Category: LPGA

Jin Young Ko outlasts Minjee Lee in playoff for 15th LPGA title and third Founders Cup victory

Ko now has 20 of the 27 points needed to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame.

Jin Young Ko battled through fatigue at the Cognizant Founders Cup to outlast Minjee Lee in a sudden-death playoff for her 15th LPGA title. Ko birdied the 18th hole all four rounds, with that last birdie in regulation pushing her to a 5-under 67 and a 13-under total at Upper Montclair Country Club. Ko’s 67 was the lowest round of the day by two shots.

Lee, who won this event in 2022, held a two-shot lead with three to play but couldn’t hold on for the outright victory, carding a 71 to finish knotted with Ko at 13 under.

In the playoff, the Aussie appeared to have the advantage until she misjudged her speed significantly on the birdie attempt, which flew past the hole. The ensuing three-putt handed the victory to Ko, who won the Founders Cup for a third time on a third different course. Ko’s caddie, David Brooker, was on the bag for two of Lorena Ochoa’s victories at Upper Montclair at the Sybase Classic.

As the final group came up the 18th fairway at Upper Montclair, a group of junior girls walked hand-in-hand behind the players, wearing vintage-looking attire in honor of the LPGA’s 13 founders. Since former LPGA commissioner Mike Whan started this event in 2011, it’s been a catalyst of growth for LPGA-USGA Girls Golf.

“It’s a great honor,” said Ko of winning what has become one of the LPGA’s premiere events. “I thank all the past founders today, so I really thank to everybody to make that amazing tour.”

Australia’s Lee, who actually played more golf than Ko last week at the Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown, was surprised to learn that she’d only made five LPGA starts this year outside of the Crown.

“It’s still pretty early I guess in my season,” said Lee, “and I have a lot more events coming up. So I feel like I could take a lot of positives into, you know, the next couple majors coming up and obviously Mizuho is my next event.

“I think I’m going to train hard the next two weeks and be ready for Mizuho.”

Ko began Sunday four strokes behind but heard before she started her round that Sungjae Im had come from five back to win on the Korean PGA earlier that day.

“So that was inspir(ing) me,” said Ko, “and if I like play really well, I could chance for win.”

Ko said her swing coach, Si Woo Lee, will come to Texas next Saturday to begin working with her in the lead-up to the next two majors. She’ll skip the LPGA match-play event in Las Vegas as well as the Meijer LPGA Classic in Michigan. They will mostly focus on her ball striking.

Ko now has 20 of the 27 points needed to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame, which she said has been a goal since around age 10.

“I will do my best in my future, and I will practice hard, harder than this,” she said. “We’ll see.”

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2023 Cognizant Founders Cup prize money payouts for each LPGA player

Check out the prize money payouts at the 2023 Cognizant Founders Cup.

The roots of the Cognizant Founders Cup date back to 2011, the result of a dream former LPGA commissioner and current USGA CEO Mike Whan scribbled down on a hotel bar napkin to celebrate the tour’s 13 founders. The event has been critical to the growth of LPGA-USGA Girls Golf and a bridge between the current generation and those who, 70-plus years ago, laid the foundation.

It has elevated from players playing purely for charity, to one of the largest non-major purses on tour at $3 million thanks to Cognizant.

Jin Young Ko beat Minjee Lee in a playoff to win this event for a third time, taking home $450,000. The first time Ko won the Founders Cup in 2019, she earned $225,000.

Ko, a two-time winner in 2023, has now earned $970,692 this season and $11,334,148 in her LPGA career. She now has 15 titles on the LPGA, including two majors.

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Check out the prize money payouts at the 2023 Cognizant Founder Cup.

