Lincicome got a quick mommy moment in with her now one-year-old daughter Emery at Pinnacle Country Club, just north of Fayetteville.
Brittany Lincicome got a little extra inspiration at the turn during Friday’s opening round of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, presented by P&G.
After an even 36 on the front, Lincicome got a quick mommy moment in with her now one-year-old daughter Emery at Pinnacle Country Club, just north of Fayetteville.
She stopped and tickled Emery, who was waiting between holes with caretakers. The move worked as Lincicome went out and finished with a 1-under par 35 on the back nine. A trio is in the lead at 7 under.
Sophia Popov’s status as a non-member winner – and the current COVID climate – affects her perks associated with winning AIG Women’s Open.
Sophia Popov became perhaps the best Cinderella story of the month — even the year? — when she won the AIG Women’s British Open at Royal Troon on Aug. 23.
She was a Symetra Tour member, having missed out on earning her full LPGA card by one shot at last fall’s Q-School. She gained late entry into the Women’s British Open courtesy of a top-10 finish at the Marathon LPGA Classic.
Popov rode it all the way to a trophy and career-changing perks. Her status as a non-member winner – and the current COVID climate – limits those, however.
When Popov won at Royal Troon, she was granted instant LPGA membership. According to Category 3 of the LPGA’s priority status document, any player who wins a major as an LPGA member secures status for the next five years.
Therein went the overlooked detail of Popov’s situation. She was not an LPGA member when she won, thus she went into Category 7 on the tour’s Priority List, which is for non-member wins. If she had been an LPGA member, she would have gone into Category 3, which is for major winners.
Thus, Popov will hold full LPGA membership through the completion of the 2021 season.
Sophia Popov holds up the trophy after winning the 2020 AIG Women’s Open at Royal Troon. (Photo: R&A via Getty Images)
In addition to LPGA membership, another perk associated with winning the Women’s British Open comes in the form of major exemptions. Popov now has an unlimited exemption (at least through age 60) into the Women’s British Open and a five-year exemption into the tour’s other four majors.
The ANA Inspiration field was finalized in March to make to sure that players who qualified into the ANA were secure. In doing so, anything that happened after the field was set would be addressed in later years.
“You don’t have to like that, you don’t have to agree with me on that,” Whan said. “But that way, from the very beginning we knew that a winner there was going to qualify for the 2021 ANA.”
As for limited membership, Whan points out it has happened before – and recently.
“I’ve been commissioner 11 years. I’ve seen plenty of non-member wins at majors,” Whan said. “And I’ve seen almost all of those non-members go onto long and storied careers on the LPGA.”
According to the LPGA, In Gee Chun (2015 U.S. Women’s Open) and Hyo Joo Kim (2014 Evian Championship) are among recent players who won a major championship and received a two-year LPGA membership. Hinako Shibuno (2019 AIG Women’s Open) would have received the same if she had accepted LPGA membership.
Whan said he would think harder about that situation in the off-season and whether it’s a regulation that needs an update. He would not, he said, change a regulation mid-season, “the Monday after an emotional win.”
Popov’s situation initially was reported by Golf.com on Friday. According to writer James Colgan, Popov was contacted by an LPGA official shortly after the trophy presentation at Royal Troon and informed she would not receive the five-year membership exemption.
“I definitely got a little bit frustrated about the whole thing,” Popov told Golf.com a couple of days after the Women’s British Open. “It’s tough because I feel like I deserve the full five years of exemption from the LPGA, but at the same time, I understand the regulations and the fact that they can’t change the rules for a certain player.”
Popov could potentially appeal the rule, an option other players have exercised in similar situations. Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson both used that avenue to gain LPGA membership after winning an LPGA event before they reached 18, the tour’s required age for membership.
Mark your calendars for August 2021: The USGA and LPGA have announced back-to-back majors will be on the senior schedule for 2021.
The USGA and LPGA announced on Wednesday that the senior championship schedule for 2021 will feature consecutive major events.
Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield, Connecticut will host the third U.S. Senior Women’s Open, Aug. 19-22, while French Lick Resort in French Lick, Indiana hosts the fourth Senior LPGA Championship the following week, Aug. 26-29. Both events were both postponed in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2021 U.S. Senior Women’s Open will be Brooklawn’s fifth USGA championship, following the 1974 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 1979 U.S. Women’s Open, the 1987 U.S. Senior Open, and the 2003 U.S. Girls’ Junior.
