It reads like a pro golfer’s tour schedule, but this was the impromptu late-July/early-August travel itinerary for Tuscany Williams, the mastermind behind Women Who Golf — the female-only community platform that is taking social media by storm.

What began as a simple online nosey by Tuscany to try to find some like-minded women to play a round of golf with while on her travels has now become a Facebook phenomenon, with more than 55,000 members that provide a truly worldwide engagement. 

Golf Digest Middle East managed to pin Tuscany down long enough for a chat during her time in Dubai to find out what all the fuss is about.

“The reason why I started it was as a result of a simple online search,” explains Tuscany. “I was trying to find another social group of women golfers that I could slot into and meet some other ladies. I just couldn’t find a thing — there was nothing that existed.

“So Josh (my husband) and I decided to set up this group ‘Women Who Golf’ to try to get some like-minded people together and it was just like — boom! 

“It just went crazy, they just kept coming — women from all over the globe kept joining and joining. 

“It really showed that the demand and interest was there. 

Tuscany Williams set up Women Who Golf to find like-minded female players to connect with

“Take this for example. Some people we met in Costa Rica through the group saw we were in Amsterdam, and we met up, along with some other members from America. It is crazy to think that from a small Facebook group just over three years ago we could have this big group of people from all corners of the globe meet up in Amsterdam.”

The group was established in 2019 and Tuscany was determined it was going to be different from other golf platforms and forums: No abuse, no advertising … and no men.

“What I was doing was what I do in life — create a positive vibe and a really inviting place with no promotions within the group or sponsors,” she says. 

“It is a place where women can come and not only celebrate golf but have a great time doing it as well, without any negativity or people plastering adverts or pushing you to pay a subscription or buy something on the back of it. It is just a social club that has become global. “

And it keeps on growing.

“Almost by mistake, we created this community we people felt safe and as a result everyone wants to get in there,” Tuscany adds. “It is a place where you are not going to be sold to and you are not going to be criticised — there are many sites and platforms that become poisonous with negative comments for the sake of it by the keyboard warriors and knuckle-draggers. That is something that has a zero-per-cent presence on Women Who Golf and that is why everyone enjoys it, and that just brings more, again, like-minded spirits to the ‘club’.

“It doesn’t matter about your personal or political leanings, the site is just a celebration of golf and everyone there has that same interest.”

The women-only policy has also helped create that ‘like-minded spirit’ in the group. 

“One of the biggest things I had growing up playing golf and also with our lifestyle of travelling was there was always this issue of it being hard to meet other women golfers,” explains Tuscany. 

“It felt impossible at times to be able to connect and that’s why I jumped on Facebook to see if there was any solution online.

“As I said, I couldn’t find one and I thought: ‘OK, I will create my own and get a couple of nibbles and make one or two golfing connections.’ Now one or two is more than 55,000.

“The girls love the women-only rule as it is their hub, their den,” Tuscany adds. “One member told me they felt very ‘VIP’ getting into the club.”

“The other feedback I get is how everyone appreciates it costs no one any money to join in and everyone can get all the benefits — be it golfing tips, a pat on the back, a good laugh and even
new friendships.”

Women Who Golf members share all sorts of posts including social gatherings, achievements on the course and special occasions

The growing community also makes it easier to get a feel for what is good — and bad — in the current game for female golfers.

“I am asked ‘What is it that women want?’ and I don’t need to go to fancy research companies. I just ask, and I have 55,000 women who will tell me: ‘This is what I hate,’ or ‘This is what I love’. And together we can come up with solutions with our hive mind to get a consensus.”

Tuscany’s travels have taken her all over the world and — of course — to Dubai, which has been a long time in coming.

“A while back we played with the head of tourism in Mexico and she talked about Dubai being a really interesting place and a great hub for golf,” Tuscany says. “That was a couple of years ago and it was something that always stuck with me. 

“We always really wanted to come and check it out first-hand. So here we are to experience this progressive place and get a feel for how I can use that to help the female golfing society. Dubai is progressive on all fronts, not just golf, so that helps when it comes to forward-thinking and creative, positive ideas. 

“I was really curious to see how women’s golf is going here, how they are pushing forward. It is so refreshing to see how it is done compared to other countries, where the more traditional route and ‘status quo’ is firmly in place. 

“We have found that clubs around the world can be struggling for female members and participation, particularly younger players. We have been asked by Golf Australia and many others how to get more women into golf. I always say the same thing and that is the one thing I see in Dubai: Fun! 

