60 has a slightly softer tip section and benefits players who need a bit more launch and spin but still want the added stability of titanium. The TiFiber Pro 60 is available in F4 (Regular) and F5 (Stiff) flexes.
Success on Tour

Players with SteelFiber shafts routinely rank high on the PGA Money List, Official World Golf Rankings and the FedEx Cup Season Points. Brandt Snedeker and Matt Kuchar have been in Aerotech’s corner for years. In 2013, Kuchar & Snedeker ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in FedEx Cup points and ended the season as #3 and #5 on the PGA Tour money list. Snedeker also won the FedEx Cup in 2012 using SteelFiber shafts.

While the adoption of SteelFiber continued to grow on the professional tours, the company was testing the TiFiber shaft on tour in 2017 and introduced them to the public at the 2018 PGA Show in Orlando. It’s only a matter of time before TiFiber also records its first win on tour.

Performance

I spent some time on the practice range with the Aerotech TiFiber Tour 70x shaft installed in my Ping G driver. I hit several shots with both the TiFiber shaft and the Ping Tour 80x shaft (custom option from Ping) to compare ball flight and launch monitor data. I used the cool new FlightScope MEVO launch monitor to capture club and ball flight data.

My initial testing has produced numbers that are very similar to the stock Ping shaft, but the little FlightScope MEVO is limited in the data it can gather. More on that in a minute. Both the stock Ping shaft and the TiFiber were giving me similar numbers for launch angle, swing speed, smash factor and spin rates. Carry distance was about 2 yards less with the TiFiber, which is consistent with the ball speeds which were roughly 1 MPH lower with the TiFiber. Shots hit with the TiFiber shaft stayed in the air a fraction of a second less and flew about 5 feet lower, which may help explain the carry distance number. I only got to hit about 8 or 10 drives with each shaft, but once I gather more data I think the results will be more clear.

What the numbers don’t tell me is what I’m perhaps most interested in with the TiFiber, and that is shot dispersion. The FlightScope MEVO being a palm-sized personal launch monitor priced at $500, it can’t compete with the big boys that cost $10,000+ and one of the areas where the MEVO is lacking is measuring shot dispersion. Since it doesn’t track the entire ball flight, it can’t tell me what the dispersion is from shot to shot.

I did notice a difference between the shafts, but without measurable data, it’s hard to be 100% sure. I felt that I was hitting the ball straighter with the TiFiber shaft, with a tighter dispersion from shot to shot. I’ll get more data and play a few rounds with the Aerotech shaft in the coming weeks and will know more. I believe the TiFiber shaft to be straighter based on my observations.

3/12/2018: I’ll update this post when I get more info about the accuracy of the Aerotech TiFiber shaft.

Where Can I Get One?

The best way to get your hands on one for your driver will be to schedule a fitting with a good club fitting specialist like Tour Spec Golf. Aerotech Golf shafts are also widely available as custom options with many club manufacturers such as PXG, Callaway, Titleist, TaylorMade, Ping, Cobra, Bridgestone Golf, Wilson, Cleveland Golf, Miura, Srixon and more.

For more information on Aerotech Golf and Aerotech shafts, call 888.733.8988 or visit aerotechgolfshafts.com. Also check out the Aerotech page on Facebook: facebook.com/aerotechgolf.
March 12, 2018
Experience the Daytona Beach Double Feature

The Daytona Beach area has been home for me since 1997, and one of the reasons I’ve been here for 20 years is because I love the combination of small town feel with big city amenities that are unique to Volusia County and its 500,000 residents. The beaches are uncrowded, restaurant and hotel prices are low, traffic is light and there’s plenty to do. If great golf, beautiful beaches and the Daytona International Speedway aren’t enough to satisfy you, Orlando and its many resorts and theme parks are only about an hour away.

Come visit my home town, you’ll enjoy it. Drop me a line when you do and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have about places to visit in the area!

Daytona Beach Double Feature is One of Florida’s Best Golf Packages

3-Night, 2-Round Deal Features Outstanding Golf and a Prime Location

Two of Central Florida’s most popular courses have partnered to create the Daytona Beach Double Feature, a value-laden package that delivers outstanding golf and perks that have made it one of the Sunshine State’s best.

The 3-night/2-round deal starts at $298 and features golf at LPGA International’s acclaimed Hills Course and Halifax Plantation Golf Club. Golf groups will also enjoy accommodations at the newly remodeled Homewood Suites, daily breakfast and dinner and drinks each night for groups staying-and-playing during the week.

A 4.5-star design, the Hills Course is one of Florida’s best public courses. The Arthur Hills layout has hosted the LPGA’s ADT Season Ending Championship, NCAA Championships and the finals of the LPGA Qualifying School, allowing golf groups to walk in the footsteps of some of the LPGA’s greatest players.

Halifax Plantation plays through centuries old live oak trees and a pine forest while treating players to a 4.5-star round of golf. The layout has no parallel fairways, giving players the opportunity to enjoy Bill Amick’s classic design and the land’s natural beauty.

The accommodations at Homewood Suites, which enjoys an ideal location across from Daytona International Speedway, feature a kitchen and living room, providing golf groups ample room to hangout and enjoy the camaraderie that is an essential part of a great buddies trip.

What happens off the course is an integral part of a successful golf trip, and few destinations in America can come close to matching Daytona Beach’s offerings, starting with 23 miles of pristine Atlantic Ocean beaches.

Golfers can enjoy the thrill of a great round in the morning and the exhilaration of a guided tour around Daytona International Speedway, highlighted by the opportunity to experience the track’s 31-degree high bank corners for themselves.

Throw-in scenic parks, deep-sea fishing, Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, world class dining and night life, among countless other activities, and it’s not hard to see why Daytona Beach is poised to become a destination of choice for golfers.

For more information, go to DaytonaBeach.golf

June 5, 2017
Charley Hull and Minjee Lee Headline LPGA Q School Field

International Teen Stars Headline LPGA Q School Finals Field

Teen golf sensations Charley Hull of England and Minjee Lee of Australia will be two of the major headliners at the final stage of LPGA Qualifying School in early December. They are among 155 players who will be trying to earn their LPGA cards for the 2015 season. As usual, the five-day event will be played on the Hills and Jones course at LPGA International Golf Club in Daytona Beach, Florida, the home of the LPGA’s headquarters. The top 20 finishers will earn full playing status on the tour for next year. The next 25 finishers will earn limited playing status.

Charley Hull is currently the 34^th ranked woman player in the world according to the Rolex rankings. She turned pro at the beginning of 2013 at the age of 16. She has played full time for the last two seasons on the Ladies European Tour and has received several sponsor invitations to play in LPGA events. Last year she played on the winning European team in the Solheim Cup where she became the youngest player ever (at 17) to compete in Solheim Cup competition.

Minjee Lee from Perth, Australia, is also 18 years old. She became the number one ranked woman amateur golfer in the world in February of this year after winning the Oates Victorian Open on the ALPG Tour. She had a strong finish this past summer in the U S Women’s Open and in July she played on the Australian team in the first edition of the LPGA’s International Crown team competition. She turned pro in September and earned her first check as a golfer at the Evian Championship where she finished tied for 15^th place. She is currently the 79^th ranked woman golfer in the world.

Other notables to watch for at Q School…

Stephanie Meadow from Northern Ireland: This University of Alabama grad turned pro in June, just before the U S Women’s Open. She finished 3^rd and earned $271,000 in her first event as a pro.

Ariya Jutanugarn from Thailand: She is the younger sister (19) of LPGA player Moriya Jutanugarn. She suffered a shoulder injury last year which required surgery and has limited her playing time.

Several current LPGA players will be returning to Q School this year. They are players who did not finish the season in the top 100 on the tour’s money list and will be trying to maintain their full time playing status for next year by finishing in the top 20 at Q School.

Among those players are Rebecca Lee-Bentham (Canada), Kathleen Ekey (U S), Chei Arimura (Japan), Vicky Hurst (U S), Lorie Kane (Canada), Meghan McChrystal (U S), Giulia Molinaro (Italy), Paola Moreno (Colombia), Ryann O’Toole (U S).

Many players in the field will come from the Symetra Tour. They will be looking to make the big jump up to the LPGA after working for one or more seasons on the LPGA’s official developmental tour. The top 10 finishers on the Symetra Tour’s money list this season automatically earned their 2015 LPGA cards.

The final stage of the 2014 LPGA Q School runs Wednesday, Dec. 3^rd to Sunday, Dec. 7^th.

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 LPGA and the Symetra Tour. He is the author of Pops and Sunshine, a novel and screenplay about life on the women’s tour. The screenplay has been optioned by a production company in Hollywood.

November 21, 2014
Marathon Day On the Bag

I’ve caddied lots of times (for fun) for women pros on the LPGA and the Symetra Tour. It’s one of the things I enjoy the most in the game of golf. I love being “on the bag” in pro events and helping friends on the tour in competition in big tournaments. Just being next to those great golfers out on the course is a thrill for this 63 year old who scrapes it around as a 12 handicapper when I’m playing the game.

My latest caddying assignment (this week at a U.S. Women’s Open sectional qualifier in Virginia) is one I’ll never forget. It was the most exciting, and definitely the most grueling, caddying job I have ever had.