“We could not be happier to still have the opportunity to host our 3rd U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship at Brooklawn Country Club,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, championships. “Our newest championship continues to be a treasure for all who are involved. We cannot wait to see the players compete on this fantastic course next year.”
The Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort has hosted the Senior LPGA Championship since its 2017 premier. In 2019 Helen Alfredsson joined Laura Davies as a Senior Slam winner, sweeping the U.S. Senior Women’s Open and Senior LPGA Championship in the same season.
The 2021 event will hold a qualifier for two spots the week of Aug. 23.
“We certainly missed the Senior LPGA Championship and its participants this year, and we hope to make the 2021 event the biggest and best one yet, not only for our players, sponsors, and spectators, but for the Patients at Riley Children’s Hospital,” said Dave Harner, director of golf operations at French Lick Resort. “We hope that everyone realizes the significance of this event on all points.”
Sophia Popov earned LPGA status for the 2020 season by winning the AIG Women’s British Open on Sunday, but should be in all 2020 majors too.
Sophia Popov became the improbable winner of the AIG Women’s British Open on Sunday, earning LPGA status for the 2020 season.
But that season won’t start until the Cambia Portland Classic because amazingly, she’s not in the ANA Inspiration field.
How is that possible?
Because the LPGA’s majors are out of order due to COVID-19, Popov’s five-year exemption won’t start until 2021. An LPGA official explained that since the ANA field was basically filled when the tour had to shut down, they’ve chosen to honor that field. The only exemption adjustment was changing the cutoff for top 20 on the money list.
But because Popov, 28, isn’t an LPGA member (she missed out on her card by a single shot last fall at Q-Series), her $675,000 earnings won’t count as official money.
The victory does put Popov into the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in October. It does not, however, get her into the U.S. Women’s Open in December. Like the ANA, her five-year exemption into the Women’s Open begins next year at the Olympic Club.
How does a Symetra Tour player qualify for a major by finishing ninth at the Marathon LPGA Classic but yet a victory at a major championship doesn’t get her into the rest of the majors for 2020?
Surely there’s an exemption (or two) somewhere with Popov’s name on it.
Her story is too extraordinary to deny. A woman ranked No. 304 in the world who won three times on a desert mini tour during the COVID-19 break didn’t just win at Royal Troon, she marched to victory like a grizzled Hall of Famer.
It was a story for the ages, and fans want to see it continue next month at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course. Popov deserves that. Instead, the earliest she can get back out on the tour is Portland – the week after the ANA.
In this era of COVID-19 protocols and asterisks, why not make an exception?
“There was a lot of hard work behind it,” Popov said after the tournament, “a lot of struggles that I went through the past six years … I knew I was capable. I had a lot of obstacles thrown my way, and I’m glad I stuck with it.
“I almost quit playing last year. Thank God I didn’t.”
The major parade should just be getting started for the sensational Popov. The powers that be must make it happen.
Sophia Popov capped a most remarkable week with a victory in the AIG Women’s Open to become the first woman from Germany to win a major.
Three weeks ago, Sophia Popov was caddying in an LPGA event.
Two weeks ago, she finished ninth in the LPGA Marathon Classic to earn a spot in the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Troon in Scotland.
She only got into the Marathon because so many international LPGA players decided not to go to Toledo and the tour filled out the field there with Symetra Tour players.
Last week, she battled temperatures that soared well past 100 degrees to post a second-place finish in a Symetra Tour event in the Mesa, Arizona, desert.
Ranked 304 in the Rolex Rankings before the week started, Popov has no status on the LPGA.
But on Sunday, she capped a most remarkable week with a victory in the Women’s Open.
She arrived in Scotland on Tuesday and played her first practice round at Royal Troon on Wednesday. Her boyfriend, Maximilian Mehles, was on the bag this week. The pair met on the German National team.
A strong mental game proved to be a huge asset this week.
“Honestly, I have plenty of mental games that I do on the golf course,” said Popov on Saturday, “and a lot of them include staying quiet and no negative talk, whether it’s out loud or not.”
Jasmine Suwannapura shot a final-round 67 to come in second, three shots back. Minjee Lee was third, four back, while Inbee Park shot a 66 on Sunday and finished fourth. Those were the only golfers to finish under par at Royal Troon. Austin Ernst was fifth at even par.
Popov was barely into six figures in career earnings, but Sunday’s title brings her $675,000. She also earns a five-year LPGA exemption.
