Ernst plans to make a couple more LPGA starts this summer before starting her new job in August.
Austin Ernst won an NCAA Championship at Texas A&M’s home course, and now she’s headed to College Station to begin a new career. The three-time LPGA winner announced during her pre-tournament press conference at the ShopRite LPGA Classic that she has accepted a job as an assistant coach at A&M.
“I’m sad to step away from professional golf full time,” said Ernst, “but it’s health-wise what I have to do.”
Ernst hasn’t played an LPGA event in 14 months after suffering a neck injury. The 31-year-old said she didn’t realize the seriousness of the injury at first, thinking she’d only miss a couple tournaments.
It wasn’t until last June when she heard that the worst-case scenario was that she couldn’t play golf anymore, that reality hit her square in the face. She’d gone 10 years without any injuries.
“I haven’t had anything like this,” she said. “You kind of think you’re invincible.”
Austin Ernst holds the trophy after winning the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament at Pinnacle Country Club. (Photo: Gunnar Rathbun/USA TODAY Sports)
Ernst volunteered at the University of Richmond last semester and got her first taste of college coaching. The former LSU player was along for the ride when Richmond won its conference championship and advanced to regionals.
“I think my area of expertise is more player development, you know, preparing for tournaments, course management,” said Ernst. “How to get that little bit better, make that next step.
“I’m looking forward to that aspect of it. I love golf. I’m one of those golf nerds that likes golf a lot, so it’ll be cool for me to still be able to play a little bit with them.”
LSU’s Austin Ernst is the 2011 Division 1 NCAA Women’s Individual Champion at Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, TX.
Stacy Lewis’ husband, Gerrod Chadwell, is head coach at A&M and led the Aggies to an SEC title this spring and a semifinals’ run at the 2023 NCAA Championship. Ernst plans to make a couple more LPGA starts this summer before starting her new job in August.
Ernst turned professional in 2012 and won her first LPGA title in 2014 at the Portland Classic. Six years later, she won again in Arkansas. Her latest victory came in 2021 at the Drive On Championship. A two-time Solheim Cup participant, Ernst’s best finish in a major was a runner-up finish to Angela Stanford at the 2018 Evian Championship.
Ernst’s brother Drew caddied for on the LPGA and now works for Andrea Lee.
“I think everybody thinks they’re seeing a ghost when they see me,” said Ernst. “I’ve had a lot of double takes this week so far. It’s been fun to be back out on tour.”
Here’s a list of players and caddies who have found a good rhythm and seem to be in it for the long haul.
There’s turnover every season when it comes to player-caddie partnerships on the LPGA, particularly at the start of the year. World No. 1 Lydia Ko has changed caddies regularly throughout her career, including this season, despite having an enormously strong 2022.
Minjee Lee, who won a couple majors in the past two years, will begin 2023 with a new looper after enjoying much success with veteran Jason Gilroyed.
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Plenty more players have made changes, but there are a number who have stood the test of time. While not by any means exhaustive, here’s a list of players and caddies who have found a good rhythm and seem to be in it for the long haul:
Hataoka’s sixth LPGA win puts her in elite company.
Nasa Hataoka’s sixth career victory at the DIO Implant LA Open on Sunday puts her in elite company with Jessica Korda. Together they’re the winningest players on the LPGA without a major title.
Who are the best players without a major? Some on this list, like Hataoka and Korda, have won quite a bit already. Others, like rookie Atthaya Thitikul, make the list based on talent and potential.
Minjee Lee and Jennifer Kupcho are two players who played their way off of last year’s list. Lee won the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship, and Kupcho broke through with her first LPGA title at the Chevron Championship earlier this month.
Here’s a list of 10 players (with their Rolex Ranking) who are either primed to win a major or past due:
Ewing’s victory catapulted her to another win and also a berth on the U.S. Solheim Cup team.
The LPGA’s Drive On Championships are one-off events created by the tour to help give players more events to play in, since the coronavirus pandemic affected so many overseas events the past couple of years.
So there are in effect no “defending champions” but two of the past winners of the three previous Drive On Championships spoke Wednesday ahead of the fourth edition, which starts Thursday at Crown Colony Golf & Country Club in Fort Myers.
Austin Ernst won by five last year at Golden Ocala in Ocala, and Ally Ewing won at Reynolds Lake Oconee in Georgia in 2020. Danielle Kang won the first Drive On, at Inverness earlier in 2020, and was originally in the field this week but withdrew over the weekend.
“I think it’s great what the tour is doing giving us another opportunity to play,” Ernst said. “Otherwise you kind of start the year, especially if you weren’t in Tournament of Champions. You play one week and have a break and go to Asia.
“So I think it’s great to get these events and to get more starts, especially since we’re still in the COVID era. So the more we can play the happier we are. It’s nice for golf courses like Crown Colony to open up and let us come here on such short notice.”
Ewing beat Kang by a stroke at Reynolds Lake Oconee on Oct. 25, 2020.