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Jin Young Ko 13 under $450,000
2 Minjee Lee 13 under $282,165
3 Ashleigh Buhai 10 under $204,690
4 Hae Ran Ryu 8 under $158,344
T-5 Aditi Ashok 7 under $106,336
T-5 Atthaya Thitikul 7 under $106,336
T-5 Angel Yin 7 under $106,336
8 Nasa Hataoka 6 under $76,470
9 Cheyenne Knight 5 under $68,746
T-10 Madelene Sagstrom 4 under $58,188
T-10 Grace Kim 4 under $58,188
T-10 Georgia Hall 4 under $58,188
T-13 Ariya Jutanugarn 3 under $46,344
T-13 Sarah Kemp 3 under $46,344
T-13 Anna Nordqvist 3 under $46,344
T-13 Hye-Jin Choi 3 under $46,344
T-17 Albane Valenzuela 2 under $37,694
T-17 Morgane Metraux 2 under $37,694
T-17 Celine Borge 2 under $37,694
T-17 Min Lee 2 under $37,694
T-21 Jennifer Kupcho 1 under $32,442
T-21 Narin An 1 under $32,442
T-21 Stacy Lewis 1 under $32,442
T-21 Sei Young Kim 1 under $32,442
T-25 Lauren Coughlin Even $26,829
T-25 A Lim Kim Even $26,829
T-25 Wei-Ling Hsu Even $26,829
T-25 Ryann O’Toole Even $26,829
T-25 Mel Reid Even $26,829
T-25 Lizette Salas Even $26,829
T-31 Karis Davidson 1 over $20,276
T-31 Pajaree Anannarukarn 1 over $20,276
T-31 Ruoning Yin 1 over $20,276
T-31 Stephanie Kyriacou 1 over $20,276
T-31 Yuna Nishimura 1 over $20,276
T-31 Lexi Thompson 1 over $20,276
T-31 Alison Lee 1 over $20,276
T-31 Celine Boutier 1 over $20,276
T-39 Samantha Wagner 2 over $16,066
T-39 Gemma Dryburgh 2 over $16,066
T-39 Frida Kinhult 2 over $16,066
T-42 Maria Fassi 3 over $12,498
T-42 Luna Sobron Galmes 3 over $12,498
T-42 Sofia Garcia 3 over $12,498
T-42 Lydia Ko 3 over $12,498
T-42 Jenny Shin 3 over $12,498
T-42 Mariajo Uribe 3 over $12,498
T-42 Perrine Delacour 3 over $12,498
T-42 Peiyun Chien 3 over $12,498
T-42 Emma Talley 3 over $12,498
T-42 Maddie Szeryk 3 over $12,498
T-52 Yu Liu 4 over $9,269
T-52 Brittany Lincicome 4 over $9,269
T-52 Megan Khang 4 over $9,269
T-52 Bronte Law 4 over $9,269
T-52 Pavarisa Yoktuan 4 over $9,269
T-52 Lucy Li 4 over $9,269
T-52 Bailey Tardy 4 over $9,269
T-59 Yealimi Noh 5 over $7,879
T-59 Azahara Munoz 5 over $7,879
61 Ally Ewing 6 over $7,571
62 Yu-Sang Hou 7 over $7,414
T-63 Lauren Stephenson 8 over $7,184
T-63 Annie Park 8 over $7,184
65 Allisen Corpuz 9 over $6,951
66 Pauline Roussin 10 over $6,797

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Q&A: Golf Channel’s Morgan Pressel played U.S. Open courses Los Angeles CC and Pebble Beach in back-to-back days. What did she think?

“I absolutely loved LACC. … It has great character, is very undulating … it’s stunning.”

Morgan Pressel made history when she first qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open at the tender age of 12. Her appearance at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club back in 2001 led to a significant increase in teens and pre-teens signing up for Women’s Open qualifying, forever changing the makeup of the championship.

Pressel, of course, went on to clinch a major championship title at age 18 when she won the 2007 Kraft Nabisco (now the Chevron). After 16 seasons on the LPGA, the former prodigy shifted focus to her work in television. She’s now lead analyst for LPGA coverage on Golf Channel/NBC and adds the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club to her work schedule next month.