A Marathon Day “On the Bag”

Rebecca Lee-Bentham, a third-year player on the LPGA who hails from Toronto, Canada, asked me if I could fill in for her regular caddie this month at the LPGA Kingsmill Championship in Williamsburg, Virginia and then at her Open qualifier the following Monday at Hermitage Country Club outside Richmond. I’ve known Rebecca for three years since I first met her at the final stage of LPGA Q School in Daytona Beach, Florida back in December of 2011. She earned her LPGA card at the age of 19 that week. Coincidentally, I caddied at Q School that week for another friend, 19-year-old Hannah Yun from Bradenton, Florida, who also earned her LPGA card. That remains one of my fondest caddying memories. This month I was glad to help out Rebecca, and I rarely turn down a chance to “loop” for one of my friends on the women’s pro tours.

Rebecca has been struggling with some swing issues this season on the LPGA tour and she had a very tough week at Kingsmill, missing the two-day cut by several shots. So, I was not very optimistic when we headed over to Hermitage Country Club this Monday to compete in the 36-hole qualifier for the Open. There were 30 other LPGA players in the overall field of 90 players. It was a very strong field. The USGA was awarding 6 spots in the Open from this qualifier, one of close to 30 being held around the country and overseas during the month of May. This year the Women’s Open is being played in mid-June at Pinehurst #2 right after the Men’s Open. It is a USGA experiment in back-to-back Men’s and Women’s Opens on the same course. The decision has the golf world buzzing.

Two weeks ago, Rebecca and I played a couple of practice rounds on the two courses at Hermitage (Manakin and Sabot) to get familiar with the layouts and the greens. They do not have yardage books for the courses, so I made my own, detailing all the bunkers, hazards, and other trouble spots and the yardages to and from various points on the courses. The USGA decided to set up both courses at more than 6,600 yards… very long… even longer than the LPGA usually sets up courses for its events.

Usually the qualifiers are played on one course… 18 holes in the morning, a quick lunch, and 18 holes in the afternoon. They are tests of consistency and endurance for the players and their caddies. At Hermitage we had the added wrinkle of playing two different courses, making it even more of a test of skill for the players. At the Kingsmill LPGA event, I carried Rebecca’s big 35 pound staff bag. We agreed that we would use my much lighter carry bag for the qualifier. I honestly didn’t think I would make it lugging around her regular bag. As it turned out, even the young bucks who caddie for a living for LPGA players decided to use lightweight bags for the qualifier. They knew that even they would have a hard time making it with the big bags for 36 holes on the two hilly courses. We were all lucky that the weather was near perfect that day… with sunny skies and a high temp in the mid-70’s.

Rebecca teed off at 7:55 on the first hole of the Manakin course. She was paired with retired LPGA player Kris Tschetter from Virginia and a very good teenage amateur from India, Khushboo Thiagaraj. It was a great group, but the day started out shakily for Rebecca. Her approach shots on her first two holes were not hit well and left her short of the greens, one in a deep bunker. She has an excellent short game and is a fantastic putter, however, and she managed to get up and down to save par.

She settled down nicely after the second hole and we got into a good rhythm. She started to hit all of her shots solidly and made 3 birdies with just 1 bogey on the long course, shooting a 2 under par 70 on her first 18. This put her in very good shape after the morning scores were posted. Only a few of the 90 players had shot scores in the 60’s. We were both feeling pretty good as we had a quick sandwich and relaxed for a few minutes. I was appreciative for a chance to sit down for a while, realizing we were just halfway done… or so I thought at the time.

Our afternoon round was on the Sabot course which the locals consider a 2 or 3 shot tougher course than Manakin. It proved to be for us. Rebecca remained solid off the tee (she only missed one fairway the entire day) but a careless three putt and a couple other errors resulted in a 3 over par 75. That gave her a 36-hole total of 1 over par for the event.

We figured that anything around par would have a good chance of being in the all-important top 6 to earn one of the tickets to the Open. We were right. When we looked at the scoreboard outside the clubhouse it showed Rebecca was tied for 2nd place with two other players with just a few groups left to finish. The player in the lead was at even par. But as the last four or five groups finished and reported their scores, three players finished the day under par and one more player tied Rebecca and the two others at 1 over par. That meant that Rebecca and those three other players would have to have a sudden-death playoff. It would be four players for the two remaining spots.

My legs were tired and had stiffened up as we stood around waiting for the final scores to come in. But when I realized we would have to go out immediately for the playoff, the fatigue and soreness were quickly forgotten. I think the adrenaline kicked in at that point.

So, Rebecca and fellow LPGA players, M.J. Hur, Dori Carter, and Sarah Jane Smith went to the first tee of the Manakin course to play off for the two last spots. The first hole is 400 yards uphill. All of the players hit good tee shots. Rebecca’s approach was ten yards short of the green, but she chipped it up to two feet and made her par. M.J. Hur, whose approach found a bunker, failed to get up and down and she was the first player eliminated after the other three parred the hole.

On the second hole, a par 5, Dori Carter made a nice 10-foot birdie putt while Rebecca and Sarah Jane parred the hole. That gave Dori the 5th qualifying spot and her day was happily over. Her trip to Pinehurst was secured. That meant Rebecca and Sarah Jane would face off head-to-head for the final remaining ticket to the Open. None of us realized at that point that the real drama was just beginning.

Rebecca and Sarah Jane (who, by the way, had just finished tied for 2nd place in the LPGA’s Kingsmill event the previous day and won $90,000) each parred the third playoff hole, a par 4. That brought them to the 173-yard par 3 fourth hole. As the sun was beginning to go down on this long day of golf at Hermitage Country Club both players hit the green and two putted for par. The USGA official running the event then told the players they would go back to the tee and continue playing this hole until a winner was determined. To speed up play because daylight was running out they shuttled us back to the tee in golf carts.

Well, Rebecca and Sarah Jane played that hole five more times, each time both halving the hole with pars. Both players hit the green every time with their tee shots and both just missed birdie putts by fraction of inches a few times. The good-sized gallery of fans who had followed the drama roared when one of Rebecca’s tee shots almost went in for a hole in one on fifth time they played the hole. But her shot rolled a few feet past and she missed the putt. We couldn’t see it because it had gotten so dark it was hard to see the pin from the tee box.

By the time we reached the green for the sixth time it was very dark. It was impossible to read the breaks. I had to tend the pin for Rebecca even though she was only 12 feet away. Both players parred the hole again, and the official announced that play had to be suspended because of darkness.

That meant Rebecca had played, and I had caddied, for 45 holes that day and our jobs were still not over. The official said play would resume at 7:30 the next morning and they would continue to play the 4th hole until somebody won it. Talk about a “cliff hanger.”

Tuesday morning Rebecca and I met at the car at six o’clock at our hotel. We grabbed a quick breakfast on the way to the course and got there about 6:30 in order to warm up on the range and putting green. Sarah Jane and her husband/caddie DuWayne pulled into the parking lot at the course about three minutes after us. We wished each other luck and got down to business. At 7:30 the officials called us over to the clubhouse from the driving range. We all caravanned out to the fourth hole in several golf carts and prepared to find out exactly how many times we would have to play the hole before one of the players could win it.

Sarah Jane had had the honors on all of the head-to-head playoff holes with Rebecca. She teed off into the morning sun this time and she pulled her shot a little, missing the green for the first time in seven tries. Rebecca and I decided to use the same club she had used from the tee the evening before, but that morning the wind had shifted and was now behind her. She hit a great shot to the back pin, but it bounced hard and rolled through the green into a bunker just behind the pin, leaving her short sided.

Sarah Jane hit a good chip but it rolled 15 feet past the pin, leaving her a downhill right-to-left breaking putt. Rebecca hit an excellent bunker shot, but she also rolled past the pin stopping three feet short of Sarah Jane’s ball marker. Sarah putted first and left her putt about a foot short. She tapped in for a bogey. Rebecca knew the line of her putt after having a similar one the day before. She put a perfect stroke on the ball, playing for a four-inch break to the left. The ball tracked perfectly and dropped into the middle of the cup for her par.

A huge smile came over her face. I gave her such a big hug I was I afraid I might have bruised her ribs. She had earned her way into the Open. Her winning putt on her 46th hole dropped into the cup almost exactly 24 hours after she had hit her first tee shot the day before in this marathon of a golf event. It will always be one of the most vivid memories I will ever have from a golf course.

Well done, Rebecca!! Go get ‘em at the U S Women’s Open. You certainly deserve your spot in the field.

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 LPGA and the Symetra Tour. He is the author of Pops and Sunshine, a novel and screenplay about life on the women’s tour. The screenplay has been optioned by a production company in Hollywood.

May 22, 2014
Symetra Tour’s 2014 Season Set to Begin

The expanded 2014 Symetra Tour schedule tees off February 21 in Mesa, Arizona. This year the tour will have 20 events, five more than last year, with purses totaling more than $2.2 million, a record for the tour.

Again this year, as it has for the last two seasons, the LPGA will award full status cards for the following year to the top 10 money earners on the Symetra Tour. The tour is owned by the LPGA and is nicknamed “The Road to the LPGA.”

There are 30 or more players whose past performances have shown they have a good chance of finishing in the top 10. Here are my predictions of those that will get it done and move on to the LPGA at the end of this season.

Predictions for Top 10 Money Winners

1. Yueer Cindy Feng (China)

Having turned 18 years old earlier this month, this powerful young ball striker from China begins her first season as a professional golfer. Feng has developed a strong reputation as an amateur player here in the United States over the past several years. She qualified for three of the past five U S Women’s Opens, making her first appearance in 2009 when she was just 13 years old.

Watch for Feng to capture multiple victories this season and to finish the year first on the tour’s money list. She should be an LPGA rookie in 2015.