“The key is making that first experience enjoyable and making the females in particular want to go back. I could see Dubai thinking outside the box and not just pushing the traditional standards for someone to come and join.  

“They have the best courses, the best tech and the best carts, for example, but there is also the social side, with women’s societies, groups and after-golf drinks. Those little aspects make all the difference to leave that positive mark and make players want to return. 

“It’s not just: Go in, get tee-time, play golf, then ‘Bye!’ Forming connections and having a good time is key.”

WWG is also out to give female golfers that level playing field, so to speak, in the clubhouse.

We have been asked how to get more women into golf. I always say the same thing and that is the one thing I see in Dubai: Fun!

“One thing I find, one thing that comes up a lot from girls on the site, is that sometimes at a club they feel like a bit of an afterthought and there are a few things like that that still need to change and be improved,” explains Tuscany. 

“Consider the stereotype: you are a guy and a beginner and you stink it up on your first round. You have a whole support network of guys slapping you on the back and helping you out with a laugh.

“Now if you are a woman in that situation, you have no such support. You feel out of place and it can feel like all the men are laughing at you. What are the odds of that woman coming back? 

“Like you see in Dubai, if there is that network of support from other ladies, I guarantee you she will be back to do better next time rather than go away with this negative feeling and never touch a golf club again. We just need to grow that: Having not just one or two girls you may know at the golf club, but a whole group where you can celebrate your wins, support those who have had a tough day and have a laugh about it at the same time.

“We are doing the same online with Women Who Golf. For example, when a member posts about her first-ever par, they can get over 1,000 likes and nothing but encouraging comments. That feeling is like no other and, again, will only establish a positive feeling towards the game. 

“I recall one girl wrote: ‘I have no one in my social circle I can share this with, and I can post it here and the feeling is amazing.’ While she couldn’t get the pats on the back in person, she was given an explosion of support to help celebrate that achievement. These little stories I hear are what it is all about.”

With members from every continent and as far afield as Canada, Australia, Costa Rica, the UAE, Mexico, Scotland, eastern Europe and eastern Asia, one concern for Tuscany was the communication hurdles. Thanks to a unified love of golf (and a little technology), she needn’t have worried. 

“I initially thought language would be a barrier but there are more members coming in from everywhere. Some of our newest have signed up from Korea and Singapore,” she says. “I recall one member who posted a query in Italian and — thanks to that magic translation button — she got the exact feedback she required. It was a real laugh as it led some of our other members having a bash at Italian and that was a great illustration of what we are all about.”

Tuscany also plays her part in meeting her social media friends in person. 

“One thing we do on our travels is to encourage members to come and meet up for a hit, laugh and meet your fellow members,” she says. “We are off to LA shortly for one such event at TopGolf there, and that should be fun. 

“We are back in Dubai in October and we are planning to have a WWG meet-up. With the TopGolf at Emirates Golf Club, it is an ideal spot, as you don’t need to worry about tee times, numbers or ability, and it creates such a relaxed vibe where I guarantee new friendships will be formed.” 

So, all female golfers in the UAE now know where to head if they want to grow their own group of friends and fellow players — both online and on the golf course.

Sign up at facebook.com/womenwhogolfcommunity
womenwhogolf.net

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By Tod Leonard
World No. 2 Nelly Korda, who revealed on March 13 that she was suffering from a blood clot in her arm, will not play in the LPGA Tour’s first major of the season, the Chevron Championship next week in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

The deadline for entry into the field was 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and the LPGA Tour confirmed that Korda was not in the tournament. Korda and sister Jessica took the Asian swing of the tour off and were scheduled to complete in this week’s JTBC Classic in Carlsbad, Calif. Nelly stayed home in Florida, while Jessica will compete.

Korda’s last competition came at the LPGA Drive On Championship in early February, where she finished tied for fourth. Her other results in two other starts in 2022 are T-15 and T-20.

In her social media post on March 13, Korda, 23, said, “I am currently at home getting treatment to eliminate further risks.”

Korda has posted top-three finishes in the last two years in the Chevron (formerly the ANA Inspiration). She tied for third last year after finishing T-2 in 2020.

The post Nelly Korda won’t play in LPGA season’s first major while recovering from blood clot appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
Nelly Korda, the No. 2 ranked golfer in the Rolex Women’s Rankings, announced on Sunday that she has been diagnosed with a blood clot and is recuperating at home in Florida.