The USGA recently held back-to-back media days for the men’s and women’s U.S. Opens, and Pressel participated in both, teeing it up at LACC for the first time as well as Pebble Beach Golf Links, which hosts the Women’s Open for the first time in July. It’s also the first U.S. Open for the North Course at LACC.

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Golfweek was on hand for both media days and caught up with Pressel to talk about the significance of both venues and her key takeaways. The following are excerpts from that conversation:

Gabriela Ruffels, now a two-time winner on the Epson Tour, never let failing to sign up for LPGA Q-Series keep her down

Now a two-time winner in six starts on the Epson Tour, Ruffels said: “I feel the job is not done.”

Gabriela Ruffels didn’t do much to celebrate her record-setting victory last week at the Garden City Charity Classic at Buffalo Dunes. The 23-year-old simply headed to Denver with her mom for an early flight back home to Palm Springs, California.

Now a two-time winner in six starts on the Epson Tour, Ruffels said it’s too early to celebrate: “I feel the job is not done.”

The job, of course, is securing an LPGA card, a goal that was deterred when the former U.S. Women’s Amateur champion forgot to sign up for Q-Series last year. Such a costly mistake could’ve led to a mental break, but Ruffels gave herself a couple of days to feel disappointed and then accepted that she’d be spending another full season on the qualifying tour and “used it as motivation.”

She also had a frank conversation with her team.

“Last year I came 15th on the Epson tour money list,” said Ruffels. “I didn’t kill it out there. … I need to get better.”

The top 10 players on the Epson Tour money list earn LPGA cards for the following season. Ruffels holds a sizable lead in the money race with $89,262. Natasha Andrea Oon sits in second at $54,627.

Ruffels said her game has improved this season but not by a wide margin. Good play, she notes, is a culmination of solid work, and she feels as though she’s building on that foundation every week.

Not to mention getting comfortable being in contention and learning how to win at the professional level.

“One of the most important things in golf and in sport,” she said.

Ruffels, a former elite tennis player turned hungry pro golfer, didn’t start playing golf seriously until age 15 and rocketed up the world amateur rankings while playing for USC. In her first Q-School appearance in 2021, she missed out on advancing to Q-Series by a single stroke.

Last week in Garden City, Kansas, Ruffels opened with a bogey-free 10-under 62 and set a new 36-hole tour record at 18-under 126, breaking the old mark by three shots.

Ruffels, who said she plays best when she’s aggressive, wound up tying the tour’s 54-hole record by week’s end at 19-under 197. She pulled from the experience she had winning the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic in March.

“Since I’ve played professional golf, I haven’t really been in that situation that much,” said Ruffels. “I never really had a lead. Being able to close it out with at two-shot lead in Phoenix, that gave me a huge confidence boost.”

Ruffels’ parents, Anna-Maria Fernandez and Ray Ruffels, were professional tennis players while older brother Ryan plays professional golf. Mom has been on Ruffels’ bag most weeks since last spring, and her presence on tour has especially helped outside the ropes. Professional life, Ruffels noted, can be a lonely road.

“This year I felt like I’ve listened to them more,” said Ruffels of her parents’ advice. “I’ve kind of matured in the sense that I guess I’m listening to them more and knowing they’ve been professionals and their experiences correlate with the sport I’m in.”

Several years ago, the Epson Tour got rid of the “battlefield promotion” route to the LPGA, which gave players a card midseason after earning three victories on the developmental tour. Because players weren’t getting many starts through the promotion, the tour felt it was somewhat of a false promise.

The only way Ruffels could play her way onto the tour in 2023 would be to win an LPGA event. She’ll tee it up in a U.S. Women’s Open qualifier in Vancouver next Monday, hoping to earn a spot at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

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Nelly Korda will have Joe LaCava on the bag for the LPGA’s Cognizant Founders Cup

LaCava definitely knows how to pick them.

Joe LaCava is having a busy few weeks.