2. Hannah Yun (United States)

This 21 year old from Bradenton, Florida earned her 2012 LPGA rookie card through Q School. Yun struggled in her first two seasons on the premier tour however, and was forced to drop down to the Symetra Tour midway through the 2013 season. She won the tour’s Volvik Championship last summer in Reunion, Florida, and finished 20^th on the season money list while playing in only ten events.

Yun has all the natural skills to successfully compete on the LPGA. She should find her mental game this season and finish in the top two or three on the tour’s money list, returning her to the LPGA in 2015. Two or more victories for her are not out of the question this season.

3. Olivia Jordan-Higgins (Great Britain)

A mere $115 kept this fourth-year Symetra Tour player from earning her LPGA rookie card for this season. Last year Jordan-Higgins, who hails from the Channel Islands in the English Channel, finished 11^th on the tour’s money list. She missed the cut in the final event of the season. Had she made that cut she would have captured the 10^th spot on the money list and would be playing on the LPGA this year.

Jordan-Higgins’ game improved steadily over her first three seasons on the Symetra Tour. She got her first tour victory last year at the Credit Union Classic in Syracuse, New York, and had three other top 10 finishes. If her game continues to improve she should finish within the top five of the money list this season.

4. Kim Kaufman (United States)

This 5’11’’ player wasted little time last year in establishing herself as a force on the Symetra Tour. Kaufman joined the tour in June after graduating Texas Tech University, and in just her third event as a professional she captured a victory at the Island Resort Championship in Harris, Michigan.

Kaufman went on to earn three other top 10 finishes and made the cut in all of the ten events she entered in 2013. That type of consistent golf was good enough to give her the 12^th spot on the tour’s money list at the end of the season. She earned limited LPGA status for this season at Q School in December. She could make it into a handful of LPGA events this year. If she focuses on the Symetra Tour for the entire year she should finish the season well within the top 10 on the money list.

5. Jackie Stoelting (United States)

Hard work and steady progress over the past five years on the tour should earn Jackie Stoelting her full status LPGA card for the 2015 season. The Vero Beach, Florida native begins her 7^th season on the Symetra Tour this year. She finished 22^nd on the money list last year and earned partial status on the LPGA for this season through her T38 finish at the final stage of Q School last December.

Stoelting had five top 10 finishes in 2013 and missed only 3 cuts in 14 events. She also qualified for last year’s U S Women’s Open. Look for her to capture her first Symetra Tour victory this season and easily finish inside the top 10 on the money list.

6. Wei-Ling Hsu (Taiwan)

An 18-year-old rookie last year, this Taiwanese player became one of the youngest-ever winners on the Symetra Tour when she captured the victory in the Credit Union Challenge in Albany, New York. Hsu had two other top 10 finishes during the season and made the cut in 12 of her 14 events.

Very accurate off the tees and a strong putter, Hsu is another impressive teenager from Asia where women’s golf has developed in amazing fashion over the last several years. Expect her to be in the winner’s circle again this season on the Symetra Tour and on to the LPGA next year.

7. Melissa Eaton (South Africa)

After winning the second event of the 2013 season on the Symetra Tour, Melissa Eaton was in the driver’s seat for capturing one of the 10 LPGA cards at the end of the season. But that turned out to be her only top 10 finish in 14 starts for the tour veteran from South Africa. She ended the year in 13^th place on the money list.

A graduate of Louisiana State University, Eaton turned pro in 2008 and has spent 6 years on the Symetra Tour. She has also had status on the Ladies European Tour for the past two seasons. She has a twin sister who also played briefly on the Symetra Tour. Eaton’s close brush with earning her LPGA card last year should be enough to inspire her to a better season in 2014 and a top 10 finish on the money list.

8. Therese Koelbaek (Denmark)

Following a very impressive 2012 rookie season on the tour, Therese Koelbaek is hoping to bounce back from an injury that kept her out of action most of last year. The tall (5-9”) Dane made the cut in all of her 15 starts in 2012 and finished 26^th on the tour’s money list. But the two-time All-American from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas suffered a back injury early last season and only appeared in 4 events, making just one cut.

A lengthy recovery and recuperation has apparently worked. Koelbaek has already won two events early this year on the Cactus Tour in Arizona and has shot several impressive rounds in the 60’s. If her back holds up she can expect to repeat her winning ways on the Symetra Tour at an event or two in the 2014 season. She should also be able to finish the year in the top 10 on the money list.

9. Brianna Do (United States)

This third-year Symetra Tour player from California won the U S Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship in 2011 while she was a player on the UCLA women’s golf team. Last December she finished T32 in the final stage of LPGA Q School, earning limited playing status for this year’s LPGA season. Unlikely to get many starts on the LPGA, she will likely focus her playing time on the Symetra Tour.

Last year, in her first full Symetra season, Brianna Do made 10 of 14 cuts and had one top 10 finish. A solid ball striker with an excellent short game there is no reason that she can’t make another big jump in her career this year and earn her full status for next year’s LPGA season.

10. Jenni Jenq (United States)

Every year there are one or two players that seemingly come out of nowhere to finish high on the Symetra Tour money list and earn their way to the LPGA. This year one of those players could be Jenni Jenq. The native Californian is beginning her second pro season on the tour, having decided to turn pro a few years after graduating Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She won the California Women’s Amateur title in 2011.

Jenq is very accurate off the tee, with her approach shots, and around the green. She has an excellent putting game. Her commitment to practice and her strong mental approach to the game could be enough to propel her into the top 10 this season. Don’t be surprised if she wins an event this season.

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 LPGA and the Symetra Tour. He is the author of Pops and Sunshine, a novel and screenplay about life on the women’s tour. The screenplay has been optioned by a production company in Hollywood.

February 9, 2014
A Tricky Rules Situation at Bahamas LPGA Event

If you watch enough golf on TV you will eventually see a rules situation come up that you have never witnessed before. For most golf fans that was the case on Sunday on the final hole of the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic. Even the LPGA rules official who was involved in the situation called it “a tricky one.” One of the veteran broadcasters for Golf Channel said on air that he had never seen it before.

“Tricky” Rules Situation

The situation involved Jessica Korda, the eventual winner of the tournament, on her next-to-last shot from just off the 18^th green. Her approach shot to the hole had run past the green and nestled among some TV cables close to the wall of a spectator viewing stand. She was far enough away from the wall so that she could putt the ball onto the green, but five TV cables surrounded her ball.

At first Korda, her caddie, and LPGA Rules official Dan Maselli tried to pick up the cables and move them out of the way. That’s usually what is done in that situation. But in this case there wasn’t enough slack in the cables to move them far enough away, so Maselli and one of the Golf Channel broadcasters held up the cables. Korda then putted her ball under the cable “bridge.” It was a very good shot and got her close enough to the cup to make her next putt which turned out to be the winning shot of the event and gave her the championship.

Some people have raised questions about the way the situation was resolved and how it is addressed in the official Rules of Golf. One veteran pro caddie wondered, for example, who would be allowed to lift the cables out of the way. He said he has been told by tour officials in past tournaments that a player’s caddie or marshalls can’t hold a gallery rope out of the way of a player’s swing or intended ball flight. His understanding was that the rope and posts must be taken down and placed on the ground.

Dan Maselli, the official who made the decision in Sunday’s situation, said anyone, including the player’s own caddie, can hold a cable or rope out of the way without incurring a penalty. But Maselli also says he understands why there might be some confusion… “This is a tricky one because you won’t find anything in the Rules that specifically allows it, nor will you find anything that specifically precludes it.”

Maselli went on to explain… “A player is not allowed to accept assistance in playing a shot but that refers to protection from the elements or using devices to help with a swing. This, in my opinion, falls under Rule 1-4, Points not covered by Rules. A player is allowed relief from obstructions, movable and immovable. To me, the obstruction was movable but would not stay out of the way of the player’s stance, lie of ball or area of intended swing. Because the cables are not normally there, just there for the tournament, I felt that holding them up to allow the player to hit her desired shot, in equity, was ok. I know it’s been done before and so I decided to proceed that way. That in a nutshell is and was my thinking.”

Jessica Korda certainly was not given any advantage in the way she was allowed to play her shot. In fact, she may have been a little distracted having to putt under the cable “bridge.” The “spirit of the game” seems to have been well protected by the way the situation was handled.

Still, to the average golf fan it is more proof that the Rules of Golf are not as clear and as easily understood as they might be. Even the experts realize there can be some “tricky ones.”

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 LPGA and the Symetra Tour. He is the author of Pops and Sunshine, a novel and screenplay about life on the women’s tour. The screenplay has been optioned by a production company in Hollywood.

January 27, 2014
The Road (Back) to the LPGA

The Symetra Tour is the official developmental tour of the LPGA. It is made up primarily of young women from all around the world who have just turned pro and are trying to make the big jump to the highest level in women’s professional golf. The tour’s official nickname is “The Road to the LPGA.” It’s the equivalent of the Triple A league in Major League Baseball.

Each year the top 10 money earners on the Symetra Tour receive full playing status on the LPGA for the following season. In 2013 the tour might have been better nicknamed “The Road Back to the LPGA.” Only one of the 10 players that earned her playing status on the LPGA for this year’s season will be a true rookie. The other nine have made it up to the LPGA in past seasons (either through the Symetra Tour or LPGA Q School), but they did not perform well enough… make enough money… to keep their cards. Their stories point to the difficulty of making a steady (and lucrative) career as a professional woman golfer. It is very hard getting to the LPGA. It is just as hard for many to stay there.