Korda, 23, released a statement on Instagram outlining her condition.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Nelly (@nellykorda)

Korda said she was in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., on Friday for a photoshoot and commercial appearance. After working out in the morning, she noticed swelling in her arm. At the advice of her doctor, she went to the emergency room, where the diagnosis was made.

The LPGA Tour has played the last two weeks in Asia, but Korda stayed home and was expected to playing in the JTBC Classic in Carlsbad, Calif., in a lead up to the year’s first women’s major, the Chevron Championship at Mission Hills. The two events are set for back-to-back weeks at the end of March. Korda’s status for either event is unclear at this point.

Korda competed in the first three events of the 2022 LPGA season, finishing inside the top 20 in all three. Her best finish was a T-4 at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. She had been ranked No. 1 in the world at the start of the year, but was passed by Jin Young Ko in January after becoming longest reigning American to claim the top ranking at 26 weeks.

Korda is coming off the best season of her career in 2021, when she won four LPGA titles, including her first major at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She also captured the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics.

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The celebration of both women’s golf and inspiring Saudi females will form part of the ground-breaking Ladies European Tour event when it returns to Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), March 17-20th.

All women attending the Ladies Day – set alongside the stunning ‘Instagrammable’ backdrop of the Red Sea – can look forward to a free day of entertainment on and off the course, with free golf clinics, LET-professional led tuition, delicious food, gift-packs and the opportunity to meet and chat with some of the biggest stars in women’s golf and motivational Saudi females, including fitness influencer and YouTube star, ‘It’s Always Hana’. 

The Ladies Day announcement was made yesterday at a Media Day organised by the Aramco Saudi Ladies International to celebrate International Women’s Day and to look ahead to next week’s tournament.

Majed Al Sorour, Deputy Chairman and CEO of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation said: “Women’s golf in Saudi Arabia is continuing to grow with interest and participation increasing steadily year on year. Using our flagship events, alongside our partners Aramco, we know we can really inspire and empower more women to experience the sport like never before as our journey to transform the sport in the Kingdom continues. Our Ladies Day is open for all and gives an opportunity to either pick up a club for the first time with friends or simply enjoy watching and meeting the world’s biggest stars in the sport in a stunning location.”

Moroccan golf star Maha Haddioui, the first Arab woman to play on the Ladies European Tour, added: “It’s been amazing to witness more and more women get into golf in Saudi Arabia and for newcomers to the sport to message me on social media every time we play here. I’m excited to be part of Ladies Day and to meet future golf fans and anyone wanting to come out and experience this amazing sport for the first time.”

Introductory golf coaching schools will be run throughout the day on the course’s driving range, where the competing players themselves will warm-up before taking to the course. Running from 2pm, the sessions will provide beginners tips and guidance for any women and girls wishing to get into the sport or simply learn more about it.

That will be followed by lunch in the tournament’s fan zone, before chats and selfies with some of the world’s best female golfers and live golf.

The day will culminate with attendees being escorted to Royal Greens Golf & Country Club’s iconic 16th hole – dubbed as one of the most beautiful holes in golf by the world’s best men’s and women’s golfers –   on a range of luxury 12-seater golf buggies, for photos and refreshments over sunset, before the hosting of a ‘Ladies First Fashion Show’ at the tournament’s Aramco Energy Zone following play finishing for the day.

Those who attend will also be eligible to sign-up for more information around becoming a member of the Ladies First Club: Golf Saudi’s free learning initiative for women and girls looking to take up the game. As members of the Ladies First Club, receive a year-round calendar of complimentary golf lessons, full 18-hole rounds and social activities.

To be part of Ladies Day, simply register for a free ticket for the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund by visiting www.golfsaudi.com, where you can also discover further tournament information.

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By Keely Levins
The U.S. Women’s Open is adding a presenting partner that will allow the USGA to nearly double the championship’s prize money payout to $10 million in 2022, the association announced on Friday.

ProMedica has been brought on as the first-ever presenting sponsor of a USGA championship. This will allow the governing body to boost the overall prize money payout in the championship by $4.5 million, bringing it a couple million shy of the $12.5 million the association hands out at the men’s U.S. Open. However, Mike Whan, the USGA CEO, said the purse will be bumped to $11 million and then $12 million over the next five years.

“Let’s love our history,” Whan said at the press conference in New York City, where the news was announced. “But let’s not be afraid to make a little history, too.”

History has indeed been made. The purse is the biggest in women’s golf, and the winner of the U.S. Women’s Open this June at Pine Needles will earn $1.8 million, making it richest single payday in women’s golf.

