Just a short drive from Palm Springs is PGA West, home of the PGA Tour’s CareerBuilder Challenge and the venue for the 2021 Golfweek Senior Amateur Championship. Two rounds will have you playing the Nicklaus Tournament Course, a favorite among …
Just a short drive from Palm Springs is PGA West, home of the PGA Tour’s CareerBuilder Challenge and the venue for the 2021 Golfweek Senior Amateur Championship. Two rounds will have you playing the Nicklaus Tournament Course, a favorite among golfers of all skill levels. Nicklaus designed the course to provide opportunity for power off the tee while challenging players with undulating greens that require you to elevate your game to another level. Sandwiched between rounds one and three, the competition will move to Pete Dye’s world-famous Stadium Course which is a must play and favorite among both touring professionals and amateurs.
After winning two AJGA events to begin her 2020 season, Cindy Kou is proving that she’s ready to take her golf game to the next level.
For Cindy Kou, golf is a family affair.
Kou, who also goes by her Chinese given name Xin, is the daughter of two avid golfers. Her mom, Haiyan Wu, is involved with the sport, but it’s her dad, Liguo Kou, who owns most of the hardware. Liguo has won numerous amateur tournaments back home in China and has a well-stocked trophy case to show for his efforts.
In China, there are noticeably fewer players at all levels of the game than there are in the U.S. There are also fewer coaches and practice facilities to go around. Golf is costly and thus reserved for families who are relatively well off. Despite all of that, China is the birthplace of Kou’s passion for the sport.
“That (my father’s career) kind of inspired me to win a lot of tournaments and get a bunch of trophies,” she revealed.
So far, the 17-year old is off to a flying start.
Kou, who speaks both Mandarin and English, moved to the United States eight years ago with her mother. One important reason they moved was so she could find the type of high-caliber coaching that is rare in China.
Kou started out at the IMG Academy, a well-known sports training ground in Bradenton, Florida, before moving to Orlando and more recently to Whittier, California. She displayed flashes of potential in 2019 with three top-10 finishes, including a win at the ANA Junior Inspiration last March.
And then, COVID-19 put the world on pause.
“I think it’s a very special year for all of us,” Kou said over the phone. “Last year, I wanted to take an off-season just to get fresh again, which I did. And I was getting ready for my tournaments in the beginning of the year, like February, March, but then, those got canceled.”
Undeterred, Kou continued to put in work, both stateside and back home in China. She feels that taking time off helped to renew her body and mind, enabling her to return to practice at full capacity. She also credits her parents, especially her mom, for instilling a relentless work ethic that pushed her through these unusual times.
“They’re very … they’re Asians, and that’s really a big impact on who I am,” Kou admitted. “My practice schedule, it would be more like, heartbreaking, long hours, compared to some other players my age.”
Indeed it was. According to her fitness trainer, Josh Loyo, Kou once practiced golf for at least eight hours a day on top of her homework and exercise regimens. Her workload simply wasn’t sustainable, and it took a toll on her physical and mental health.
Kou’s performance improved dramatically once she accepted Loyo’s wisdom about the importance of rest and recovery. She doesn’t juggle as many balls anymore, at least not in the way she used to. As a result, she is fresher, stronger and much less prone to burnout, and her new approach is already paying dividends.
Cindy Kou tees off at the AJGA Girls Invitational at Stanford in early September 2020. Courtesy of the AJGA
Kou Ascending
The Stanford Golf Course is no walk in the park. It is known as a tight setup that punishes mistakes off the tee. Miss a fairway, and you’ll find yourself well off-course.
Kou tackled Stanford for the first time last August at the Swinging Skirts AJGA Invitational. She finished T-7 that weekend 2-over 212, learning valuable lessons along the way. And as things turned out, Kou’s 2020 season began Sept. 4-7 with the AJGA Girls Invitational at — where else — Stanford.
“I was actually really nervous on the first hole because I haven’t played in a year and I just didn’t really know how it would turn out,” Kou admitted. “But, after I hit the first shot, everything just kind of came back to me.”
This time, the Beijing native was ready. She’s always hit it straight with her driver and used it to find fairways time and again. She was also locked in on many of her approach shots and estimates that she hit around 15 greens per day. Kou carded a 9-under 204, earning a slim one-shot victory over runner-up Brooke Biermann. Third-place finisher Lucy Yuan was all the way back at 2 under.
Kou kept things rolling last weekend in Mesa, Arizona at the AJGA Longbow Golf Club Open, where she took command in decisive fashion. Rounds of 63 and 66 catapulted her to a blistering 13 under over 36 holes, eight shots ahead of second-place Kelly Xu. Only three other girls managed to finish under par.
Even Aidan Tran, winner of the boys’ side of the tournament, could manage no better than 8 under: five shots back of Kou.