The only true LPGA rookie out of the Symetra Tour this year is Giulia Molinaro from Italy. Molinaro, who played college golf at Arizona State University, spent just the 2013 season on the Symetra tour and finished 2^nd on the money list with just under $40,000 in earnings. Molinaro has done what few players have done, going from Symetra Tour rookie to LPGA rookie in only one year. Most players spend a few years on the Symetra Tour before they are able to make the jump to the LPGA. The vast majority of Symetra players never make it to the LPGA.

The other nine top finishers on the Symetra Tour’s money list have had LPGA status in the past. All of them had to return to the Symetra Tour last year, or for the past few years, because they lost the LPGA playing status they had gained in previous seasons either through the Symetra Tour or Q School.

Here are the other nine players and the year (in parenthesis) that they first earned their LPGA cards.

P.K Kongkraphan-Thailand (2013)

Marina Alex-USA (2012)

Christine Song-USA (2010)

Cydney Clanton-USA (2012)

Sue Kim-Canada (2013)

Hannah Jun-USA (2008)

Perrine Delacour-France (2013)

Alena Sharp-Canada (2005)

Jaclyn Sweeney-USA (2011)

There will be 28 rookies on the LPGA this year. 26 of those players earned their rookie cards through the Q School process. Besides Giulia Molinaro from the Symetra Tour, teenage sensation Lydia Ko earned her rookie card by winning an LPGA event in 2013.

Of those 26 players, just 9 earned full playing status by finishing in the top 20 at Q School. That gives them Category 12 status on the LPGA’s player priority list. They will get into all of the full field events this season, giving them a good opportunity to make money and maintain their playing status for 2015. The top 125 finishers on the LPGA money list each season are assured of playing status for the following year.

The other 17 rookies from Q School (those who finished 21^st to 44^th) earned limited playing status, Category 17, which will only get them into a handful of LPGA events this year. That means they will have to take advantage of those few playing opportunities to climb up the LPGA money list, or they will have to return to the Symetra Tour or Q School. Many of those players will play primarily on the Symetra Tour this season and hope they can finish the 2014 season in the top 10 on that tour’s money list.

The story of Hannah Yun exemplifies how difficult it is for players to reach the LPGA tour and to stay there once they have. Yun, who will turn 22 in April, first earned her full status card on the LPGA at Q School in December of 2011. She had already played three full seasons on the Symetra Tour at that point without doing well enough to earn her LPGA card that way.

The gifted teenager played a full season on the LPGA in 2012. However, like most rookies, she had a hard time competing at the top level. She made only 4 cuts in 16 events, earning less than $30,000, and finished the year 116^th on the tour’s money list. She returned to the final stage of LPGA Q School in December of 2012, trying to improve her playing status for the 2013 season.

Yun did not do well at Q School and dropped to 152^nd place on the LPGA’s priority list for the 2013 season (she maintained tour status for 2013 because she had finished in the top 125 on the money list in 2012). Her struggles continued in the limited number of LPGA events she was able to enter. She missed the cut in each of the 6 events she played. Midway through the 2013 season she lost her LPGA playing status through the “reshuffle” in the priority list and she was forced to drop down to the Symetra Tour for the remainder of the year.

Her play and results improved dramatically against the lesser competition on that tour. She had several good finishes, including a win (her first as a pro) in the Symetra Tour’s Volvik Championship in August. She finished the Symetra Tour season in 20^th place on the tour’s money list. That was not good enough, however, to earn her LPGA status for the 2014 season.

She returned to the final stage of LPGA Q School last December where she shot a 68 in the first round and was tied for 4^th place early in the five-day event. But her scores went up over the next four days and she finished the event in 63^rd place, not good enough to earn her any LPGA status for this season.

So this year Hannah Yun will be playing a full season again on the Symetra Tour. Her goal is to finish in the top 10 on the money list and automatically return to the LPGA fulltime in 2015. She is not alone in her up-and-down ride in women’s professional golf. The competition is intense, and only those with strong physical skills and an equally-strong mental game last a long time on the LPGA tour.

The LPGA schedule has grown again this year. There will be 32 events, an increase of four from 2013. The season gets underway at the end of January with the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic. For the new rookies (or any player) it is all about making cuts and earning paychecks. In professional golf that is what it’s all about. If you don’t play well, it’s back to “the minors” where the road to the top of the hill starts all over again.

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 LPGA and the Symetra Tour. He is the author of Pops and Sunshine, a novel and screenplay about life on the women’s tour. The screenplay has been optioned by a production company in Hollywood.

January 14, 2014
LPGA Rookies To Watch in 2014

REUTERS/Danny Moloshok

There are 28 rookies preparing to tee it up this year on the LPGA tour. Traditionally rookies have a hard time making cuts and earning enough money to keep their playing status for the following season. It is a big step up to play at the highest level in women’s golf.

Of the 28 rookies this year about 15 of them will get enough playing opportunities to have a realistic shot of making enough money to automatically return to the tour in 2015. If history is any guide, perhaps five or six of them will get that job done. Here is a look at three rookies in 2014 that appear to have what it takes to enjoy long successful careers on the LPGA.

One “Sure Thing” and Two Other Rookies to Watch for on the LPGA in 2014

Lydia Ko
Arguably the most remarkable teenage golfer in the history of women’s golf, Lydia Ko (pictured above) is now about to begin her rookie season on the LPGA tour. The 16-year-old sensation from New Zealand will tee it up later this month in the LPGA’s Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Championship. It is the first LPGA event of the 2014 season and it will be Ko’s first event as an official member of the LPGA tour. She required a special waiver from the LPGA to play on the tour at her young age.

Mature beyond her years, both on and off the golf course, Ko has already won five professional women’s golf events. Four of those victories, over the past two years, came when she was an amateur. Two of those amateur victories came on the LPGA tour when she won the Canadian Women’s Open in 2012 and 2013. In November of last year she won her first event as a professional, a tournament in Taiwan in which several LPGA players competed.
Ko had an equally amazing record as an amateur player. She won the Australian Women’s Amateur twice (2011 and 2012), the New Zealand Women’s Amateur (2011), and the U.S. Women’s Amateur (2012).

She is now the 4th-ranked woman player in the world and she hasn’t reached her 17th birthday yet (she will turn 17 in April). Only LPGA veterans Inbee Park, Suzann Pettersen, and Stacy Lewis are ahead of her in the official Rolex World Rankings in women’s golf.
The expectations for Ko’s rookie season couldn’t be any higher. Many expect her to easily capture “Rookie of the Year” honors. Many expect her to win multiple events. Big product endorsement deals are already coming her way. She has the potential to be one of the superstars of women’s golf for many years to come. Everyone will be looking forward to see how this 16 year old makes the adjustment in her first season of full-time professional golf.

GOLFWEEK/Tracy Wilcox

Jaye Marie Green
19 years old from Boca Raton, Florida, Jaye Marie Green raised a lot of eyebrows in December with her record-setting performance in the final stage of LPGA Q School. In the five-day tournament she shot an amazing 29 under par, ten shots better than the nearest competitor, to easily earn her rookie card for 2014. Her total score and victory margin both set Q School records.

A highly ranked amateur in her earlier teen years, Green decided against going to college and turned pro at 18. She played the 2013 season on the Symetra Tour. As a 16-year-old amateur she qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open in 2010. She also qualified for that event in 2012. She finished second in the U.S. Women’s Amateur that same year. She played on the Junior Solheim Cup team in 2011, and had a long list of victories in junior championships.
Green is a good friend of young LPGA star Lexi Thompson. They grew up near each other in south Florida and played a lot together in junior golf. With the players in the women’s pro golf game getting younger and younger every year, Green will be one of several teenagers on the LPGA when she tees it up in her fist event as a rookie this season.

Don’t be surprised to see Green near the top of a few leaderboards in 2014. She is a very solid ball striker and is known for her brilliant putting. As they say in pro golf, putting is the name of the game.

USGA

Amy Anderson
North Dakota is not exactly known as a hotbed for developing golf talent, and North Dakota State University has not produced many professional players. 21-year-old Amy Anderson may well become one of the best-known pros to ever emerge from that state and that school. Anderson graduated in May and finished in 4th place (14 under par) at LPGA Q School in December in her first attempt to qualify for the LPGA tour.
The tall blonde (5’9”) is a powerful ball striker and could be among the longest hitters this season on the LPGA. She set an NCAA record in college with 20 career victories over her four years at NDSU. The previous record of 17 victories had been set in 1982 by LPGA veteran Juli Inkster when Inkster played at San Jose State University.

Anderson was a member of the U.S. Curtis Cup team in 2012. In 2009 she won the U.S. Junior Girls Championship. She first came to widespread national attention in 2011 at the U.S. Women’s Open. She qualified for the national championship during her sophomore season at North Dakota State. Her opening round score of 69 was good enough to give her the early first round lead in the Open. She came back to reality over the final three days, finishing the event in 63rd place, still an admirable achievement for an 18-year-old amateur.
Anderson’s older brother Nathan, himself a former college player at North Dakota State, will be caddying for her in her first season on the LPGA. He was on her bag in December at Q School when she earned her rookie card.

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 LPGA and the Symetra Tour. He is the author of Pops and Sunshine, a novel and screenplay about life on the women’s tour. The screenplay has been optioned by a production company in Hollywood.

January 10, 2014
Handicapping The 2012 LPGA Qualifying School

By Dave Andrews

LPGA Veterans Kim and Diaz Headline Field

I follow women’s golf more than most people but I don’t claim to be an expert. With that said here are my look at the upcoming final stage of LPGA Q School and my prediction for those most likely to earn playing status on the LPGA for 2013.