“Three athletes earned more than $1.8 million in 2021 [on the LPGA Tour],” Whan said. “Next year, if you’re lucky enough to lift that [trophy] up on Sunday at Pine Needles, you’ll make $1.8 million that week. That’s the kind of change that I think will not only be lasting for the person who makes it, but lasting for the 6-year-old, 9-year-old, 13-year-old, dreaming of raising that thing and realizing that her dream is different today than it was yesterday.”

Before taking the job as CEO of the USGA, Whan spent 11 years as the commissioner of the LPGA. Mollie Marcoux Samaan took over for Whan in 2021 and did not hesitate to highlight his role in this important moment in women’s golf.

“The stakes are so much higher, the impact is so much bigger. I don’t think it can be underscored how important something like this is,” Marcoux Samaan said. “I want to thank Mike. I don’t think there’s anyone who’s been a bigger advocate. He’ll go down in history as one of the greatest advocates for women’s golf and really for women’s sports.”

Marcoux Samaan’s words are a reminder of how important a jump in prize money this is: It’s not just a moment for women’s golf, it’s a statement about women’s sports and how female athletes can be compensated. Juli Inkster, who won $315,000 in 1999 for her first U.S. Women’s Open victory, joked that the prize money is so good now, she’s going to keep trying to win a U.S. Women’s Open for another few decades.

“This is a huge step for women’s sports all over the world,” Inkster said. “They rent their own cars, the do their travel, they work really hard. And sometimes you feel like you’re not getting rewarded for how hard you work. ProMedica is giving these ladies the opportunity to play for a lot of money as well as the USGA championship. This will make or break their year, their life.”

The announcement wasn’t just about the prize money, though. In addition, the USGA announced future host sites. John Bodenhamer, Chief Championships Officer for the USGA, said a conversation with Nick Price, a member of the USGA Executive Committee, worked as a catalyst for choosing these sites. “Nick looked over at me and said something that’s become a guiding star for us. He said, ‘John, it’s important where players win their U.S. Open. Men and women.'”

With that in mind, the U.S. Women’s Open venues for the next two and a half decades are notable courses with rich men’s major championship histories. The USGA will be bringing the U.S. Women’s Open to Riviera Country Club in 2026, Inverness Club in 2027, Pinehurst No. 2 in 2029, Interlachen Country Club in 2030 and Oakland Hills Country Club in 2031 and 2042. At Pinehurst in 2029, the USGA will play the men’s and women’s championships in back-to-back weeks as it did in 2014, where Martin Kaymer won the men’s U.S. Open followed immediately by Michelle Wie West winning the U.S. Women’s Open the next week.

Here is the list of all announced U.S. Women’s Open sites:

2022: Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club
2023: Pebble Beach Golf Links
2024: Lancaster Country Club
2025: Erin Hills
2026: The Riviera Country Club
2027: Inverness Club
2028: Oakmont Country Club
2029: Pinehurst Resort & Country Club
2030: Interlachen Country Club
2031: Oakland Hills Country Club
2034: Merion Golf Club
2038: Oakmont Country Club
2042: Oakland Hills Country Club
2046: Merion Golf Club

Though it was a proud day for women’s golf, it didn’t come without the question that will continue to be asked in women’s sports: When will the women earn as much as the men? The men played for a $12.5 million purse in 2021, and that number is going to increase.

“The only way to get to those kind of levels is to have monster increases, not regular increases,” Whan said. “We’re really proud to be part of a monster increase. Once you make a monster increase, it’s like pulling off a really good flop shot: Once you do it once, you can do it again. Once you take a monster step and teach yourself what a monster step is, you can look forward to making another one.”

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By Tod Leonard
Pauline Roussin-Bouchard basically called her shot. While playing a practice round for the LPGA Q-Series in Dothan, Ala., the 21-year-old from France got into a chat with her caddie, coach and physio about how long it had been since she had a hole-in-one. Ten years, in fact. She would have been in elementary school.

“And I said, ‘This is the perfect week to have one,’ “ Roussin-Bouchard said.

She said she got perfect yardage fpr a pitching wedge on the 13th hole at Highland Oaks on Saturday and hit a perfectly shaped shot that produced perfect backspin. The result was an ace that propelled her to a round of five-under-par 67 in the seventh of eight rounds in this two-week marathon that decides who gets full LPGA playing privileges for the 2022 season.

?ACE ALERT?