“The fact that she dominated the field out there is quite impressive,” Loyo remarked. “She’s just a grinder. She puts in the work. She complains a little bit, you know, but that’s normal.
“She’s honest, she’s upfront, she’s genuine. I appreciate that she wants to put in the work outside of just golf and realizes the importance of her (physical fitness) as well.”
Cindy Kou raises her trophy at the 2020 AJGA Girls Invitational at Stanford. Courtesy of the AJGA
Onward and Upward
With an 11th victory under her belt, Kou is now T-7 for most career individual wins by a female AJGA competitor. In all likelihood, she is just getting started, and she’s got a solid team behind her.
In addition to Loyo, Kou is mentored by South Korea’s Charlie Wi, a former ski instructor and PGA Tour golfer with 21 top-10 finishes to his name. A great all-round athlete, Wi has developed and maintained his flexibility through martial arts, and Kou credits him with helping her improve her form.
“In the past month, he’s really helped me with understanding my own swing, which I struggled with in the past,” she admitted.
Currently a high school senior, Kou will graduate next year and plans to attend USC. She’s not yet sure what major she will take, although business is a possibility. After that, though, Kou’s goals are clear. She aims to turn professional and become one of the best players on the LPGA Tour.
Kou names Sung Hyun Park and Lydia Ko as two of her favorite golfers. If all goes according to plan, she may very well be joining them on the world stage in a few years.
“With her dedication to her game right now, it’s inevitable,” Loyo opined. “As long as she is able to keep her head on and keep doing what she’s doing, she’s going to get there no matter what.”
Venturi’s gold medal for low amateur from the 1956 Masters is being auctioned off by his wife, Kathleen, on The Golf Auction site.
Ken Venturi was one of the most successful amateurs in Masters history. Not only did he take low amateur honors in the 1956 Masters, he carried a four-stroke lead into the final round over Cary Middlecoff.
He held on for a runner-up spot, shooting a 290, one stroke behind Jack Burke Jr., who started the round eight strokes behind Venturi.
Now, 64 years later, Venturi’s gold medal for low amateur is being auctioned off by his wife, Kathleen, on The Golf Auction site. The medal is part of the Ken Venturi collection being auctioned off, including some of his trophies he collected throughout his career.
Along with the Ken Venturi collection, other items being auctioned include a 1971 used PGA Championship scorecard, signed by Jack Nicklaus, Mark Calcavecchi’s 1989 Ryder Cup USA Team red/white/blue shirt and President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s personal 1950′s used set of Robert T. Jones Jr. irons and woods.
Venturi, who turned pro in 1956, went on to a 35-year long broadcasting career, including 14 Masters for CBS. He died in 2013.
Ken Venturi drives off from 14th tee during the final round of the Masters golf tournament at Augusta, Ga., on April 6, 1956.
Venturi was also the runner-up at the 1960 Masters. Many fans will remember the controversy surrounding playing partner Arnold Palmer’s embedded ball on No. 12. Palmer’s drop shot propelled him to a one-shot victory over the amateur.
Items can be bid on at thegolfauction.com, and the auction is open until Sunday at 9 p.m. Proceeds from the auction will go to the PGA of America’s charitable foundation, the PGA REACH.
“Bidding has been great,” said Kenley Matheny, president of The Golf Auction. “We’ve seen a lot of people come back and bid that haven’t in years.”
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur has come off the 2020 calendar, though accepted invitations will be honored in 2021.
When the Augusta National Women’s Amateur was postponed March 13, many of the 72 women in the field breathed a sigh of relief at the verbiage.
“I was thrilled to see the word postponed and not canceled,” Vanderbilt senior Abbey Carlson said.
Now, the week after the tournament was supposed to have been played, the event has come off the 2020 calendar. When Augusta National Golf Club announced on Monday it would aim to host the Masters on Nov. 9-15, it also announced the cancellation of this year’s ANWA.
“After careful consideration and following an extensive review process, we also have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Ultimately, the many scheduling challenges with NCAA tournaments, the World Amateur Team Championships, the LPGA Q-Series and other events when women’s amateur golf resumes led to this decision,” Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley said in a statement.
There was, however, a bit of hope in the announcement. The club also revealed that it would honor invitations for the 2020 field in the 2021 ANWA, provided a player remains amateur.
That decision is in line with Augusta National’s decision to cancel the 2020 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals but exempt this year’s field into next year’s tournament.
The NCAA has already approved an eligibility extension for spring student-athletes that might make it more feasible to delay turning professional. At least some of the 2021 ANWA field, however, won’t be sticking around that long. Texas senior Emilee Hoffman and Duke senior Ana Belac announced last week that they would continue with plans to turn professional. It remains to be seen how many others will follow suit.
For the players in the field who are at the end of their college eligibility, the decision is likely tied to whether or not an extra year of eligibility is in the cards.
