Category: Golf

$5 million payday: Jon Rahm joins Seve Ballesteros in European record books

Jon Rahm had a six-shot lead in the final round, but arrived on the 16th tee feeling shaky after a three-putt bogey at 15.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Jon Rahm might not hole a more lucrative putt than the five-footer he holed for birdie on the 18th green in the final round of the $8 million DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. Each foot was worth exactly $1 million.

Five million dollars for five feet. The richest putt ever holed in European Tour history. Rahm earned the $3 million first-place check for winning his second DP World Tour Championship, Dubai title, and a further $2 million bonus for finishing the season as No. 1 on the Race to Dubai.

The Arizona State grad joins the late Seve Ballesteros in the European Tour record books. Rahm is the second Spaniard, and first since Ballesteros in 1991, to end a season as European No. 1.

“It’s really so hard to believe that some of the greatest champions in European golf and Spanish golf haven’t been able to accomplish what I have in just three years,” the 25-year-old Rahm said.

“So many great players throughout the history of Spain that have had a chance and they didn’t get it done. It’s just hard to put that in perspective to know that since Seve, I’m the next one to get it done.

“It just doesn’t feel like it’s true. It’s hard to believe.”

Rahm’s birdie putt on the 72nd green gave him a closing 68 to help him finish 19 under, one shot ahead of England’s Tommy Fleetwood. France’s Mike Lorenzo-Vera placed third on 17 under.

Rahm had a six-shot lead at one point in the final round, but arrived on the 16th tee feeling shaky after a three-putt bogey at 15, and knowing Fleetwood was making a charge.

“I heard Jack Nicklaus talk about it, about his win at the Open at Muirfield. He said he was on the 16th hole as well and told himself, ‘If you finish 3, 4, 4, which there is birdie, par, par, you win the tournament.’ I told myself on 16 before I hit the tee shot, ‘If you finish 4, 3, 3, you win the golf tournament, no matter what anybody else does.’ That’s kind of what I said to myself, too, and that’s what I did.”

Rahm arrived in Dubai third on the Race to Dubai behind first-place Bernd Wiesberger and Fleetwood. His fourth Rolex Series tournament win, and sixth European Tour victory enabled him to overtake both. Fleetwood kept his second-place ranking, while Wiesberger dropped to third.

Fleetwood put up a fight with a closing 65. He was looking for his second straight win after last week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge. He set a record then for picking up the biggest first-place check in golf history, one worth $2.5 million. Rahm took that record from him.

“There’s always going to be a little bit of disappointment but, for the most part, I got myself back in it, and I am very proud of the way I played on that back nine,” said Fleetwood, who came home in 31, 5-under. “You know, Jon’s time, Jon’s moment, he’s played unbelievable this year, and you know, fair play.”

Fleetwood earned $888,500 for his second-place finish, and a further $1.2 million for placing second on the Race to Dubai. It took his earnings to $4,588,000 for two weeks work.

Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia and Miguel Angel Jimenez never managed to get their hands on the Harry Vardon Trophy awarded annually to Europe’s No. 1 player.

Ballesteros finished European No. 1 on six separate occasions. The question on everyone’s lips as the 2019 European season ended was just how many more times will Rahm finish on top of the European tree?

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Justin Rose tells Robert MacIntyre to ‘prove himself’

Justin Rose has warned Robert MacIntyre not to get complacent just because he’s the 2019 European Rookie of the Year.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Justin Rose has warned Robert MacIntyre not to get complacent just because he’s the 2019 European Rookie of the Year.

The 2016 Olympic champion says the Scot “has to prove himself still.”

Rose played with MacIntyre in the final round of the $8 million DP World Tour Championship, Dubai as the left-hander a wrapped up the Rookie of the Year award.

MacIntyre shot a 3-under-par 69 Sunday to finish T-14 and beat former UNLV player Kurt Kitayama for best newcomer. Kitayama finished 48th.

The 2017 Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup player is the first Scottish golfer since Marc Warren in 2006 to win Rookie of the Year. MacIntyre also won the Challenge Tour Graduate of the Year trophy.