He caddied for Steve Stricker at the Zurich Classic but was told that is was a one-time thing. Then Tiger Woods had ankle fusion surgery, a procedure that will keep the 15-time major champion on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.

With his boss on the couch, LaCava had a clear schedule and decided to pick up Patrick Cantlay’s bag at the Wells Fargo Championship, but this isn’t a one-off. He’ll be Cantlay’s full-time looper.

But not this week.

With the world No. 4 at home preparing for next week’s PGA Championship at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York, LaCava is in Clifton, New Jersey, to caddie for Nelly Korda at the LPGA’s Cognizant Founders Cup at Upper Montclair Country Club.

Woods, Cantlay, Korda. There are definitely worse players to caddie for.

Jason McDede, Korda’s full-time caddie, and his wife, LPGA player Caroline Masson, recently had a baby.

After her memorable interaction with Woods at the 2021 PNC Championship, it must be pretty cool for Korda to have the legend’s caddie on her bag this week.

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2023 Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown prize money payouts for each LPGA player at TPC Harding Park

The winning team’s portion is $500,000, or $125,000 per player.

The fourth staging of the Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown saw Thailand dominate the eight-country field with an 11-1-0 record. The $2 million purse is unofficial money. The winning team’s portion is $500,000, or $125,000 per player.

A total of 32 players were in the field, representing the following countries: United States, South Korea, Japan, Sweden, England, Thailand, Australia and China.

This marked the first time Thailand and Australia reached the finals.

Team Thailand was seeded sixth coming into the week and the lineup boasted three major titles and two former World No. 1s: Ariya Jutanugarn, Moriya Jutanugarn, Patty Tavatanakit and Atthaya Thitikul.

The event, which was last contested in 2018, is meant to be a biennial affair. The location of the next edition in 2025 has yet to be announced.

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Pos Team/Players Earnings
1 Thailand $500,000
Atthaya Thitikul $125,000
Patty Tavatanakit $125,000
Moriya Jutanugarn $125,000
Ariya Jutanugarn $125,000
2 Australia $303,600
Minjee Lee $75,900
Hannah Green $75,900
Stephanie Kyriacou $75,900
Sarah Kemp $75,900
3 United States $280,000
Nelly Korda $64,400
Lexi Thompson $64,400
Lilia Vu $64,400
Danielle Kang $64,400
4 Sweden $240,000
Maja Stark $55,200
Madelene Sagstrom $55,200
Anna Nordqvist $55,200
Caroline Hedwall $55,200
T-5 Korea $177,500
Jin Young Ko $40,825
Hyo-Joo Kim $40,825
In Gee Chun $40,825
Hye Jin Choi $40,825
T-5 China $177,500
Xiyu Lin $40,825
Ruoning Yin $40,825
Yu Liu $40,825
Ruixin Liu $40,825
7 England $155,000
Jodi Ewart Shadoff $35,650
Bronte Law $35,650
Alice Hewson $35,650
Liz Young $35,650
8 Japan $155,000
Nasa Hataoka $32,200
Ayaka Furue $32,200
Yuka Saso $32,200
Hinako Shibuno $32,200

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Thailand dominates 2023 Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown, knocks out Australia in final

Team USA clinched third place with a victory over Sweden in the consolation match.

Team Thailand enjoyed a near-perfect week at the 2023 Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown, dropping only one match over the course of four days.

Former World No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn chipped in to close out the final match against Australia on Sunday, a fitting end for the dominate foursome that went 11-1-0 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco.

Ariya Jutanugarn, currently No. 83 in the world, looked more like her old self, a two-time major champion, playing alongside sister Moriya. She oozed with confidence and putted beautifully as the sisters were undefeated in both four-ball and foursomes.

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Thailand, seeded No. 6, swept No. 7 Australia in the final match, which consisted of two singles matches and, for the first time in event history, one foursomes match. It marked the first time these two countries had advanced to the finals in the fourth edition of the Crown.