Are you kidding me?! Leader @pauline_roussin aced the par 3 13th at #QSeries ? pic.twitter.com/polWrqH5qO

— LPGA (@LPGA) December 11, 2021

In a video posted by the LPGA, fans step out onto the course to offer their congratulations to Roussin-Bouchard after her ace, and she’s seen signing her ball. She explained later that she signed it, “Pour Francois”—that’s her physio, to whom she promised the ball should she make an ace. The hole-in-one was the fifth of her life and the fourth in competition.

There were two aces at 13 on Saturday, with Meghan MacLaren canning the other one with a choked-down 9-iron. It was only the second lifetime ace for MacLaren, a 27-year-old from England whose father is on the bag this week. The hole-in-one was critical for MacLaren, who shot 70 and stands on the cut number for an LPGA card at four under.

The ace for Roussin-Bouchard sums up her stellar play in the tournament. She is 32 under over 126 holes, with Sunday’s final round to play, and holds a five-shot lead for medalist honours. She is the only player in the field to have scored all seven rounds in the 60s. The former standout at the University of South Carolina, who rose to No. 1 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking, turned professional in August, and she shot 60 in the second round en route to winning the Skafto Open on the Ladies European Tour.

“I’ve been working hard for these two weeks for the last couple of years since I’ve been in the U.S.,” Roussin-Bouchard said. “I’ve been working on every aspect of my game, and even when I feel I’m lacking something, I have other keys to rely on. So even if I’m 70 percent of my game, I can be a hundred percent of that 70 percent. The last seven rounds it was just solid putting, solid approach shots especially and solid driving.”

Na Rin An, of Korea, shot two-under 70 and is alone in second at 27 under. Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul, the reigning LET player of the year and rookie of the year, is in third at 23 under after scoring 71.

On Sunday, the drama will play out deeper in the pack, because only the top 45 and ties in the field of 74 will get their LPGA cards. The rest will get full status on the Symetra Tour. The current cut for the top 45 is four under, and among those on that number is Linn Grant, a 22-year-old Swede who was a dominating player at Arizona State and was No. 4 in the WAGR when she turned professional in August.

Notable players outside the bubble are Mariah Stackhouse (two under) and Anne van Dam (two over).

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What was the best piece of advice you received when you started the job?

The best advice I got was from Mike Whan. He was very generous with his time prior to me taking the job. His advice was twofold: One, the tournaments are the most important thing. Focus as much as you can on making sure we have the right opportunities for our players with the right partners. That seems obvious, but sometimes you can get caught up in parts of this complex ecosystem. Have a relentless pursuit of the best tournament opportunities for our players. I thought that really grounds you on, this is ultimately what we’re trying to do. And secondly, which would have been an instinct of mine because it’s really what I love to do, get to know the players. Get to know them, engage with them and hear their stories. Those two things were most important. They probably would have been a bit instinctual, but to have him drill down to the two most important things, I think he was spot on.

When you’re talking to players, what sort of things do you talk about?

They’ll tell you exactly what we should do. This is their world. They own the tour. They live it every day, they’re really smart, and they’re thoughtful, and they’re entrepreneurs. I have really appreciated their feedback. It’s always been with the best interest of the tour, they all come at it from that position, which is really incredible. They talk about their experience. We focus on what environment will help them achieve their goals and reach their peak. From big and small things, like the locations of events, the environment once we’re at the tournament. Performance things, like nutrition and hydration, fitness trailers … all of the things on the administrative side that make their lives easier, so then they can focus on reaching their own peak performance. They also have great marketing ideas, great content ideas. They’re independent entrepreneurs who are concerned about their own success, but mostly they come at it like, Hey, this is what we need to do to make our tour as good as it can possibly be.

Do you feel like you’re close to an ideal schedule, or are there changes you’d like to make?

The 2022 schedule we just released is excellent, thanks to the amazing partners we have, new and old. We’re in a great space. But to Mike’s original piece of advice, that’s something you have to constantly work on. We’re still evaluating it, but we’re grateful for the partners we have and how they’ve stepped up. The purses obviously are significantly higher than they were in 2021 [overall prize money jumped from $76.4 million to $85.7 million, with the winner of the CME Group Tour Championship set to earn $2 million]. We have a great number of events [34], and the flow is pretty decent. And I think we’ll see additional increases in purses in the coming months.

What has surprised you most about the job?