Rose, who was five shots worse than MacIntyre in the final round with a 73, says this is just the beginning for the man from the seaside town of Oban on Scotland’s west course.

“He’s got to prove himself still,” Rose said. “This is just chat. He’s still got to win and he’s got to learn things. He’s got a brilliant journey ahead of him. Keep working hard. This is the first little nugget. This should be a quick pat on the back, Christmas, don’t take your eye off the ball and he’s got to kick on. Hopefully it makes him hungry.”

MacIntyre has been hungry since taking a week off after missing the cut in the Hassan Trophée in Morocco in April.

“I wasn’t enjoying golf,” MacIntyre admitted. “Everyone knows I wasn’t enjoying golf, everyone on my team. I didn’t even want to be playing golf, if I’m honest with you.

“So, took the week off. Went and played some Shinty, and that made me realize what life was about. It was an away game on the bus with the boys enjoying ourselves, and it made me realize that the job I’m doing isn’t a job. You’re doing it because you enjoy it, and that’s the mindset I’ve had for the last 17 events and has made me realize, I don’t find it a chore. Go and enjoy it every week, every day, and that’s what I’ve done. And here we are.”

Rose will endorse the mindset MacIntyre left Dubai with for a well-earned winter break.

“I’ve been shooting at the top 50 in the world for the last four or five weeks,” MacIntyre said. (He arrived in Dubai ranked 69th). “We’ve fallen just short, but the season’s opened up doors for me.

“Next year, if I keep continue to do what I’m doing on the golf course, in my own head, it’s a matter of time.”

Not many, Rose included, would bet against the gritty Scot jumping into the world top 50 next year.

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Tait’s Take: The European Tour has a money problem – it has too much

The Rolex Series was created to lure top European players, but the stars earn so much money now they can afford to bypass the big events.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Money, according to the old proverb, is the root of all evil. It’s certainly giving the European Tour a huge headache with it’s much vaunted Rolex Series.

Forty-nine of the European Tour’s top 50 are in Dubai to play in the season-ending finale, the $8 million DP World Tour Championship, the third consecutive and eighth and final Rolex Series event. (Only 39th-ranked Tony Finau is missing. He’s allowed a pass: the Euro Tour isn’t his main tour.)

Getting high-caliber players to turn up for other Rolex Series events hasn’t proven as successful as the European Tour hoped when it launched the series in 2017. Last week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge is the second-richest Rolex tournament at $7.5 million, yet eventual winner Tommy Fleetwood was the highest-ranked player in the field at world No. 18. Shane Lowry and Jon Rahm skipped even though they were, and still are, in contention to finish the season as European Tour No. 1. There was no Justin Rose, no Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia and others. Rose and Lowry teed it up the week before in the $7 million Turkish Airlines Open.

European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley was in an ebullient mood when he faced the press during the third round of the DP World. All is rosy in Pelley’s Rolex Series garden, at least on record.

“Talk of player participation is very important,” Pelley said. “But it’s not the only thing that defines a great tournament.

“I don’t look at it from a ‘concerned’ perspective. If we spend our entire time on top-player participation and if that was the only metric that our sponsors and partners look towards, then we are setting ourselves up for disappointment.

“There is unbelievable optionality for the players right now and it is pretty significant,” Pelley added. “There are probably less than 10 golf tournaments now that are mandatory. The top players are playing less. They played 24.9 times in 2015 and they are now playing 22.3 times. There are 35 tournaments over $7 million, so we look at it but we don’t become obsessed with it.”

There’s a contradiction here. The Rolex Series was set up precisely to try to get Europe’s top stars to play more on their home tour.

The problem? The top players earn so much money they can afford to turn their noses up at tournaments worth $7 million and more.

The three final Rolex Series events came on the back of the $10.25 million WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai. There was a time when the tops stars would have built their schedules around a quartet of events worth a combined $32.75 million. Not now. These guys are so rich they don’t have to play four in a row. Even players who are not box office names can afford to skip Rolex Series tournaments, a fact Pelley acknowledged.

“I had an interesting discussion with Victor Perez, who is ninth in the Race to Dubai. Last year he was a Challenge Tour player but he got into the WGC-HSBC Champions but he doesn’t want to play four in a row, so he made a decision not to play in Turkey or South Africa.”