The grueling five-day tournament begins this Wednesday on the Champions and Legends courses at LPGA International Golf Club, the home of the LPGA Tour’s headquarters. 125 players from around the world will be competing for 20 full status cards on the LPGA tour in 2013. Another 25 limited status cards will be given out to the players who finish 21^st to 45^th after the final scores are posted next Sunday.

As usual, this year there is a mixture of players in the field… current LPGA players who didn’t play well enough this year to maintain their full status, players trying to make the move up to the LPGA from the Symetra Tour (the LPGA’s official developmental tour,) a fairly large number of players from the Ladies European Tour, a few from Asian tours, and a handful of amateurs.

Probably the best-known players in the field are LPGA veterans Christina Kim and Laura Diaz. This year, Kim suffered through the worst season of her ten years on the LPGA and failed to finish in the top 100 on the LPGA money list. She has two LPGA victories to her credit, she has won more than four million dollars on the tour over the past decade, and she was on the U.S. Solheim Cup team just last year, but now she faces the prospect of having no LPGA playing status for next year unless she plays well at Q School. She suffered a series of physical ailments this year and she recently revealed that she has gone through serious bouts of depression, including thoughts of suicide.

Laura Diaz (also a two-time winner on the tour and a four-time U.S. Solheim Cup team player) is also forced to return to Q School after 14 years on the LPGA in which she has won more than five million dollars in purse money. This season however, Diaz made less than 44 thousand dollars in 14 starts and also finished outside the top 100 on the tour’s money list.

Other players in the Q School field who have several years of experience on the LPGA tour include Birdie Kim, Meaghan Francella, Nicole Jeray, Na On Min, Reilley Rankin, Eunjung Yi, Meredith Duncan, Maria Hernandez, and Nicole Hage. All tolled there are more than 40 players in this year’s field who have had or currently have some form of LPGA playing status.

This year there is a strong contingent of players in the field from the Ladies European Tour (the LET). They include Caroline Masson of Germany who was the second-leading money winner on the LET this year. Melissa Reid of England, another LET leading money winner and a member of last year’s European Solheim Cup team, is returning to LPGA Q School for the second time. Other LET standouts in the Q School field include Anne-Lise Caudal of France, Ashleigh Simon of South Africa, Frances Bondad of Australia and Felicity Johnson of England.

A large number of players in Q School this year come from the Symetra Tour. “The Road to the LPGA” as it is nicknamed is owned and operated by the LPGA. The ten leading money winners on the Symetra Tour this season earned automatic full playing status on the LPGA for 2013. The next ten players on the money list earned automatic entry into this week’s final stage of Q School. Others worked their way through the first and/or second stages of Q School which were held earlier this fall.

There are a handful of players competing this week who come from the professional tours in Asia. Several of them are seen as strong competitors for the top final spots at Q School. Notables include Chie Arimura and Ayako Uehara of Japan. Moriya Jutanugarn of Thailand, who recently turned pro at the age of 17, was one of the top ranked amateurs in the world. She is viewed as a likely candidate to earn her LPGA card at Q School.

A few players who graduated American colleges in 2012 and were standout players in school are also in the field. Some of them are former All Americans and have recently turned pro. Brooke Pancake from the University of Alabama and Austin Ernst from LSU lead that list.

My personal favorite is LPGA rookie Hannah Yun. Hannah struggled this season in her first year on the LPGA. She finished 116th on the money list and is returning to Q School to maintain her full status for next year. I had the thrill of caddying for Hannah last year at Q School and I’ll be out there again this week, rooting her on as she and her full time caddie Martin Bozek get the job done.

With that look at the makeup of the field, here are my picks (in alphabetical order) of the 40 players I think have the best chance of earning LPGA playing status at Q School this year…

Lacey Agnew

Marina Alex

Jackie Barenborg

Karlin Beck

Frances Bondad

Sara Brown

Katie Burnett

Anne-Lise Caudal

Sandra Changkija

Misun Cho

Jean Chua

Meredith Duncan

Kathleen Ekey

Austin Ernst

Lisa Ferrero

Meaghan Francella

Nicole Hage

Ginger Howard

Moriya Jutanugarn

Birdie Kim

Christina Kim

Therese Koelbaek

Stephanie Kono

Rebecca Lee-Bentham

Amelia Lewis

Tzu-Chi Lin

Caroline Masson

Megan McChrystal

Stephanie Na

Haru Nomura

Angela Oh

Brooke Pancake

Melissa Reid

Stephanie Sherlock

Ashleigh Simon

Kristie Smith

Marissa Steen

Jenny Suh

Jaclyn Sweeny

Hannah Yun

November 27, 2012
Talent Level was Marginal at LPGA Q School

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.

December 9, 2011
19 year old Hannah Yun prepares for rookie year on LPGA Tour

I’ll always remember the first time I met Hannah Yun. It was in the summer of 2008 at a Duramed Futures Tour event in Bloomfield, Ct. On the patio outside the clubhouse at the course I happened to strike up a casual conversation with a man who turned out to be Hannah’s father. She was out on the putting green practicing.

He told me his daughter was 16 years old and she was playing on the tour that summer as an amateur. She had just finished her freshman year at the University of Florida where she had been the team’s MVP as a 15 year old. Needless to say I found that very impressive. Imagine a 15 year old as the star player on a big college golf team.

Out on the putting green she was working with Glen Kirk, the YES putter representative, who was giving her some advice on her putting stroke. I had known Glen for a couple of years and Glen told me Hannah was one of the most impressive young golfers he had ever seen. I said hi to Hannah and wished her well in the event. The next day I followed Hannah for a few holes and it took only a few minutes to realize she had a tremendous golf swing and was one of the most powerful ball strikers on the tour, despite her young age and 5’3″ frame.

I saw Hannah and her parents again a couple months later at the final Futures Tour event of the season in Albany, New York. I was caddying for another player on the tour and only got to talk with them around the putting green. I told her father I would follow Hannah’s progress at the University of Florida and we exchanged contact info.

As it turned out, Hannah’s father wrote a couple months later to tell me that Hannah decided to withdraw from the University of Florida that fall, early in her sophomore year. She had her sights set on a career on the LPGA and felt she was not progressing well enough in the school’s golf program. The following spring she began playing fulltime on the Futures Tour and I saw her several times that year. She always had power and a great technique but she was not scoring as well as planned. She finished the season in the top 50 on the money list with a stroke average of 73.4. Her best finish was a tie for 4th place. She finished the season at 50th on the tour’s money list. So, despite her talent there was still a long way to go before she could consider herself ready for the LPGA.

The following season (2010) was similar. She improved her stroke average to 72.9 but had trouble putting three good rounds together in events. She tried a couple of different caddies and her father also caddied for her, but the results were always similar. Her best finish was 15th place and she ended the season at 63rd on the money list. She shot several rounds in the mid and high 60’s, but she allso shot many in the mid 70’s. In professional golf you are not going to go far by shooting 75’s and 76’s. Hannah tried several different coaches and instructors but the results did not seem to change very much.

This year (2011) she continued to struggle and even left the tour in the summer to go back to training and practice and to work more on her game. She played in only 10 events, instead of the usual 15 or 16. She actually improved her stroke average to 72.6, but was not happy with the way she was progressing. She finished the season at 50th on the money list. Whenever I talked with Hannah or her father it was clear they were a little frustrated with the way things were going.

In September of this year, after a lot of work with her coaches, Hannah went to the second stage of LPGA Q School in Venice, Florida and had an impressive performance. She shot 5 under par for the event (68-71-71-73-283), finished in a tie for 8th place, and earned her way to the final stage of LPGA Q School in Daytona Beach, Florida. The event concluded this past Sunday. (Dec. 4th).

The week before Q School, Hannah played in a Suncoast Tour event at the Q School site at the LPGA International complex. She shot a very impressive 9 under par score (69-69-69-207) in the three-day tune up event for Q School. All appeared to be coming into place nicely. I watched her play several holes in that event and walked the course with her father as we followed her in action. She and the other players were playing out of golf carts in that event, so her father was not caddying for her as he had been during the year on the Futures Tour.

The first round of the big 5-day Q School tournament was played last Wednesday (Nov. 30th). I was following Hannah and several other players I know who were competing in the event. At the end of the day I was sitting in the coffee shop at the course when Hannah and her father walked in after finishing their round. Both were very dejected. Hannah had shot a 4 over par 76 and was not in good position after the first round. Hannah walked out of the coffee shop and her father sat down with me and told me that it was not working out well with him on Hannah’s bag. The father/daughter relationship on the golf course can often be a precarious situation.

He then surprised me when he asked me if I would consider caddying for Hannah for the four final rounds of the event. I told him that I would be happy to help if that was what he and she really wanted (I am not a professional caddie, but I have caddied for several players and generally know how to do the fundamental things that are required). He was hoping that if I could just keep her relaxed and comfortable out on the course that she would play much better golf. He went outside and Hannah came in a few minutes later and asked if I would cary her bag. I told her it would be my pleasure.

So, I caddied for Hannah the last four rounds. I did my best to keep her smiling and keep her clubs clean and my advice to myself. Apparently it all worked out. Hannah went on to shoot 74-71-72-71 and finished in a tie for 15th place in the tournament, earning her full status card on the LPGA tour for next year.

I was thrilled for her and happy to have helped in a small way. Trust me, however, Hannah didn’t need my help. She is as good a player as most of the players currently on the LPGA tour. She is going to do very well in her rookie season on the tour, and at the young age of 19 has a brilliant career to look forward to. She is also one of the nicest, most humble and modest young women I have ever had the chance to meet.