Patty Tavatanakit defeated Aussie Hannah Green, 4 and 3, while Atthaya Thitikul dusted Stephanie Kyriacou, 4 and 2. The Jutanugarn sisters birdied four consecutive holes in alternate shot midway through the round to take control.

“I was one of those kids,” said Patty Tavatanakit. “I looked up to the (Jutanugarn) sisters and to be able to play alongside them this week has been a dream come true and also an honor.

“I’m just so excited to see where Thailand’s golf is heading to in the future.”

Ariya Jutanugarn earned the event’s inaugural MVP award. The last time the Jutanugarns won on the LPGA was two years ago at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational.

Only the youngest player on the team, Atthaya Thitikul, 20, came into the event in world-class form. Perhaps this week is the spark needed for the rest to get back in the winner’s circle. To reach the final match, Thailand knocked out Team USA in the semifinals.

“I’m going to say we’ve been waiting for this since 2014,” said Ariya, “and finally we got what we’ve been waiting for.”

Prior to this week, Australia’s best finish in the event was sixth in 2018.

Team USA clinched third place with a 2-1 victory over Sweden in the consolation match. Lexi Thompson defeated Maja Stark 3 and 2 and singles, while the Danielle Kang/Nelly Korda duo knocked out Anna Nordqvist/Carolina Hedwall. Madelene Sagstrom did earn Sweden a point after beating Lilia Vu 5 and 4.

“Having team events like this,” said Thompson, “I think, brings a wider fan base for us. I think fans really enjoy it, and I think there’s a lot more energy out here and people cheering and things like that. We got big crowds today.”

This marked the first playing of the Crown, which is meant to be a biennial event, since 2018. The 2025 venue has yet to be announced.

The $2 million purse is unofficial money. Thailand’s winning portion is $500,000, or $125,000 per player.

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Thailand defeats Team USA at International Crown, set to meet Australia in Sunday’s primetime finale at TPC Harding Park

The U.S. will take on Sweden in the consolation match.

Ariya Jutanugarn buried a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to give Thailand control of the last match on the course at the Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown. It proved a dagger to Team USA.

Sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn took down World No. 1 Nelly Korda and Danielle Kang, 1 up, thanks to birdies over the last two holes. It was the second point Thailand needed to advance to Sunday afternoon’s final match against Australia at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. Neither of the finalists have ever won the Crown, now in its fourth edition.

The U.S. will take on Sweden in the consolation match Sunday.

Former No. 1 Atthaya Thitikul defeated Lexi Thompson, 3 and 2, in singles play. Lilia Vu posted the only point for Team USA, defeating fellow UCLA Bruin and Chevron champion Patty Tavatanakit, 1 up. It marked the only match Thailand has lost the entire week.

The format for the semifinals and finals consists of two singles matches and one foursomes match. With no team captains, the players determine the lineups.

Anna Nordqvist, a three-time major champion and Solheim Cup stalwart, played impeccable golf at the Crown on Saturday but then fell to Stephanie Kyriacou, No. 118 in the world, in semifinal singles, 4 and 3. Match play never fails to deliver a few shockers.

“I think I play my best when I’m aggressive,” said Kyriacou, “and in match play you only need to beat one person so there’s not as much pressure. But yeah, I played pretty aggressive all day. All week actually.”

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Veteran Sarah Kemp wasn’t at all surprised to see her Aussie team sweep Sweden.

“Not in a cocky way,” said Kemp, “just because of the way we are around each other and the team that we’ve built from the beginning. We’ve had lunch together, we’ve had breakfast together every day, we’ve had dinner together, we do everything together, and we’ve just come together really well, and it’s paying off as you can see on the course.”

Hannah Green, who won on the LPGA exactly one week ago, defeated Caroline Hedwall, 3 and 2, in singles play. Kemp and Minjee Lee took down Madelene Sagstrom and Maja Stark in foursomes play.

“I think we should be proud of ourselves,” said Nordqvist. “We still have a match for third. Obviously, it was a little bit of a rougher morning than we hoped for, but Australia played great, and there’s not much you can do then.”