If a relative unknown like Perez can afford to skip two tournaments worth a combined $14.5 million, it sends a pretty strong signal. It’s why Pelley is looking at ending the 2021 schedule with just two Rolex Series events instead of the current three.

Another problem is that some Rolex Series sponsors are still having to shell out appearance money to lure the top stars. So potential sponsors have to dig deeper into their coffers to stage tournaments, and that’s not an easy sell in the current financial climate.

Pelley did well to introduce the Rolex Series, but it’s throwing up as many problems as answers. All because of money.

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Jon Rahm moves to front of Race to Dubai grid

Rahm seeks to become the first Spaniard since Seve Ballesteros in 1991 to hold the Harry Vardon Trophy as European No. 1.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The 2019 Race to Dubai is taking more twists and turns than a Formula 1 race. It took another one when Jon Rahm moved to the front of the grid after the third round of the $8 million DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.

Rahm sits in joint first on 15 under after a 6-under 66 in the third round. He’s tied with France’s Mike Lorenzo-Vera, who shot a 3-under 69.

Rory McIlroy is in solo third on 13 under after a bogey-free 65. Tommy Fleetwood played the Earth course in 70 strokes to sit fourth.

Arizona State grad Rahm is now predicted to finish the season at the top of the European pecking order. Friday it was Fleetwood who was destined to replace current incumbent Bernd Wiesberger as European No. 1. The Austrian sits T-24 on 2 under, and is now predicted to finish second on the Race to Dubai.

Rahm skipped the previous two tournaments so he could spend time with fianceé Kelley Cahill before their wedding at Christmas. Many thought that might have ruined his chances of overhauling Wiesberger at the top of the Race to Dubai.

Few would bet against Rahm producing the win Sunday to become the first Spaniard since Seve Ballesteros in 1991 to hold the Harry Vardon Trophy as European No. 1. Rahm won this tournament in 2017.

“Gives me goose bumps to think about that,” Rahm said. “I’ve said it many times, as a Spanish player, as a Spaniard, any time you join or you have the chance to put your name on a list where there’s only one name and that name is Seve, it’s pretty impactful. It’s really emotional for all of us.

“To think not even Sergio (Garcia) or Miguel Ángel (Jimenez) or Ollie (Jose Maria Olazabal) or many other great players couldn’t get it done. It’s hard to believe that I have the chance to be the second.”

Lorenzo-Vera would have the lead on his own if not for a three-putt bogey on the par-5 18th for the second day in a row. The Frenchman put his tee shot into the stream that runs up the center of the 18th fairway, found the green with his third but then needed three putts to finish the hole.

Lorenzo-Vera is chasing his first European Tour victory after 12 years as a Tour member.

“You don’t control anything except your mind,” the 34 year old said. “That’s the only thing you can control tomorrow, so I just hope for the same game plan and let’s see if golf wants to give me something.”

McIlroy took pride in bouncing back from 2-over 74 in round two to get back into contention, and then went into philosophical mode.

“That’s what life is all about,” McIlroy said. “It’s learning from what you do and being of a present mind so that you can learn as you go. I sort of figured out what I did wrong yesterday, and I was able to rectify it somewhat today and get myself back in the tournament.”

McIlroy has won the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai twice. He’s aiming for a career first: he’s never won the same tournament three times.

“It’s nice to come back to courses that you’re familiar with. That brings its own advantages. It would be nice. It’s been a great year so far and this is my last event. It would be wonderful going into the break to finish on a high.”

Just to thicken the plot even more, Fleetwood can still win the Race to Dubai for the second time in three years with a win. This Race is far from over.

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LPGA CME Group Tour Championship: Round 3 tee times, how to watch

The CME Group Tour Championship heads to the weekend with the largest prize ever in women’s golf awaiting the winner, who will take home an unprecedented payday of $1.5 million. The final event on the 2019 LPGA schedule features a limited 60-player …

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The CME Group Tour Championship heads to the weekend with the largest prize ever in women’s golf awaiting the winner, who will take home an unprecedented payday of $1.5 million.