Despite the fact that this is an individual sport, it feels more like a college athletic program where you have individual teams, but you’re all working towards the same athletic department, same university goal. It feels similar. The golfers are all individual “teams” but they’re all thinking about the whole, and they’re passionate about that. At Princeton, we used to call it “the team around the team.” There is a team around our players. From our partners to our staff, to our board members, to media partners. Everybody has this love of the LPGA. That’s something I felt during the interview process and just being a fan of the LPGA, but when you get in it, it’s kind of shocking. I think people really do love what they do. They focus on what’s the greater good in all of it.

Could you pinpoint a greatest moment from this season?

There’s been a ton of great moments. I’ve worked my entire life in sports and been an athlete my whole life. I love those moments where sports is a community endeavour, where people come together and cheer hard for a common good. Being on the first tee at the Solheim Cup and seeing all the energy around women’s golf and seeing the excitement for our players, was a highlight for sure. That was remarkable. Hearing a crowd cheer like that at a golf event and having the women hit through the noise, it was so intense and so loud. That was really cool.

‘We want to offer a schedule where the top 150 players in the world can earn a living that’s commensurate with their talent.’
—Mollie Marcoux Samaan

Where are the tour’s biggest opportunities for growth?

In the areas of technology and data, we have a huge opportunity, and that will help us tell our story more aggressively and get a wider fan base. We have a very solid and strong fanbase, but a lot of people don’t yet know about our players and how talented they are and how amazing they are off the golf course. Personalizing and getting the world to know our athletes is a big goal, and a very achievable goal.

We have amazing partners, but I think there are so many more out there who we can help reach their goals. There is a lot of opportunity for growth in our partnership area, keeping our current partners and continuing to customize programs for them, satisfy their goals, while also gaining more partners.

The other opportunity we have is that we’re this ecosystem, with LPGA USGA Girls Golf, our amateur women’s program and LPGA professionals. One of our goals is to further integrate all areas of the organization to get maximum benefit and growth. That includes investing in our diversity and inclusion work, expanding opportunities to grow the game for a wider group of young girls and women who maybe have not been exposed to the game or don’t necessarily have the financial means to play. That’s a huge goal because I feel like sports is the great equalizer. It that has so many ancillary benefits, it’s our responsibility to think about growing those opportunities for a much wider group of people.

Michael Reaves
Getting to know Jin Young Ko and other players on tour was an early priority for Marcoux Samaan upon taking over as LPGA commissioner.

How important is getting more network TV time for the tour?

It’s always important, and I think the women deserve to be on network television. We’re doing pretty well for a women’s sports property, but it’s just not enough and it’s so significantly less than the men’s sports. Continuing to focus on that is a goal of ours. We have a great partner in NBC Sports and Golf Channel; they are part of that “team around the team” that we talked about. We obviously want as much exposure as we can get there. But we also want to be creative and see what other options are out there to supplement that, whether it’s streaming or other content delivery opportunities, particularly with the younger audience. I have three kids, and they’re attached to streams and networks and channels online and digitally. How we capitalize on that and continue to build a younger fan base is really important.

This past season had a couple events shown on tape delay. What can you do to avoid that in the future?

Obviously, sports is not great when it’s tape delayed. People love watching our women play, whether it’s tape delayed or not, but our goal would obviously be to have as much live television as possible. A very small percentage of our broadcasts were tape delayed. I think people tend to focus on that more than what is the reality of what was tape delayed. Obviously, we’d like to have as much live television as possible. But broadcast television is a finite resource, and there’s a lot of competing interests for that. We have to continue to show our value and how meaningful and interested people are in our product.

When you’re talking to partners, what do they love about the tour?

They really see the value from an exposure standpoint, a branding and commercialization standpoint, but also they generally love the association with our brand and they love the similarity in values and the way they can express to their employees and customers about what they really care about. They talk about that, and the accessibility of our players, the authenticity of our players, the talent of our players and the flexibility of the LPGA in helping them reach their individual goals. Those things are very positive. You get great exposure, but you also get to talk about your vision and values through the tour.

What sort of things do they say holds the tour back?

We’d like to be on network television more, we’d like more eyeballs on what we’re doing. That’s the biggest thing we hear. But largely, people feel they have a true partner in us, that we can customize our product to the needs of our partners, which is a really fun place to be in.

Do you think the LPGA and the PGA Tour should collaborate more? Do you talk with you Jay Monahan a lot?

Jay and the PGA have been terrific partners to me as I’ve started this job. Jay has been quite aggressive in offering support and advice and help. I’ve been really grateful for that. He’s made his team accessible to us as well. We’re just beginning to build on all of that. There’s lots of room for growth and opportunity there.