“The LPGA has obviously taken Drive On and ran with it, and it’s been a great addition to our campaign and just overall just encouraging people to Drive On,” Ewing said. “And the LPGA, just supporting that and adding some tournaments like this, our fourth edition as you’re saying, it’s fun, and we’ve got some unique stuff going on this week that’s been a cool player experience.”
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Ewing’s victory catapulted her to another win and also a berth on the U.S. Solheim Cup team. She doesn’t have a hard time remembering it considering the date.
“I remember it was my birthday,” said Ewing, who turned 28 that day. “My parents were there, which was just great, especially considering COVID had shut them down from coming to really any event. It was pretty close to home.
“So it’s kind of crazy to reflect back on it. It certainly was a huge confidence boost for me in where I was now versus then.”
Austin Ernst of the United States plays a shot on the seventh hole during the final round of the LPGA Drive On Championship at Golden Ocala Golf Club on March 07, 2021 in Ocala, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Ernst hasn’t won since then, but it’s still something she can draw from.
“I have great memories of that week, great memories kind of leading up,” she said. “Missed the cut last year at Lake Nona right before that week and this year I missed the cut last week, so good sign for me.
“Just the entire week I played great golf and I wish we were back at Ocala.”
Ewing said this week at Crown Colony has a similar feel to Reynolds Lake Oconee, especially since that one also was more during the height of the pandemic so there were no fans.
“I think the just the Drive On experience itself is kind of — the atmosphere that it creates, it’s kind of unique because it is kind of an LPGA-run tournament, which is maybe different than our sponsor-run tournaments,” Ewing said. “So it has a great feel. Everything is tight knit with it being streamed on Peacock, members only kind of fans.
“So it does kind of feel like a smaller atmosphere, which is unique. Sure, I can create some vibes of Reynolds Lake Oconee if I need to.”
Starring in their own show
“LPGA All Access: CME Group Tour Championship,” a behind-the-scenes documentary, premiered two of its three episodes on Monday and Tuesday, with the last slated for 8 p.m. Wednesday.
All of the footage was shot during the CME Group Tour Championship, which was played at Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in November. The 15-minute episodes are on YouTube and LPGA.com.
And it’s not just on the golf course.
Amy Olson, Ewing and Naples’ Sophia Popov were featured playing pickleball.
“It’s a very cool initiative to showcase what we do off the golf course,” Popov said. “Pickleball is something that I love to do a lot, so that is fully me right there; 100% the competitiveness also.
“I actually tried to tone it down a little bit for that video. Amy said, ‘OK, just be you but maybe not that intense.’ I’m like, ‘OK, I’ll try. I’ll try. But I’m going to try to win, and she said, absolutely.'”
Ewing deferred to Popov and Olson as far as pickleball skills, but she still enjoys playing it nonetheless.
“That is something that we’ve done for some weeks where we try to get out and do something different, play pickleball,” Ewing said. “So to highlight — you see Gaby (Lopez) working out, us playing pickleball, different things on the golf course.
“I think it’s just good for our fans to engage and see what we’re doing, what’s going on. It’s great for us as players to step away and do stuff that’s a little out of our element. It’s also good for people to see who we are as individuals, not just the golfers we are on the course.”
Popov also found a different pickleball fan a couple of weeks ago in the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando — former star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
“He’s saying he’s really into pickleball, so that was pretty cool,” Popov said. “It’s the fastest growing sport in the U.S. right now, so just something fun to do outside of golf. It’s so different.”
“So I think it’s fun to show a feature like that because that’s truly what we do off the golf course. It’s something that takes your mind off at the same time, whether you’re playing good or bad, so that’s kind of been nice.”
Former Seminole makes the field
Frida Kinhult came up short in the Gainbridge LPGA Monday qualifier, but the long drive back to Tallahassee was worth it this week.
Kinhult, a former Florida State golfer, birdied the second hole of a playoff Monday to grab the second and final spot in the field this week.
“Last Monday, I had to drive six hours home (to Tallahassee), so that was motivation to not do it again,” said Kinhult, a 2020 Epson Tour graduate and 2021 LPGA Tour rookie. “You never know with a Monday (qualifier). Someone can go out and fire a 9-under. You never know what it is going to require. I just try to go out there and be aggressive.”
Kinhult shot 74-71 and missed the cut at the Volunteers of America Classic last July in her only other LPGA start.
“The best players are out here,” said Kinhult, who finished in a tie for 26th at the 2021 LPGA Q-Series. “I mean, it’s still the same sport (from playing Epson Tour the last couple years), still the same tournament format, so just have to grind it out. I am going to do my best and see what happens.”
Greg Hardwig is a sports reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @NDN_Ghardwig, email him at ghardwig@naplesnews.com. Support local journalism with this special subscription offer at https://cm.naplesnews.com/specialoffer/
BELLEAIR, Fla. – Pavarisa Yoktuan’s seventh career hole-in-one is certainly the most memorable. The Thai player hit an easy 8-iron into the par-3 12th at Pelican Golf Club and joyfully watched it disappear. Every player who aces the 12th hole at the Pelican LPGA Championship wins a Lamborghini.