The final event on the 2019 LPGA schedule features a limited 60-player field.

Unlike in the past, anyone in the field can claim the big prize. The total purse for the week is $5 million.

Lexi Thompson is the defending champion.

CME Group Tour Championship: Photo gallery

Third-round tee times and TV/streaming information listed below.

All times listed in Eastern Standard Time.

1st tee

Tee time Players
7:15 a.m. Ashleigh Buhai, Jaye Marie Green
7:24 a.m. Moriya Jutanugan, Celine Boutier
7:33 a.m. Anna Nordqvist, Nicole Broch Larsen
7:42 a.m. Gaby Lopez, Angel Yin
7:51 a.m. Mi Hyang Lee, Annie Park
8 a.m. Hannah Green, Kristen Gillman
8:09 a.m. Eun-Hee Ji, Mirim Lee
8:18 a.m. Minjee Lee, Stacy Lewis
8:27 a.m. Jasmine Suwannapura, Inbee Park
8:36 a.m. Wei-Ling Hsu, Jenny Shin
8:45 a.m. Azahara Munoz, Sung Hyun Park
8:54 a.m. Hyo Joo Kim, Jennifer Kupcho
9:03 a.m. Morgan Pressel, Chelle Choi
9:12 a.m. Shanshan Feng, Lydia Ko
9:21 a.m. Amy Olson, Alena Sharp
9:30 a.m. Ariya Jutanugarn, Cheyenne Knight
9:39 a.m. Megan Khang, Brittany Altomare
9:48 a.m. Jin Young Ko, Katherine Kirk
9:57 a.m. Ally McDonald, Carlota Ciganda
10:06 a.m. Lizette Salas, So Yeon Ryu
10:15 a.m. Danielle Kang, Bronte Law
10:25 a.m. Jeongeun Lee6, Amy Yang
10:35 a.m. Jing Yan, Charley Hull
10:45 a.m. Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Georgia Hall
10:55 a.m. Mi Jung Hur, Marina Alex
11:05 a.m. Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Nasa Hataoka
11:15 a.m. Jessica Korda, Lexi Thompson
11:25 a.m. Su Oh, Yu Liu
11:35 a.m. Brooke Henderson, Nelly Korda
11:45 a.m. Sei Young Kim, Caroline Masson

How to watch

All times listed in Eastern Standard Time.

Saturday
Golf Channel, 4-7 p.m.

Sunday
NBC, 1-4 p.m.

Coverage will also be streamed live on the Golf Channel and NBC Sports apps 1-4 p.m. ET Thursday through Sunday.

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Suzann Pettersen, Brooke Henderson highlight annual Rolex Awards dinner

Brooke Henderson received the Founders Award, given to the player whose behavior best exemplifies the spirit, ideals and values of the LPGA.

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NAPLES, Fla. – Guests at the annual Rolex Awards ceremony Thursday night got to relive the most sensational moment of the year – the putt that clinched the Solheim Cup for Europe – from the legend herself.

“It’s a feeling that can never be topped,” said the newly-retired Suzann Pettersen, who was on hand to receive the Heather Farr Perseverance Award after coming back from a complicated pregnancy and the birth of her son to deliver an instant classic.

Pettersen, 38, insisted that her retirement was a spontaneous decision. In the midst of the mayhem on the 18th, a moment with her son was all it took to see the future clearly.

“It meant the world to me to perform at such a high level, now as a mom,” said Pettersen. “But the moment I held Herman, my heart told me instantly what the world was about to know. Enough is enough.”

The last thing Pettersen remembers before taking the putter back for the stroke that will define her legacy in this game is a television reporter saying “So here we have Suzann Pettersen …”

The rest, of course, is history.

“It felt like a fairy-tale,” she said.

People often ask Pettersen if she still would’ve retired had the putt missed.

“I never have to answer that,” she told Golf Channel host Tom Abbott with a laugh.

Brooke Henderson got the night started by accepting the Founders Award (formerly the William and Mousie Powell Award), given to the player whose behavior and deeds best exemplifies the spirit, ideals and values of the LPGA. Henderson was chosen by her peers.