After winning three times on the Cactus Tour during the LPGA’s five-month break, Sophia Popov is now leading the AIG Women’s British Open.
Last fall Sophia Popov missed out on securing LPGA status at Q-Series by a single shot. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and qualifying school was canceled for 2020, Popov’s time on the Symetra Tour doubled to at least two years.
And yet, by a stroke of good luck and plenty of grit, she took advantage of every opportunity that was open to her – no matter how small – and played her way into a three-stroke lead in the year’s first major championship. How does a player go from winning a Cactus Tour event at Troon North in Scottsdale, Arizona, in May to leading the field by three at Royal Troon in Scotland three months later?
“Maybe this is the way it should have played out,” Popov said of her unusual journey to the top of the leaderboard at the AIG Women’s British Open.
Popov, 28, hit driver off the deck on the fourth hole to set up an eagle putt that set the tone for a bogey-free 4-under 67. Only three players are under par after three rounds at Troon. Popov sits at 4 under while Minjee Lee, among the best players on the LPGA without a major title, stands a 1 under alongside Jasmine Suwannapura.
Be a hell of a double if Sophia Popov won at Royal Troon. She won at Troon North in Arizona on the Cactus Tour in May.
Lindsey Weaver, who is using a pull cart for a fourth week in a row, joins Caroline Masson and Austin Ernst in a share of fourth.
The only player in the top 10 who has won a major is former No. 1 Lydia Ko. She trails by six.
Back to Popov, who came into the week ranked No. 304 in the Rolex Rankings, and her wild ride to the top. After winning three times on the Cactus Tour during the LPGA’s five-month break, Popov returned to the tour at the Inverness Club in July – as a caddie.
While players can use a pull cart on the LPGA for the rest of the year, caddies cannot. Popov carried van Dam’s staff bag around Inverness, soaking up everything she could from one of the longest players in the game with the sweetest swing. Popov particularly fed off of van Dam’s positive energy.
The next week, the two best friends shared Popov’s pull cart at the Marathon Classic as they were in opposite waves. Because so many international LPGA players decided not to come to Toledo, the tour filled the field with Symetra Tour players. That’s how Popov got in.
She tied for ninth that week to play her way into her second Women’s British Open. That stint looping for van Dam helped to change her perspective.
“I thought about the course a little bit more from a caddie perspective,” she said. “I said, ‘What is the smart decision to make here?’ You know, I’m someone who tends to be very aggressive. I go at pins. But do you have to be? No, not really.”
After the Marathon, Popov, who played college golf at USC, flew back to Phoenix to compete on the Symetra Tour where she came in second. She arrived in Scotland on Tuesday and played her first practice round at Royal Troon on Wednesday. This week she has boyfriend, Maximilian Mehles, on the bag. Mehles graduated from Kentucky in May and planned to turn professional before the pandemic hit. The pair met on the German National team.
To help keep the nerves to a minimum for the next 24 hours, Popov said she’ll keep her phone on airplane mode and stay off of social media.
“Please, no one text me,” she said, laughing.
Typically fast-paced about everything, Popov hopes to take things slowly the rest of the day and tomorrow. She has long thought she had the game for this type of stage, it’s the space between the ears that needed the most work.
“Honestly, I have plenty of mental games that I do on the golf course,” said Popov, “and a lot of them include staying quiet and no negative talk, whether it’s out loud or not.”
Weaver looked like she needed someone to talk to – to celebrate with – after she holed-out a spectacular shot for par from the hay on the 12th hole. Because she usually takes local caddies on the LPGA and those aren’t allowed this year due to COVID-19 protocols, Weaver decided she’d go solo for this opening stretch of tournaments.
“Usually I kind of have almost a stranger there with me normally,” she said, “so it’s just me by myself. It’s fine. I kind of like it.”
Lindsey Weaver prepares to plays her third shot on the second hole at Royal Troon. (Photo: R&A via Getty Images)
Weaver’s fiancé, Zach Wright, is staying with her parents this week in Ohio while he competes on the Korn Ferry Tour. He tries to keep up with her rounds on YouTube on the 45-minute commute to the course. The couple bought a house in Dallas during the break, though the pandemic created quite the hurdle.
“Less than 24 hours before we were supposed to close on our house, they were like, ‘Yeah, you guys can’t close on your house because you both are unemployed,’ ” said Weaver.
