A U.S. Women’s Open unlike any other commenced on a sun-splashed Thursday at Champions Golf Club. From a two-course setup – a first in the history of any USGA Open championship – to zero fans and the unusual December date, this 75th iteration of the oldest major in women’s golf has taken on a decidedly different motif.
As the final day of the Volunteers of America Classic began with two major champions, Inbee Park and So Yeon Ryu, and LPGA Tour rookie Yealimi Noh with the 54-hole lead, Angela Stanford rose to the occasion just 55 minutes away from home at the Old American Golf Club. She secured her seventh career LPGA Tour victory and first since her maiden major title at the 2018 Evian Championship.
anny Willett will return to Wentworth Club to defend his BMW PGA Championship title from October 8-11, when he will be joined by four Englishmen currently inside the world’s top 20, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and Justin Rose.
Shot Scope, an industry leader in advanced GPS and automatic shot tracking technology, has reported a huge increase in rounds of golf played following the easing of lockdown restrictions. “With the UK and US markets recording nearly 40% and 35% growth respectively, and as golf is the perfect outdoor social distancing activity, it is clear that the game is thriving right now.”
Sophia Popov continued her love for Royal Troon as she opened up a commanding three-stroke lead heading into the final round of the AIG Women’s Open. American duo Austin Ernst and Lindsey Weaver, helped by a miraculous chip in for par at the 12th, are two shots further back in a tie for fourth place at one-over-par, alongside another German, Caroline Masson.
As the Coronavirus crisis rumbles on golf tours facing an uncertain future. Every week that passes means that both the PGA Tour and European Tour are losing millions in TV and sponsorship revenues. The Americans have a plan for survival but their European counterparts face the perfect storm of challenges that threaten the existence of the European Tour itself.
Phil Mickelson has indicated that a rematch with Tiger Woods may be in the pipeline and a possibility during the pandemic lockdown. Talk is of a repeat of the last match that took place in 2018 when Lefty took the spoils of $9 million.
Surely the least contentious and well-deserved award for 2019 was Jon Rahm being voted the Seve Ballesteros Award as the 2019 European Tour Players' Player of the Year, after a spectacular campaign which included two Rolex Series titles, another victory on home soil and culminated in him being crowned the Race to Dubai Champion.
The 2022 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, in Italy, will take place from 30th September to the 2nd October 2022. It will be the first time The Ryder Cup has been played in Italy, with the country following England, Scotland, Spain, Ireland, Wales and France as European nations to host the biennial contest between Europe and the United States.
It’s Manic Monday, so here is a very quick round up of all the results and stories from the weekend on the PGA Tour, European Tour, LPGA and Women’s European Tour.
Rising Chinese Taipei teenage star Chang Hsin-chiao defied jangling nerves and an accomplished male opponent on a nail-biting final day at the 13th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final.
European golf legend Ian Woosnam has based his new indoor swing room around SkyTrak, golf’s most affordable launch monitor and simulator.v