LPGA commissioner Michael Whan presents the Rolex Player of the Year award to Jin Young Ko of South Korea during the LPGA Rolex Players Awards at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort on November 21, 2019 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

The Commissioner’s Award went to KPMG. When John Veihmeyer, former global chair of KPMG who recently joined the LPGA board, signed on as title sponsor of the Women’s PGA Championship, the whole tour changed.

“KPMG made us realize we weren’t just great female athletes,” said LPGA commissioner Mike Whan. “We didn’t just provide hospitality and good television. We were a living, breathing microcosm of what diversity, inclusion and women’s leadership is all about.”

One of the most impactful moments of the evening belonged to Jeongeun Lee6, who flawlessly delivered her Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year acceptance speech in English. When Lee6 won the U.S. Women’s Open earlier this year, she made a promise that the next time she found herself in a similar situation, she’d be able to communicate in English.

Lee6’s three-minute speech, which she memorized, was an inspiring display of courage and hard work. She worked on it for months. When it was over, the rising South Korean star put her hands on her heart in a moment of pure joy and relief. She’d done it. The crowd gave her a standing ovation.

And then, of course, there was World No. 1 Jin Young Ko, who dominated the season with four wins, including two majors.

When introducing Ko, Whan recalled a time in 2015 when he told a similar crowd gathered in the same room that Lydia Ko might be the last player to ever win the Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons. Yet there he was, four years later handing the POY award to Jin Young Ko. She’d  become the fifth player to complete the feat, joining Nancy Lopez, Beth Daniel, Annika Sorenstam and Lydia Ko.

Whan also marveled at Ko’s greens in regulation percentage, 79. 1, a tour record. Not to mention her bogey-free streak of 114 holes, which broke Tiger Woods’ mark by four holes.

Jeongeun Lee6 of South Korea is presented with the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year by Annika Sorenstam during the LPGA Rolex Players Awards at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

She even has a chance at breaking the 69 mark for scoring en route to the Vare Trophy, something that’s only been done by Sorenstam.

“I’ll just tell you this Jin Young,” said Whan. “You’re young, and you’ve got a lot of winning to do.

But at some point in our life you’re going to remember a night when the names they compared you with were Annika Sorenstam and Tiger Woods. I don’t know how big you dreamed as a young girl, but that’s as big as it gets.”

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Commissioner Whan headed to Spain to lay out proposal for LPGA-LET partnership

Commissioner Mike Whan is traveling to Spain this week to lay out a proposal for a LPGA-LET partnership.

NAPLES, Fla. – Mike Whan won’t be at Tiburon on Sunday for the historic finish at the CME Group Tour Championship. He’s off to Spain instead on Saturday night for his first Ladies European Tour player meeting.

At his annual season-ending press conference, Whan addressed the 50-50 proposal on the table that would unite the LPGA with the struggling LET. He said boards of both tours voted unanimously to move forward. The proposal includes having six board members from each side with all proceeds staying in Europe.

The initial move would provide access to Q-Series, but not the chance to earn full cards, though Whan said that might come after the schedule has been significantly bolstered.

‘I’M NOT DONE’: Whan signs long-term contract extension
2020 SCHEDULE: See the 2020 LPGA schedule

European players will have the final vote on Tuesday.

“I want to make sure the European Tour players know that this is not some American growth strategy,” said Whan. “I’m not expecting to make money at the LET.”

The LPGA’s mission, Whan said, is to provide women the opportunity to pursue their dreams in the game of golf. In his pitch to the LPGA board, Whan said that doesn’t see a boundary or a fence around that statement.

“So I said to my board, I think we should do this because we can,” said Whan. “We really can. And I think it’s our responsibility. Our founders would have done it if they would have had this ability, so why shouldn’t we?”

Whan compared the LET’s thin schedule to what the LPGA looked like in 2009, shortly before he took over. In other words, it’s dire.

In 2008 the LET had 28 tournaments. In 2017 it dropped to 15 events.

