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Internationals dominate on the LPGA Tour
The LPGA Tour is in a very good place right
now. Total purse sizes are increasing and
the number of tournaments has increased
from a low of 23 in 2009 to 35, plus the UL
International Crown has grown in stature as a
biennial International team competition and
the Solheim Cup continues to gain popularity.
Even though the tour will lose the Swinging
Skirts Championship in 2017, it is adding
the New Zealand Women’s Open and will
partner with the Ladies European Tour to co-
sponsor theWomen’s Scottish Open the week
prior to the Ricoh Women’s British Open.
Lydia Ko has been dominating the LPGA
Tour for the last three years, but in 2016,
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn challenged Ko
in every major category.
Ariya finished the year with five wins and
16 top ten finishes, plus she won the $1
million Race to the CME Globe. Ko had
had four wins in her 14 top-10’s. Both won
major championships and were first and
second in the money race, Race to the CME
Globe and Rolex Ranking.
Canadian Brooke Henderson
also announced her presence
on tour in 2016 with a win at
the KPMGWomen’s PGA and
the Portland Cambia Classic,
as well as, 15 top-10 finishes
to keep the pressure on the
top two.
In Gee Chun from South Korea finished No.
4 on the regular season money list and added
the U.S. Women’s Open to her trophy case.
Lexi Thompson and Brittany Lang were the
only American-born women to win on the
LPGA Tour in 2016. Lang’s win was a big
one though. She collected $810,000 for her
win at the U.S. Women’s Open in Lancaster,
Pennsylvania.
In 35 season-long events, International
players won 31 times. Will this create a
problem for the LPGA Tour going forward?
I think not, the LPGATour is stronger than ever
and several talented, youngAmerican women
are improving their games daily and will soon
be popping up on LPGA Tour leaderboards.
Golf Lost a KING
On September 25th, golf lost its King.
Arnold Palmer at the age of 87. He
succumbed to heart issues and will
be remembered as the most important
figure in golf in the past 60 years.
He brought the game into the colored
television age with a swashbuckling style and
grace that won him the affection of an army.
He was the man responsible for starting the
Golf Channel, which resulted in one of themost
successful cable channel start-ups in history.
In addition, his philanthropic contributions
to the Arnold Palmer and Winnie Palmer
medical facilities in the Orlando area will
help generations for years to come.
Other stories of significance, Keith Pelley
continued to shake up the European Tour,
Tim Finchem officially retired from the PGA
Tour after 22 years at the helm. His successor,
Jay Monahan will become the new PGATour
Commissioner effective Jan 1, 2017.
Bernhard Langer won a record-setting fourth
Charles Schwab Cup on the Champions
Tour, while 45-year-old Phil Mickelson
wasoh so close to having one of his best
years ever.
Even without Tiger Woods hitting one tee
shot in 2016, the Young Guys made golf fun
to watch. Golf is much more than a “Big
3.” In addition to Jason, Jordan and Rory,
Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson, as well as,
15 other prominent players are competing
every week and in the big events to win
titles and trophies.
Bring on 2017!! We Can’t Wait
NWO Golf Links