Because neither could prove when they’d be starting work again on their respective tours, Weaver’s dad had to co-sign on the house. Weaver said a big reason they chose Dallas is because the job market is so great for her degree in finance, and it wasn’t long ago that the Arizona grad thought she might quit professional golf.
“But yeah, I’m not doing that,” she said of going to a 9-to-5 desk job.
As Laura Davies said, anyone who makes the cut at the AIG Women’s British Open has a chance to take the title at Royal Troon.
Laura Davies birdied the 18th at Royal Troon and popped into the booth for her second job as a commentator for Sky Sports. Her takeaway going into the weekend: Anyone who makes the cut at the AIG Women’s British Open has a chance to take the title.
After two days of brutally difficult weather, Sweden’s Dani Holmqvist remains the only player under par at Royal Troon. Rounds of 71-70 put her one shot ahead of American Austin Ernst and Sophia Popov of Germany and two shots clear of a bunched group at 1 over that includes Lydia Ko and Minjee Lee.
Ko sounds as if she has moved on from that botched finish at the Marathon LPGA Classic, but there’s no way to really know until she gets in the thick of it again on Sunday.
“The more times I put myself in contention or in a good position, it gives me confidence about my game,” said Ko. “Sean (Foley) has been trying to get me to swing aggressively and freely and I feel like I hit it better that way. Sometimes it’s easier said than done, but you know, I’ve just got to go out there and not worry about it and just believe in myself.”
Dani Holmqvist of Sweden plays her second shot on the 18th hole of the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Troon. (Photo: R&A via Getty Images)
Holmqvist, playing in her second Women’s British, started working with Brad Faxon on her mindset and short game during the LPGA’s five-month break. The extra time to work on her game and rehab her back has paid off handsomely thus far for the 32-year-old, who tied for 29th last week and leads at Royal Troon.
In the fall of 2018, Holmqvist injured her back at the Blue Bay LPGA event in China when a shuttle cart transporting players between holes lost control on a steep hill and slammed into a wall.
“I had a disk, which is leaking, and also really inflamed facet joint,” said Holmqvist. “So I injected that many times, and then it’s just been rehab and ice and kind of rest and you know how it is with backs, it’s a long process and very tedious. It’s an everyday thing.”
This marks the first time Holmqvist has ever led an LPGA event.
Lindsey Weaver can’t possibly go unnoticed at Troon as she’s been out there battling the elements without a caddie. The Arizona grad, playing in her first British Open, has been using a push cart since the LPGA restarted its season in mid-July. A second-round 72 puts her in a share of fourth at 1 over.
Nelly Korda found it difficult to stand up early on in Thursday’s round but found Round 2 even more of a challenge as the wind was consistently strong throughout. Korda posted a second-consecutive 72 and sits three shots back. She played alongside 2018 British champ Georgia Hall and took comfort in the face that it was tough for her too.
“We were like, are you scared over 1-footers, too, with this wind?” said Nelly, “because we were like shaking over it with wind and the gusts. She’s like, me, too. I’m like, OK, good.”
Sophia Popov of Germany plays a shot from a greenside bunker at the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Troon. (Photo: R&A via Getty Images)
Inbee Park matched the day’s low round, 2-under 69, to vault up the board into a share of 17th, five shots back. The seven-time major winner won the last time she teed it up on the LPGA, the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, back in February. This week she has her husband, Gi Hyeob Nam, on the bag (longtime caddie Brad Beecher will be back next week). Park noted earlier in the week that Nam sometimes gets his math wrong.
After two rounds in exceptionally trying conditions, Park gave her man high marks. There is one area, however, where they can certainly improve.
“A couple of decisions that I had was probably wrong,” she said. “It was No. 16, I hit into the water twice yesterday. We laid up in the water. Today we tried to go over the water, but we went into in the water. That was the only hole maybe we have to change the plan the next two days.”
Park thought it might be “impossible” to break par on Troon in these conditions, but the 2015 British Open champion proved herself wrong. The LPGA Hall of Famer counts Scotland as one of her favorite places to play.
“I’m not going to say I’m enjoying this weather,” she said, “but it is fun competing in this weather.”
Scotland’s Catriona Matthew spent a brief time atop the board in red numbers at Troon before faltering a bit to a 76. The European Solheim Cup captain turns 51 next Tuesday and looks to become the oldest player to win an LPGA major. Fay Crocker won the 1960 Titleholders Championship at 45 years, 7 months and 11 days.
Matthew, the 2009 Women’s British champ, trails by six heading into the weekend.