This year’s schedule includes 20 tournaments, but three of those are jointly sanctioned by the LPGA: AIG Women’s British Open, Evian Championship, Ladies Scottish Open. They’ll play for almost $15 million this season, though roughly $10 million comes from those three co-sanctioned tournaments. The LPGA competed for $70.2 million this season.

“I don’t see why we shouldn’t go into this partnership,” said Nicole Broch Larsen, who got her start on the LPGA and will compete in Spain next week to keep her membership.

Broch Larsen, the 2015 Ladies European Tour Player of the Year, won the Helsingborg Open in Sweden that year, about an hour away from her home in Denmark. Several dozen friends and family came out to see her. She couldn’t defend the next year because the LET lost the event.

“There’s plenty of players that want to just stay in Europe and stay at home and play in Europe,” said England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff, “which I totally understand. But there’s obviously not many tournaments throughout the year. Everyone wants to see more tournaments, more prize money, more TV time.”

Whan said he views the LET as a tour that one day can be built into a place where players can compete their entire careers.

“I’m not sure if that’s a realistic short or long-term goal on Symetra,” said Whan, “but I think it’s a real, realistic, even short-term goal on the LET.”

If the European players don’t take him up on the offer, Whan said there won’t be any animosity. It’s wouldn’t be the first time that a partnership between the two organizations never got off the ground.

“It’s their decision,” said Whan, “and I think we’re going to put a really good case together on how this can be impactful. But if people feel that that’s just a little bit too either threatening or too American or too Mike Whan, any of those things, that would be fine if it doesn’t work out.”

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Coastal champs: South Carolina’s top five public-access courses

The best of South Carolina’s Low Country and Grand Strand is all about long marsh views, moss dripping from oaks and beachside living. Think shrimp boils, pickup trucks and Southern accents. And golf courses. From Myrtle Beach at the north end of …

The best of South Carolina’s Low Country and Grand Strand is all about long marsh views, moss dripping from oaks and beachside living. Think shrimp boils, pickup trucks and Southern accents.

And golf courses. 

From Myrtle Beach at the north end of the state’s beaches to Hilton Head Island near the southern end, it seems there are more fairways than back roads – and that’s saying something down here. 

It’s no surprise to most traveling golfers that South Carolina has great golf. Myrtle Beach is a long-time staple with its nearly 100 courses. Halfway down the state’s coast, Kiawah Island Golf Resort has hosted a Ryder Cup in 1991 and a PGA Championship in 2012, and the course is slated to host that major championship again in 2021. Harbour Town Golf Links at Sea Pines hosts the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage each April. 

What is somewhat surprising is that in a state that stretches inland some 250 miles with a diverse landscape that rolls up toward the Appalachian Mountains in the west, all the state’s top-ranked public-access courses are near the beach. Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list includes 15 courses in the Palmetto State, and each of them is near the coast. 

My recent rounds on the top five on the list showcased the best of coastal South Carolina golf. Included with the highlights of my trip are comments from Golfweek’s Best raters, on whose opinions our comprehensive course-ranking system is built. 

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LPGA CME Group Tour Championship: Round 2 tee times, how to watch

The CME Group Tour Championship is the final event on the LPGA schedule. It features a 60-player field and a $1.5 million first-place prize.

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The CME Group Tour Championship is the final event on the 2019 LPGA schedule, and features a limited 60-player field. Most interesting is the carrot that dangles over the week at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida.

On Sunday, the winner will receive an unprecedented payday of $1.5 million, a sum that could be life-changing for the woman who wins it, particularly anyone looking to become a first-time winner. Unlike in previous years, anyone in the field can claim the big prize. The total purse for the week is $5 million.

Lexi Thompson is the defending champion.

Second-round tee times and TV/streaming information listed below.

CME Group Tour Championship: Photos | Tee times

All times listed in Eastern Standard Time.