Going forward, what are your big picture goals for the tour?

We want to continue to see the pay equity gap shrink. We want to offer a schedule where the top 150 players in the world can earn a living that’s commensurate with their talent. We do really well at the top. We need to continue to think about if you’re the 100th best player in the world, that’s a pretty amazing talent, what does that look like? We want to continue to reduce the gap between the LPGA and the PGA Tour at every level—the top, the middle, the bottom—with the ultimate goal of pay equity. We want to continue to focus on an environment where the players can reach peak performance, build a sustainable life and play as long as they are competitive and as long as they want to play. I see us as the model for women’s professional sports. We’ve been around for 71 years, we’ve had an enormous amount of success and there’s so much more growth to be had.

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By Keely Levins
In the end, there wasn’t a lot Nelly Korda could do on Sunday at the CME Group Tour Championship. The 23-year-old World No. 1 entered the final event of the 2021 LPGA season with a slight lead in the Rolex Player of the Year over Jin Young Ko. She hoped that a solid performance would allow her to walk off with a fifth tour victory on the year and POY honours, the two tied at 14 under with one round to play at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla.

And Korda got that solid performance, shooting a three-under 69. But it wasn’t enough to keep up with the eventual champion, Ko shooting a mesmerising bogey-free 63 to be the one walking off with her fifth title and POY.

Ko set the tone early in the final round, playing the front nine in six-under 30 and leaving Korda in the unenviable position of having to make up ground on one of the best players in the world, one who appeared unable to miss a green. By the time she was done with the round, Ko had hit 63 consecutive greens in regulation at the Tour Championship.

“Honestly, it was definitely the ‘Jin Young Ko Show’ today,” said Korda, who finished T-5, six back of Ko. “It was really cool to witness.

“Obviously, I wish I could have kind of given it a better run, but in all, I think I had a great year. So, I’m just going to kind of look back on that and enjoy it. But today was—she just played amazing golf. There is not much you can do. Just sit back and watch honestly.”

The sting of the loss was apparent, but Korda had much to celebrate about her 2021 season. She won four times, including her first major championship title (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship). She also took home the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, a victory that didn’t count toward the LPGA POY race, and became the first American to reach World No. 1 since Stacy Lewis in 2014. She had 10 top-10 finishes in 17 starts, missed just one cut and finished no worse than T-28 when she made the cut.

“It’s honestly been crazy,” Korda said. “You know, a lot of people tried to put like the award situation I feel like in my head a little, and I guess sometimes that gets the best of you. You may come out of this thinking, Hey, I didn’t win an award. It wasn’t that good of a year. If I look back, it’s like, Jesus, I’ve done a lot.”

Ultimately, this ending doesn’t undo what was a breakout season for Korda, who will play one more time in 2021, at the PNC Championship with her father Petr.

“I’m very pleased,” Korda said. “It may not seem like that, but I’m pleased.”

The post Nelly Korda’s bid for LPGA Player of the Year ends as the ‘Jin Young Ko Show’ took over appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Different day, the same name atop the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship (WAAP). This time though, Thailand’s Natthakritta Vongtaveelap had company as the day two storylines emerged at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

With a four-under 68 to go with her opening 66, Vongtaveelap moved to -10 for the championship and maintained her two-stroke buffer heading into the weekend.

Joining her for Saturday and Sunday will be Dubai-based Indian Natalii Gupta who is the sole remaining UAE representative after Alia Al Emadi, Hamda Al Suwaidi and Hannah Cheryl Alan failed to survive the 36-hole cull.

Perhaps the story of Thursday belonged to Vongtaveelap’s compatriot Kan Bunnabodee who fired an eight-under-par 64 to move into the top-10 and equal the lowest round in WAAP history. For the record, Australian Becky Kay established the mark during the first round of the 2019 edition of the WAAP played at the Royal Golf Club in Japan.

“I’m impressed that I could shoot this low score, this is my first time shooting 8-under,” said Bunnabodee, who recorded seven birdies in eight holes, starting at the 4th hole.

Kan Bunnabodee.

“I actually didn’t think about making the lowest score in WAAP or anything. I was just enjoying myself playing golf, making some birdies, and it just kept scoring lower and lower. So it’s pretty nice.”

So too has been Vongtaveelap’s opening 36 holes. She is two clear of Japan’s Mizuki Hashimoto and Australian Kelsey Bennett (67) on eight under, with India’s Anika Varma (68), one of only two players in the field not to drop a shot in the first 36 holes, in solo fourth place at seven-under-par 137.