“It was a lot tougher out there actually, a lot tougher today,” said Matthew. “It was just a crosswind today, so downwind played as tough coming as going out, actually. I didn’t hit it great to be fair. Made some quite miraculous up-and-downs.”
Lindsey Weaver used a pull cart instead of a caddie at the Women’s British Open due to coronavirus precations.
Lindsey Weaver is still trying to get all the sand out of her golf bag. While making her way out of a bunker at Royal Troon, her unattended push cart went racing into another bunker and toppled over.
Weaver wasn’t wishing for a caddie in that moment as much as she was a good set of brakes. The push cart dates back to her days on the AJGA.
“I feel like it’s kind of back to the basics,” said Weaver. “This is how junior golf was. This is how college golf was and on the Symetra Tour when I played there for a year. … it’s still just golf. I’m still making the final decision at the end of the day.”
When the LPGA returned to competition after a 166-day break due to the coronavirus, caddies became optional for the remainder of the year. Weaver didn’t have a steady caddie before the break, mostly using locals. Since locals aren’t allowed this year, she decided to go solo.
She’s currently two shots back of clubhouse leader Dani Holmqvist after rounds of 71-72 at the AIG Women’s British Open. As if contending in a major without a caddie wasn’t enough, Weaver is thriving brutal conditions, when an extra set of hands and an extra brain usually comes in quite handy.
Before the LPGA restarted its season in Toledo at the Inverness Club, Weaver stopped by her parents’ house in Columbus and picked up her old push cart. She used it to tie for ninth at the Marathon LPGA Classic
“Between me and my sister this whole like shrine basically is our garage,” said Weaver. “It’s like all these bags and bags and bags of golf clubs. Still has all of our AJGA champion bags. It really dates back quite a while. These are all part of the archives.”
Lindsey Weaver during the 2020 Marathon LPGA Classic at Highlands Meadows Golf Club. (Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports)
It wasn’t all that long that Weaver wasn’t sure if she wanted to keep playing golf competitively. Her mother encouraged her to travel to Pinehurst last year for one more push at Q-Series to improve her status. She finished fifth and hasn’t looked back.
Weaver’s fiance, Zach Wright, competes on the Korn Ferry Tour and they chat daily about their golf. Right now, they’re scheduled to see other in September at the Cambia Portland Classic, when Wright has a week off and Weaver celebrates her 27th birthday. Weaver caddied for Wright on the Korn Ferry Tour in San Antonio last month, and he offered to work for her in Scotland.
“He asked me, he was like, ‘Do you think I should go to Scotland?’ ” said Weaver in Toledo. “Nope. Nope. I don’t think you should go at all. Not at all.”
Lexi Thompson was cleared of a rules violation on the 16th hole at Royal Troon during the first round of the Women’s British Open.
The R&A has released a statement regarding Lexi Thompson’s actions on the 16th hole in the first round of the AIG Women’s British Open at Royal Troon. As Thompson set up to hit her second shot on the par 5, she used her club to poke at a tuft of grass situated behind her ball.
The R&A looked into the incident, which was televised on Thursday, and released the following statement:
Yesterday, as part of its normal TV review procedures, The R&A viewed Lexi Thompson’s actions prior to playing her second shot at the 16th hole in round one of the AIG Women’s Open.
Following a discussion between Chief Referee David Rickman and the player prior to her signing her scorecard it was determined that, although the player had moved a growing natural object behind her ball, it had returned to its original position.
Therefore, the lie of the ball was not improved and there was no breach of Rule 8.1.
Thompson went on to birdie the 16th hole, her only birdie in an opening round of 78.
The LPGA made another cancellation announcement on Thursday as the Kia Classic fell off the fall schedule.
The LPGA made another cancellation announcement on Thursday as the Kia Classic fell off the fall schedule. The tournament was to be played Sept. 24-27 at Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad, California. It would have fallen two weeks after the ANA Inspiration, a major, and right between the Cambia Portland Classic and ShopRite LPGA Classic.
The Kia originally should have taken place in March. It was one of the initial postponements of the spring portion of the season.
The LPGA and Kia jointly announced Thursday that the event would return in its original March date in 2021 at Aviara.
“We appreciate all of the efforts by Kia to try and make this event happen this year and we look forward to playing again at beautiful Aviara Golf Club in 2021,” said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan in a release.
Most recently, the LPGA canceled two events on its fall Asian swing, the Buick LPGA Shanghai and Taiwan Swinging Skirts.