If you follow the LPGA, keep your eye on Hannah Yun in 2012. I think you will be seeing her name high up on the leaderboards in events and I hope you will be seeing a lot of her in action on Sundays when the LPGA events are on TV.

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.

December 5, 2011
Handicapping the Field for LPGA Qualifying School

Photo by Dave Andrews

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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November 1, 2011
Yani Tseng, Pablo Larrazabal, Erik Compton Lead Titleist to Six-Win Week
The following is a Press release issued by Acushnet Golf:

Kevin Rivoli/AP

MAJOR SUCCESS. INSPIRING PERFORMANCE.
Yani Tseng, Pablo Larrazabal, Erik Compton Lead Titleist to Six-Win Week.

Fairhaven, MA (June 27, 2011) – History was made by Titleist golf ball loyalists this week, as 22-year old Yani Tseng convincingly captured the Wegmans LPGA Championship to become the youngest player to ever win four major championships. The No. 1 player in women’s golf relied upon the Pro V1x to finish 10 shots clear of the world-class field.

On the European Tour, Titleist Brand Ambassador Pablo Larrazabal displayed consistency and perseverance en route to capturing the BMW International Open. Relying upon the Pro V1x golf ball and a bag full of Titleist equipment, Larrazabal fired four consecutive rounds in the 60’s and won with a birdie on the fifth sudden death playoff hole.

In one of the most emotional victories in any sport, Brand Ambassador Erik Compton also relied upon Titleist equipment from tee-to-green to win the Nationwide Tour’s Mexico Open. It marked the first career victory for Compton, whose inspiring performance came three years after his second heart transplant.

Titleist golf ball loyalists also posted victories on the Canadian, Korean and Japan tours to advance Titleist’s year-to-date victory count across the worldwide professional tours to 83, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 11.

TITLEIST HIGHLIGHTS FOR WEEK ENDING JUNE 26, 2011

LPGA TOUR: Tseng, who relies upon the Titleist Pro V1x golf ball, closed with a 6-under par 66 en route to a 19-under 269 victory total to secure her 10-shot win at the Wegmans LPGA Championship. The win marks the eighth of Tseng’s career, including her three previous majors: 2010 Kraft Nabisco, 2010 Ricoh Women’s British Open, 2008 LPGA Championship. The win is the third this season for Tseng, who also triumphed at the Honda LPGA Thailand and the LPGA State Farm Classic. She had a runner-up finish at the first major of the year, the Kraft Nabisco.
- Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the Wegmans LPGA Championship with 109 players, more than eight times the nearest competitor with 12.
EUROPEAN TOUR: In addition to the victory at the BMW International, Larrazabal, who posted a 16-under 266 to reach the playoff, qualified for the British Open next month with his winning performance.
- What’s in Titleist Brand Ambassador Pablo Larrazabal’s Bag?: Pro V1x golf ball, 910D2 (9.5) driver, 910F (15, 19) fairway metals, MB (3-9) irons, Vokey Design pitching (48), sand (54) and lob (58) wedges, Scotty Cameron Studio Select Squareback putter.
- Five players tied for 3rd at 14-under 274, including Titleist Brand Ambassador George Coetzee (Pro V1x, 910D2 driver, 910F.d fairway metal, 909H hybrid, CB irons, Vokey Design approach, sand and lob wedges), Mark Foster (Pro V1, Scotty Cameron Newport 2 Detour putter) and Joost Luiten (Pro V1).
- Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the event with 117 players, more than six times the nearest competitor with 18. Titleist also was first in iron sets (49); and sand, lob and approach wedges (194), and second in drivers (39), including 37 910D2 or 910D3 drivers; hybrids (28); and putters (30).
NATIONWIDE TOUR: Compton closed with a 7-under par 65 in his come-from-behind victory at the Mexico Open. It marked the first career Nationwide Tour title for Compton, who started the final round tied for 6th place. He finished at 17-under par 271, two shots clear of fellow Pro V1x loyalist Richard H. Lee (Pro V1x).

– What’s in Titleist Brand Ambassador Erik Compton’s Bag?: Pro V1x golf ball, 910D3 (8.5) driver, 910F (13.5) fairway metal, 910H (19, 21) hybrids, CB (4-5)/MB (6-P) irons, Vokey Design sand (52) and lob (58) wedges, Scotty Cameron Newport 2 303 GSS putter).
- In nine Nationwide Tour starts this year, Compton has made eight cuts, including seven top 25 finishes. He vaults to second on the 2011 Nationwide Tour money list. Compton has also made the cut in all four PGA TOUR events he has played this season.
- The 31-year-old was diagnosed at age 9 with cardiomyopathy, an enlarging of the heart that hinders its ability to pump blood. Three years later, in 1992, he received a new heart. That one failed in 2008, and the former University of Georgia star had another transplant.
- Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the Mexico Open with 107 players, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 15. Titleist also was first in iron sets (51); sand, lob and approach wedges (155); and putters (64). Titleist was second in drivers (40); and fairway metals (48).
KOREAN TOUR: Kang, KyungNam (Pro V1, 910F fairway metal, 910H hybrid, Vokey Design sand and lob wedges, Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport Circle-T putter) won the DongBu Insurance Open by five shots over Titleist Brand Ambassador Lee, DongMin (Pro V1, 910D2 driver, 910F fairway metal, 910H hybrid, CB irons, Vokey Design sand and lob wedges, Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport Circle-T Putter). Kang, who began the final day one shot clear of Lee, finished the week at 8-under 276 for the sixth victory of his career.
- Titleist was the most played golf ball at the event with 110 players (71%), five times more than the nearest competitor with 23. All 11 players who finished among the top 10 and ties relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success, including six of whom trusted Titleist equipment throughout the bag.
JAPAN TOUR: Korea’s Jung-Gon Hwang (Pro V1x) captured the Gateway to the Open Mizuno Open by one shot over fellow countryman and Titleist Brand Ambassador Kyung-Tae Kim (Pro V1x, 910D3 driver, 909H hybrid, CB/MB irons, Vokey Design pitching, sand and lob wedges). It was the first JGTO title for the 19-year old Hwang, who guaranteed himself a start at the Open Championship with the top finish. Hwang came from three shots off the 54-hole pace with a final round of 66 to claim the title.
- Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the event with 67 players. Titleist also was first in hybrids (42); and sand, lob and approach wedges (114). Titleist was second in putters (18).
CANADIAN TOUR: Danny Sahl (Pro V1) captured the inaugural Syncrude Boreal Open, shooting a 2-under-par 70 en route to a 16-under 272 total, good for a five-shot margin of victory and his first career win.

PGA TOUR: Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the Travelers Championship with 106 players, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 15. Titleist also was first in iron sets (45); sand, lob and approach wedges (142); and putters (61). Titleist was second in drivers (44); and hybrids (37).

CHAMPIONS TOUR: Titleist was the overwhelming golf ball of choice at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open with 55 players, five times the nearest competitor with 11. Titleist also was first in iron sets (24); and putters (22).
- Mark Wiebe (Pro V1), who was coming off a victory at the Greater Hickory Classic at Rockbarn two weeks ago, finished alone in 3rd place.
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June 27, 2011
Interview With Elena Robles – Big Break Dominican Republic Contestant

Elena “Lani” Robles has been a contestant on the Golf Channel’s Big Break series twice, with her first appearance being earlier this year on Big Break Sandals Resorts with fellow contestants Carling Coffing and Seema Sadekar. Elena was the first golfer eliminated, but this is no way indicative of her skill as a golfer. Sometimes the bounces just don’t go your way, especially on a show like the Big Break where your survival may depend on a single swing. She handled the defeat with grace and a positive outlook and the producers of the next Big Break in the Dominican Republic must have taken notice, because she was selected to be a part of the show again, who’s final episode aired tonight (11/30/2010) on the Golf Channel at 9 pm.

Elena was gracious enough to spend a few minutes with me to answer some questions about life as a professional golfer and keep us all up to date on her off course ventures. Enjoy!

ITG: Did your week at LPGA Q-School differ from your expectations of the event?

Elena: Well, this was my first try at LPGA q school and it was a very good learning experience. I knew I wasn’t quite ready for the LPGA yet, but I discussed it with my coaches and family and we thought that it would be a good experience for me to go out and play to get a good feel of what I need to do for next year. I learned so much about myself and what I do under the gun. This is thus far my biggest event and I am very excited to play in future events and work on what I learned at q school.

ITG: How long have you been playing golf, and how did you get your start?

Elena: I have been playing golf since I was a freshman in high school. I started kind of late, I just went to a driving range with my dad and a local pro came up to my dad and told him he should get me some lessons and that I had a natural talent. Its been history since. I was a competitive figure skater before I started to golf.

ITG: When did you know you wanted to be a professional golfer?

Elena: I have always thought about it since I started playing but it wasn’t until I took a year off from the sport after graduating college that I realized my dream of playing on the LPGA tour.

ITG: You have appeared on the Golf Channel’s Big Break series twice now. What can you tell people about the experience that we may not know from watching it on TV?

Elena: All I can say is whoa pressure. I have NEVER experienced anything like BB pressure, ever. I used to watch the show and make fun of the people that couldn’t get a short chip shot in the circle but then when I played in my first challenge on BBS I realized how dumb I was for thinking like that. It was the craziest nerves I have ever felt, but good nerves and I loved every second.

ITG: Has being on the Big Break (Twice!) changed your career? If so, in what way?