“I was not as nervous as I was in the first round. The first round gave me more confidence and I played very good golf and hit some very good shots during the round,” said Vongtaveelap, who made birdies on the 15th and 18th holes after starting from the 10th, and then added two more on the second and third.

“It was my goal to try and shoot a four-under round today and I am happy I achieved it.”

Natalii Gupta.

Gupta, a nominated player of the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF), added a three-under-par 69 to her 74 on Wednesday for a one-under total and a tie for 26th.

“It was a good day on the golf course today,” said the 17-year-old.

“I think I had five birdies. I was just trying not to short-side myself and play aggressively to all my lines and just hope for the best. It is a huge honour to be representing the EGF. I’ve lived here in the UAE all my life. It’s incredible to be able to get an opportunity and then make the cut here.”

The halfway cut fell at two-over-par 146 with 51 players from 12 countries making it through to the final two rounds of the championship.

WAAP is one of the most important events on the calendar for players from the Asia-Pacific region, with the champion earning a place in two major championship fields – the AIG Women’s Open and The Amundi Evian Championship -as well as the Hana Financial Group Championship and an invitation to play in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

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By Kent Gray
By way of background intel, know that Natthakritta Vongtaveelap’s friends call her “Sim” and that she is one of the bigger hitters in women’s amateur golf.

Know also that the Thai is the early pace-setter at the 3rd Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship (WAAP) after overcoming an early bout of nerves and a dropped shot on the par-5 2nd to sign for a brilliant six-under 66 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Vongtaveelap leads by two strokes from the trio of Chun-Wei Wu (Chinese Taipei), Mizuki Hashimoto (Japan) and Viera Permata Rosada (Indonesia).

“I was very nervous at the beginning. My heart felt like it would jump out of my body,” said Vongtaveelap. “But I somehow managed to calm myself down by thinking that I can do it.”

Vongtaveelap showed just what she is capable of with birdies on the 7th and 8th before picking up five strokes on the homeward nine including a memorable four on Abu Dhabi’s famous par-5 18th.

 

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“I loved my birdie on the 18th hole. I think I hit all perfect shots there. A driver that went absolutely straight into the headwind, followed by a very nice second shot with a hybrid that reached the green and left me with a 15-feet eagle putt. I missed that even though I hit a good putt but that birdie was sweet.”

Just as significant was the par Vongtaveelap made on the previous hole, one of the tougher par-4s in the UAE. She showed steely nerves on the 17th after sprinting a birdie attempt well past the hole before calmly draining the near six-foot return putt.

 

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Eight players were tied for fifth at three-under-par, including Korea’s Youmin Hwang, the highest-ranked player in the field at number four in the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®), India’s Anika Varma, Australia’s Kelsey Bennett and the Malaysian trio of Ashley Lau, Audrey Tan and Natasha Andrea Oon.

Hamda Al Suwaidi, from the host nation of the United Arab Emirates, had the honour of hitting the first tee shot of the championship.

While Al Suwaidi did not have the best day on the course (she signed for a 92), she is a proud Emirati. “It was a lot of pressure and I was nervous but I was also honoured to represent the UAE. I hit the first shot and it went well.

“It’s a big opportunity for us to play against the best amateurs in the Asia-Pacific region. I learned a lot from this round and the practice sessions. It was such a good experience for me and of course for the rest of the UAE team.”

With a two-over 74, adopted Indian Natalii Gupta is the best-placed of the four UAE players after the opening round. Hannah Cheryl Alan and Alia Al Emadi carded rounds of 86 and 87 respectively.

The third edition of the championship, organised by The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), is being held in the UAE for the first time. The 72-hole strokeplay event runs until Saturday.

The four days of the championship are being broadcast live for four hours from 6am-10am GMT (10am-2pm UAE time) on TV across the region, as well as live streamed through The R&A’s YouTube and Facebook channels and on RandA.org.

The championship was won in its inaugural year by Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul, who has graduated to become the number one player on the Ladies European Tour (LET) this season, and by Japan’s Yuka Yasuda in 2019.

WAAP is one of the most important events on the calendar for players from the Asia-Pacific region, with the champion golfer earning a place in two major championship fields – the AIG Women’s Open and the Amundi Evian Championship, as well as the Hana Financial Group Championship and an invitation to play in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

The post Thai Natthakritta Vongtaveelap overcomes early jitters to soar to WAAP summit with opening 66 at Abu Dhabi G.C. appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.