1st tee

Tee time Players
7:15 a.m. Celine Boutier, Hannah Green, Ariya Jutanugarn
7:27 a.m. Mi Hyang Lee, Moriya Jutanugarn, Jaye Marie Green
7:39 a.m. Gaby Lopez, Nicole Broch Larsen, Kristen Gillman
7:51 a.m. Jing Yan, Ally McDonald, Angel Yin
8:03 a.m. Carlota Ciganda, Hyo Joo Kim, Annie Park
8:15 a.m. Mirim Lee, Lydia Ko, Eun-Hee Ji
8:27 a.m. Stacy Lewis, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Jasmine Suwannapura
8:39 a.m. Morgan Pressel, Inbee Park, Jeongeun Lee6
8:51 a.m. Anna Nordqvist, Charley Hull, Jennifer Kupcho
9:03 a.m. Jin Young Ko, Minjee Lee, Katherine Kirk
9:15 a.m. Yu Liu, Amy Yang, Sung Hyun Park
9:27 a.m. Alena Sharp, Azahara Munoz, Shanshan Feng
9:39 a.m. Ashleigh Buhai, Cheyenne Knight, Amy Olson
9:51 a.m. Nasa Hataoka, Mi Jung Hur, Lexi Thompson
10:03 a.m. Danielle Kang, Megan Khang, Jessica Korda
10:15 a.m. Su Oh, Bronte Law, Brittany Altomare
10:27 a.m. Wei-Ling Hsu, Jenny Shin, Chella Choi
10:39 a.m. Caroline Masson, Lizette Salas, Brooke M. Henderson
10:51 a.m. Nelly Korda, Marina Alex, Nanna Koerstz Madsen
11:03 a.m. Sei Young Kim, Georgia Hall, So Yeon Ryu

How to watch

All times listed in Eastern Standard Time.

Friday
Golf Channel, 4-7 p.m.

Saturday
Golf Channel, 4-7 p.m.

Sunday
NBC, 1-4 p.m.

Coverage will also be streamed live on the Golf Channel and NBC Sports apps 1-4 p.m. ET Thursday through Sunday.

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Historic Newport Country Club: A course where legacies are forged

From the moment Annika Sorenstam arrived at the historic Newport Country Club for the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open, she sensed it would be a special week. The Swedish-born star had just become an American citizen seven days earlier, and she quickly took …

From the moment Annika Sorenstam arrived at the historic Newport Country Club for the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open, she sensed it would be a special week. The Swedish-born star had just become an American citizen seven days earlier, and she quickly took to the historic Rhode Island town.

Evening strolls among the sprawling turn-of-the-century mansions only further emphasized that one of the USGA’s five founding clubs was hosting the biggest championship in women’s golf. In 1895, Newport was the site of the inaugural U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur, and 100 years later, Tiger Woods claimed the U.S. Amateur for the second of three consecutive triumphs. 

Who better to add to the club’s legacy than one of the greatest female players of all-time? 

“To win on a beautiful venue that is one of the USGA’s five founding clubs made it even more special,” said Sorenstam. “I had won my first two U.S. Women’s Opens [in 1995 and 1996] and then didn’t win again for 10 years. I really felt like I wanted to win another one.”

Newport Country Club’s next chapter in its glorious history takes place next June when the 41st U.S. Senior Open comes to town. It is yet another opportunity for this golf-passionate area to see the likes of 2018 champion Steve Stricker, two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen and 2010 champion Bernhard Langer as well as several prominent newcomers to the 50-and-older set. Five-time major champion Phil Mickelson, along with U.S. Open champions Ernie Els, Jim Furyk and Angel Cabrera all will be eligible for the championship.

Given Newport Country Club’s close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, breezy conditions are often a critical part of the test.

“Course management will be key, along with the ability to control your ball under windy conditions,” says Sorenstam. “I remember the bunkers were very well placed off the tee, so accuracy will be a key.”

The player who raises the U.S. Senior Open trophy will have not only conquered a stellar field and challenging course but will have won at one of the country’s historic venues. Under the intense pressure of major-championship golf, however, they’ll do well to channel Sorenstam’s legendary focus.

“To be honest, as you are playing, you really aren’t thinking about the course or the history,” she said. “You are just taking one shot at a time and trying to play your best golf. [But] looking back after the fact it was very special.”

And next June, another player will add his name to the championship legacy at Newport. For information on the 2020 U.S. Senior Open, visit ussenioropen.com/2020. Lexus is proud to be the official vehicle of the USGA and the U.S. Senior Open.