Elena: Being in Big Break Sandals was awesome but being gone on the first show, I didn’t get to experience the whole thing like the other girls. Now that I have been blessed with this second opportunity on BBDR, I am very excited to have a new and unknown journey ahead of me filled with new and amazing opportunities. I am very grateful for the wonderful opportunities that I have been given to me thus far, and I wouldn’t have gotten them without being on the shows. I am so thankful for the golf channel and the fact that they choose me to come back and I am very excited for what the future holds.

ITG: Are you involved in any charities or business ventures off the course?

Elena: Right now I am in the process of starting my own foundation that will link to my website and allow my fans to match or beat my donation for every birdie I make in 2011 to an organization of my choosing(I will announce later ;)). I am looking for some financial sponsors to make this dream of mine come true so please contact me thru my website with any inquires (www.elenarobles.com).

I recently became part of an amazing company called Play Golf Designs run by two of my friends and fellow professional golfers Nisha and Seema Sedakar (Big Break Sandals). This company aims at improving women’s golf positively and represents the game of golf with poise, style and personality. Play Golf Designs is comprised of a player organization with the most beautiful and talented female professionals in the world, we do events across the country, growing the notoriety of women’s golf and I am so excited and honored to work with them and be a part of their company!

ITG: How difficult is it financially, physically and mentally to play professional golf?

Elena: I think the only thing holding me back right now is the financial aspect of the game. I work 3 jobs on top of working out and maintaining my game in order to pay for my own events. I am only able to play like 5-8 events a year because I pay for everything on my own, so it makes it extremely tough to be successful. I am determined to make my dreams come true and I will do anything I have to, to play golf. I am looking for financial sponsors to help me gain the luxury of competing on a weekly basis. I have done a great job of competing against girls that play full time but I feel the only thing lacking in my successes is the fact that I don’t get the competitive experience and rhythm by being able to play every week and travel to play on the different mini tours. As far as the mental aspect the situation I just mention leads to issues sometimes. I deal with not thinking about if this event is going to be my last event because the money isn’t there. I am working very hard on my mental game and I am confident that things will all fall into place.

I would like to add that I am working on this with my good friend and sports psychologist James Boykin, the owner and founder of Mental Apex (www.mentalapex.com). I have transformed my mental game thru the power of staying in the process and moment.

ITG: How much time do you spend practicing and working out in a typical week?

Elena: I work out almost everyday, taking days off if I am sore and or playing in an event then I just doing strength conditioning. I practice 5-6 days a week. I think that it is very important to take days off and enjoy life. I usually take Sundays off and go to church and the Farmers Market. I also try to play 2-3 times a week depending on what the week looks like.

ITG: What do you like to do when you aren’t playing golf?

Elena: I love working out and YOGA. I also, love spending time with my puppy Bella and my friends and family. I love music so concerts are one of my favorite things to do, especially if it is an incubus concert, my favorite band!! I also love baseball games and the beach.

ITG: Can you tell us something funny and/or interesting about you that most people don’t know?

Elena: My nickname is Lani, my dad has called me that since I was a baby. Also, I had braces and the headgear the wrapped around my neck and was all metal, haha!!!

ITG: Do you have a website or fan page people can go to follow you?

Elena: www.elenarobles.com and Elena “Lani” Robles Fan page on Facebook! I don’t add anyone I don’t know personally to my personal Facebook account, but you can “like” my fan page, thank you! =)

ITG: What advice can you give to young people who want to follow in your footsteps and become a professional golfer?

Elena: MY biggest advice to young golfers is to follow your dreams and never let anyone tell you; you can’t do it. You can do anything you set your mind to, if you work hard and BELIEVE in yourself. Self belief and confidence is the key to success. I am a great example of overcoming obstacles and coming out on top.

ITG: Who or what has been the biggest influence in your golf career?

Elena: I have a mentor that I owe most of my golfing success too. This person has helped me when I dint know if I was even going to play golf again. Through their inspiration and words of encouragement I have gotten to where I am today. I also grew up watching Annika Sorenstam play golf and she is my idol without a doubt.

ITG: If you could play golf with anyone – past or present – who would be in your foursome? What course would you play?

Elena: My foursome would include: Annika, Fred Couples, Justin Timberlake and myself and we would be playing at Agusta National.

ITG: If you could change any rule in golf, what rule would you change and why?

Elena: I would change the rangefinder rule, I think that it speeds up play and would help tournament speed of play.

ITG: What’s the toughest part about life on tour?

Elena: I think the toughest part about playing golf on the road is living out of your suitcase all the time and being away from home so much. I miss my puppy and my bed.

ITG: What’s the strength of your game? And where do you feel you need to improve?

Elena: I am happy with my game as a whole right now, but If I had to choose one strength it would be my consistency off the tee. I rarely miss a fairway I don’t hit it super far but I am consistent. I think that I need to improve on my completive rhythm and I can only do that by playing in more events. I am an all around solid player just need the opportunity to play full time on the mini tours and to go out and play without any financial weight on my shoulders and dominate.

ITG: LPGA Tour players earn far less than PGA Tour players, do you think there should be more equality in prize money between men and women?

Elena: I do, but we as female golfers have to bring it. Women’s golf needs to be rebranded and marketed. We need to boost up the femininity and sex appeal of the LPGA and with that we will gain more sponsors which will in turn create bigger purses and more money up for grabs. People watch the PGA tour and they have more money and sponsors because they market the PGA tour correctly focusing on all the young up and coming golfers like Rory McElroy, Ricki Fowler and Jamie Lovemark. The youthfulness and stellar play are bringing in the money on the PGA tour and the LPGA has the stellar play now we just need to change our overall appearance and branding and turn it into something eye catching and representing of who we are as young, talent professional women golfers.

ITG: What’s on your iPod right now?

Elena: INCUBUS is ALWAYS playing but also Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Carrie Underwood, Lady A, and some Ferry Corsten.

ITG: When I become a star on the LPGA Tour, I’m going to….

Elena: Win majors, donate to my favorite charities and help rebrand the LPGA.

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November 30, 2010
Erica Blasberg Dead at 25

LPGA Tour player Erica Blasberg was found dead Sunday at her home in Henderson, Nev. She was 25. Erica was a two-time all American and the University of Arizona and turned pro in June of 2004. On the Futures Tour, she won the Laconia Savings Bank Futures Golf Classic, shooting a 62 to break the tour’s 18 hole scoring record.

While Blasberg didn’t enjoy much success on the LPGA Tour, she did manage to make over $113,000 on the LPGA Tour in 2005, finishing 8th at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay after co-leading with Annika Sorenstam after 54 holes.

Erica Blasberg lost her LPGA Tour playing privileges for 2010 and had to play in the LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament in Daytona Beach. Arriving in Daytona, she didn’t seem to be in the right state of mind, complaining about the weather on her twitter account. I ran into her at LPGA International that week and she seemed to be her bubbly and energetic self. However, after shooting rounds of 72-78 she abruptly withdrew from the event. Shortly thereafter, she dropped off the social media map, canceling her Facebook and Twitter accounts. Her website (www.ericablasberg.com) has not been updated in over a year.

I speculated that this sudden absence may have been mandated by her sponsors Cleveland Golf and Puma, perhaps to redefine her image and help her rededicate her career to golf. I didn’t know Erica personally, but based on her Facebook page she seemed to enjoy the nightlife and non-stop action that comes with living in LasVegas and being a recognizable professional athlete.

It was shocking to hear of her passing, and even more shocking to learn that she may have committed suicide. “At first glance it looks like she might have taken her own life, but at second glance, something is very, very strange about it,” said Erica’s father, Mel Blasberg, by phone from Nevada. “We’re waiting for the police to make an investigation, it’s a pending investigation. Either way, I lost her and it’s impossible to deal with.”

Erica’s passing is a tragedy for golf, and for all those who follow the woman’s game and the LPGA. Our sincere condolences go out to all her fans, friends and family. Rest in piece Erica.