Sagstrom, looking ahead to this year’s Solheim Cup in Spain, felt it was a meaningful week for young Stark.

“We all knew her game was good,” said Sagstrom. “This is kind of her first entree to professional team events, so it was nice to have her under my wing and try to help out with whatever experience that I have. She played awesome.”

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Meet the women of Orca Golf, creators of the International Crown team bags, and learn about the special touch on each one

Each team has the flower of their respective countries on their bags.

SAN FRANCISCO – Six weeks before the start of the Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown, the women of Orca Golf got a phone call. The request from LPGA officials: Ladies, we need bags.

Co-founders Deborah Bennett and Erica Bennett called in favors and got to work, scrambling to produce unique, well-crafted bags for 32 players from eight different countries. The last of the panels arrived at TPC Harding Park one day before the competition started. Deborah admittedly isn’t an emotional person, but she knew seeing their custom bags on a global stage would carry a lot of meaning.

“Knowing what happened to get them in their hands,” said Deborah, “the care that was taken, the thoughtfulness that was taken and wanting so badly for them to be proud to carry that bag. It’s what the bag represents.”

Team USA poses with their 2023 Crown golf bags, made by Orca. (LPGA photo)

Deborah and Erica launched their golf business 4 ½ years ago, after an apprenticeship on bag-making with a gentleman from Scotland. Deborah’s background includes a career in D.C. politics, NGO’s and education. There was a point when she managed 300 engineers – all men – in nine countries.

“If you think technology is tough,” said Deborah, “try taking on the golf industry.”

Erica is the artist and storyteller, and her special touch on the bags this week came from her Jamaican roots and the rose garden the couple kept in D.C.

“I wanted to do something special for each country but that would also be personal and special for the individual players,” Erica said.

“When I grew up in Jamaica, I loved flowers. When I would run to my grandmother’s home, there were always lots of flowers along the way. So, as I was thinking about the designs of these bags, I thought that I would go back to my 10-year-old self and ask myself, what would that little girl put on there? The answer was flowers.”

Each team has the flower of their respective countries on their bags. Team USA, for example, has a rose. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation to make the rose the floral emblem of the U.S.

Other national flowers include: Korea (Mungunghwa), Japan (Cherry Blossom), Sweden (Harebell), England (Tudor Rose), Thailand (Ratchaphruek), Australia (Golden Wattle) and China (Plum Blossom).

Everything Deborah and Erica work toward has a purpose beyond the bags. The Orca brand and its founders, for example, support LPGA*USGA Girls Golf and the First Tee. They take every custom order personally, with Erica sending hand-written thank-you notes. She still remembers every story behind each custom design.

Last fall the brand enjoyed a massive boost after designing a special yellow staff bag for Jack and Barbara Nicklaus and their Play Yellow campaign that benefits Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Deb reports that Jack was shocked to learn that two women created the bag.

“I wish we had a picture of his face,” said Deborah, smiling through the phone.

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The Orca brand launched shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, which meant 2021 was a rebuild year. So far in 2023, Orca has done more business in one quarter than all of 2022.

“The best thing about golf is the conversations,” said Deborah.

Why not carry around something that gets people talking?

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Photos: See the LPGA’s glam photos from the Hanwha International Crown gala

The Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown returned in style after a five-year hiatus.

The Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown returned in style after a five-year hiatus. The top eight countries in the world gathered at San Francisco City Hall for an early-week gala hosted by Golf Channel’s Tom Abbott.

A total of 32 players from eight countries qualified for this week’s event at TPC Harding Park, including seven of the top 10 players in the world. The final field was determined via the Rolex Rankings published on April 2, 2023, immediately following the DIO Implant LA Open.

Here are the eight countries: United States, South Korea, Japan, Sweden, England, Thailand, Australia and China.

The purse for the event is $2 million, with the winning team’s portion of $500,000, or $125,000 per player.

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Take a look at scenes from earlier in the week:

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