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May 11, 2010
Quick Hits Vol. 6
This week’s quick hits covers a variety of topics, including the Golf Channel’s popular Big Break series, Lorena Ochoa’s retirement and final tournament, Rory’s 62, Ryo’s 58 and more. Tiger is vulnerable and Phil is hungry in more ways than one. Read on!
1. The Golf Channel’s popular Big Break series returns this summer with Big Break Sandals Resorts. Filmed at the Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Club at Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas, this years competition will feature women aged 23 to 32 seeking to gain exemptions on the LPGA and Ladies European Tour, along with cash and other prizes along the way. Most of the ladies in this year’s show play professional golf on the Duramed Futures Tour, which is the developmental circuit for the LPGA Tour. Since the series started several years ago it has become more and more commercial, with various products and companies being featured as sponsors. As annoying as this is, it shouldn’t take away from the competition. The show was taped in February 2010, and the cameras were rolling all day and all night, to capture more of the off course interactions than previous shows. With 11 beautiful and competitive women all staying in one ocean side villa, there may be some fireworks! (I’m not saying, just saying)
Big Break Sandals Resorts Cast Members
- Lili Alvarez, age 26, from El Paso, Texas
- Stacey Bieber, age 25, from Fort Worth, Texas
- Chris Brady, age 25, from Charlotte, N.C.
- Sara Brown, age 24, from Tucson, Ariz.
- Carling Coffing, age 24, from Middletown, Ohio
- Taryn Durham, age 24, from Glasgow, Kent.
- Ryann O’Toole, age 23, from Los Angeles, Calif.
- Elena Robles, age 26, from Redondo Beach, Calif.
- Seema Sadekar, age 24, from Las Vegas, Nev.
- Kelly Sheehan, age 32, from Orlando, Fla.
- Maiya Tanaka, age 24, from San Diego, Calif.
The series will premier on the Golf Channel on June 21, 2010.
1. Lorena Ochoa played her last competitive round of golf at the Tres Marias Championship in Morelia, Mexico last weekend. Ochoa, who since announcing her retirement has been showered with praise and thanks from players and thanks for everything she has done, will not be eligible for the LPGA Hall of Fame unless they change the rules. She would have to play golf for 3 more years to meet the requirements. The LPGA Tour needed Ochoa in the wake of Annika's retirement, and now without Lorena around someone else will have to step up and become the face of the struggling tour. In a sign that the LPGA Tour still has some things to learn, Lorena's last tournament wasn't even televised in the US. At least we got to see Annika go out in style at the US Open. Perhaps the LPGA and Ochoa should have planned it out better.
2. Rory McIlroy almost went home early last week at the Quail Hollow Championship, making the cut on the number at +1. He then took the tournament by storm, shooting 66-62 on the weekend to win going away. His 62 on Sunday was a remarkable round, and it left second place finisher Phil Mickelson with nothing but good things to say about his round. Phil shot 68 and got lapped. even more impressive was Mcilroy's finish, going 5 under on the last five holes. If you watched CBS' telecast, you heard them constantly tell us how the "Green Mile" was such a tough finish. Frankly, I got sick of hearing the announcers say "Green Mile" about 20 minutes into it. I'm sure somewhere Tom hanks was smiling. McIlroy will no doubt make the European Ryder Cup team, as he sits in second place in the points. Even if he didn't make it on points, what captain would be foolish enough not to pick him? Oh, did I mention Rory is only 21?
3. If you thought Rory McIlroy's Sunday 62 was the best round of the day, you would be wrong. In fact, Rory's 62 wasn't even close to the best round. Japan's young star Ryo Ishikawa dropped a smooth 58 on his fellow competitors on Sunday to walk away with a victory on the Japan PGA Tour. Playing on a shortish par 70 layout in Nagoya, Japan, Ishikawa started the day six shots back of the leader Shigeki Maruyama but made 12 birdies to record a five-stroke victory at 13 under par. "It's absolutely unbelievable, I don't know where all those birdies came from," said Ishikawa. "Seeing my score improve by 12 strokes at the end... it's like a dream." Maybe it's fitting that the guys he beat, Shigeki Maruyama, once recorded a 58 in US Open qualifying. It's the lowest score ever shot on a major tour. Oh, did I mention Ryo is only 18? What do they put in the water over there?
4. Phil Mickelson is closing in on Tiger's number one world ranking. If he wins the Players Championship this week and Tiger finishes outside the top five, Phil will overtake Tiger as the best player in the world. I think Tiger will miss consecutive cuts for the first time in his career. In yesterday's practice round, Tiger hit the ball into a water hazard five times in nine holes. Doesn't look like he's figured it out yet. Phil is hungry for another victory - and also for doughnuts it appears. After winning the Masters, Phil donned his green jacket and drove the family to Krispy Kreme for some breakfast... Classic.
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May 5, 2010
Lorena Ochoa Retires From Golf

In a surprise move that has caught the world of woman’s golf off guard, Lorena Ochoa will hang up her spikes and put the clubs away. The move is thought as a temporary retirement so she can start a family with husband Andres Conesa. The two were married on December 4, 2009. Conesa is chairman of Aeromexico, one of Ochoa’s sponsors and Mexico’s biggest airline.

As you may recall, Annika Sorenstam also ended her career in a similar fashion last season a few short weeks before getting married. Perhaps Sorenstam’s plan to leave golf to start a family served as a model for Ochoa’s decision. There is no word on whether Lorena plans to return to competitive golf any time soon, and no official statement has been made. A Press conference is scheduled for Friday April 23 where she plans to explain her decision.

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p style=”text-align: center;”> Lorena started the 2010 season with mixed results and never seemed to be on her game. The pressure of being the number one player in the world and being the spotlight player on a tour that needs it's stars to shine is sure to add lots of pressure. Not only that, but having to fill the shoes of Annika as the game's ambassador is no small responsibility. It's hard not to like Lorena Ochoa and this may hurt the LPGA Tour in the short term, but I think with new commish Michael Whan at the helm the long term outlook for the LPGA is pretty good. If ever there was an opportunity for the next young star to step up, this is it. It should be interesting to see who takes over at the top of the Woman's game!
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April 20, 2010
PGA and LPGA Tour Q-School Preview
The PGA TOUR's q-school can make you either want to doff your cap in celebration ... or pull it down in disappointment.

This is my favorite time of year. No, it’s not because of the fall foliage or the first snowfall, but because it’s Q-School season! Every week on the PGA Tour, we watch millionaire superstars play for ridiculous sums of money. Then they fly away on their private jets and repeat. FedEx Cup? Boring. You want real drama, watch the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour Qualifying School Tournaments in December! Rather than playing for millions, the competitors at Q-School are playing for their careers. Some are former PGA and LPGA Stars, looking to return to form. Others are aspiring pros coming up the ranks from the mini tours and collegiate ranks, or driving ranges and pro shops. Many have nothing but a few bucks in their pockets, lots of desire and talent.

As fans, we love a good story, and the best ones are of the cinderella boy coming from nowhere, or the unfortunate soul who missed a 3 footer on the last hole to miss getting his tour card by a stoke. At Q-School, the emotion is real. The tension and drama are on par with the world’s biggest tournaments. The elation or despair on the players’ faces tells the story every year. You don’t need to watch the leader board, just watch the players and you’ll know where they stand.
This year at the Q-School finals for the PGA and LPGA Tours, we should have some more good stories to talk about. Here's a quick preview:
- Amateur star Rickie Fowler, who finished tied for second last week and the Fry's.com open, will have a guaranteed spot in the finals, provided he stays in the top 150 in the money. If he can have another good week and break into the top 125, he'll be able to skip Q-School altogether. In just two PGA Tour starts he's earned almost enough money to secure his tour card for 2010. Not even Tiger Woods did it that fast.
- David Duval is currently the bubble boy on the PGA Tour, sitting in the 125th spot on the money list as of this week's Viking Classic. Should he have a good week he has a good chance to regain his card for 2010. If not, we'll see him at the Q-School finals as the headliner for sure. Since David and I share the same name, I'll be pulling for him!
- Among the players who failed to advance past the first stage were Gary Nicklaus, the 40-year-old son of Jack Nicklaus, and Sam Saunders, the grandson of Arnold Palmer. Tadd Fujikawa and Danny Lee, who won a European Tour event in February, also failed to get past stage one. Your humble editor played in a group behind Gary Nicklaus at the Florida State Amateur a few years back after he had regained his amateur status, and let me tell you, he can still hit it.
- The feel good story of the first stage was Erik Compton's medalist finish to advance to stage two. Compton has been the recipient of two heart transplants. Just being able to play golf after a heart transplant is a miracle, but to be able to compete at this level after two of them is simply astounding.
- As far as the ladies, several notable players advanced to the LPGA Q-School finals in Daytona. Amateur standouts Amanda Blumenherst and Maria Jose Uribe both advanced. Blumenherst was the 3-time NCAA Player of the Year at Duke and won the 2008 U.S. Women's Amateur. Uribe, from Colombia, was the 2007 U.S. Women's Amateur champion and while still an amateur had some great showings in pro events, including a top ten finish at the US Women's Open.
- The LPGA Q-School also features several players from The Golf Channel's "Big Break" series. Caroline Larsson, Christina Lecuyer, Gerina Mendoza, Blair O'Neal, Elizabeth Stuart and Bri Vega will all try to earn playing privileges on the LPGA Tour in 2010.
- Several LPGA Tour veterans are returning to Daytona to recover from lackluster seasons, including Erica Blasberg, Diana D'Alessio, Dorothy Delasin, Julieta Granada, Lorie Kane and Kris Tschetter. For a complete listing of the field at LPGA International in Daytona, click HERE.
When the final field for the PGA Tour Q-School finals is posted, I'll update this post with the details. Until then, enjoy the best season of the year for golf, and be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed or email updates below!
October 30, 2009
Michael Whan Named LPGA Tour Commissioner

LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan

There’s a new sheriff in town. The LPGA has named Michael Whan as their new commissioner at a news conference at Madison Square Garden in New York on Wednesday. Whan is a former marketing executive with many years of experience building relationships, and companies. Whan was most recently employed as president of Mission-Itech Hockey, and has also held positions with Taylor Made Golf, Wilson Sporting Goods and even Proctor & Gamble.

His focus as the new commissioner will be to rebuild the relationships with sponsors and fans that were torn down under Carolyn Biven’s failed leadership. The LPGA Tour has lost 6 events since last year, and will play no events in Hawaii for the first time in many years. Despite the challenges facing the tour in it’s 60th year of operation, Whan was upbeat: “If that’s a downturn year, then this brand’s more resilient and strong than I even thought coming in, and I was pretty confident going in,” Whan told the Associated Press. “The LPGA is just fine.”

We’ll see Mr. Whan. I certainly hope so, for the player’s and fans’ sake. With less than a dozen LPGA Tour events scheduled for the United States in 2010 and the American star power being challenged by international players coming up fast from Korea and other countries, there are still many challenges remaining for Michael Whan and his team to handle. Stay tuned in 2010!

October 29, 2009