Austin Ernst was the first to win one during Monday’s pro-am. On Friday morning before her second round, Ernst drove a Lamborghini around the parking lot of the Pelican clubhouse with cameras rolling. After sitting down in the front seat, Ernst yelled out for her husband to get in with her: She’d never driven a manual before.
“It’s a two-year lease,” said Yoktuan, “so I don’t know how much I have to pay for monthly (for insurance). But, yeah. I want to give it a try … we’ll see.”
Yoktuan used to drive a BMW until she crashed it two months ago. She now drives a motorcycle. Last year in Thailand, Yoktuan won $3,000 for making a hole-in-one.
The 12th hole coverage features live interviews by Amy Rogers and studio coverage from host George Savaricas and analyst Jim Gallagher Jr. Coverage of the watery par 3 will begin at 9:45 a.m. ET over the weekend. It’s free to consumers on the Peacock app.
Make an ace, win a Lambo – sounds like a sweet deal.
The ace that won Austin Ernst a two-year lease on a Lamborghini on Monday wasn’t caught on camera. But every shot that’s struck on the par-3 12th during competition rounds of the LPGA Tour’s Pelican Women’s Championship will be streamed live on NBC’s Peacock. It marks the first-ever Featured Hole stream in LPGA history.
“Apparently a lot of people came close on Monday,” said Ernst, who struck an 8-iron from 147 yards at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. Any player who follows Ernst’s lead the rest of the week will also win a two-year lease on the iconic Italian car.
Ernst said she hadn’t gotten the information yet on how much the insurance will run her for two years. That number will determine whether or not it makes sense to accept the prize.
Back home in South Carolina, Ernst drives a Chevy Tahoe, and she was relieved to hear that the Lamborghini is an automatic as she has yet to learn how to drive a manual.
“I was like wait, I can’t drive a stick,” said Ernst. “Probably shouldn’t learn how to drive on that car either.”
Raymond James Pro-Am ahead of the 2021 Pelican Women’s Championship at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, FL on Monday, November 8, 2021.
(Ben Solomon/Outlyr)
Live stream coverage of the 12th hole will feature live interviews by Amy Rogers and studio coverage from host George Savaricas and analyst Jim Gallagher. Coverage of the watery par 3 will begin at 7:45 a.m. ET on Thursday and Friday and 9:45 a.m. ET over the weekend. It will be free to consumers on the Peacock app.
Television coverage of the Pelican will be live on Golf Channel from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. Weekend coverage will be tape-delayed on Golf Channel from 7:30-10:30 p.m.
The event’s live stream times on the NBC Sports App and golfchannel.com are from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 1-4 p.m. over the weekend.
Monday pro-ams don’t often make headlines, but Austin Ernst certainly generated buzz with a timely ace before the LPGA’s Pelican Women’s Championship. When Ernst’s 8-iron from 147 yards on the par-3 12th at Pelican Golf Club found the bottom of the cup, she suddenly found herself behind the wheel of a bright green Lamborghini.
“It feels like it’s probably pretty fast,” said Ernst after sitting inside. “It will be exciting to take a little test drive.”
Ernst, 29, who was playing in the Raymond James Monday Pro-Am in Belleair, Florida, won a two-year lease on the flashy Italian car. She now has four career aces, including two in competition and a pair in pro-ams. This is the first time she has won anything for striking the perfect shot.
“I did see it go in,” said Ernst. “I hit it, and I hit it fairly off the toe, but it was right on line.”
Ernst, who married Jason Dods on Oct. 1, is a three-time winner on the LPGA. She won earlier this year at the LPGA Drive On event at Golden Ocala.
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The former NCAA champ is one of 108 players teeing it up Nov. 11-14 in this week’s Pelican Women’s Championship. She’ll be joined in the field by World No. 1 Nelly Korda, No. 2-ranked Jin Young Ko and last year’s champion, Sei Young Kim (No. 4).
After a drama-filled week at Carnoustie, nothing changed when it came to Team USA’s list of automatic qualifiers.
After a drama-filled week at Carnoustie, nothing changed when it came to Team USA’s list of automatic qualifiers for the 2021 Solheim Cup.
Megan Khang held onto the seventh and final spot off the U.S. Solheim Cup points list. And Lizette Salas, who finished in a share of second at the AIG Women’s British Open, maintained her position to qualify off the Rolex Rankings at No. 14 along with rookie Jennifer Kupcho (No. 28).
Brittany Altomare finished tied for eighth on the points list with Salas, 33.5 points behind Khang. Mina Harigae finished 34 points behind Khang.
Yealimi Noh just missed out qualifying off the rankings list, dropping to No. 31 in the world.
Captain Pat Hurst’s three captain’s picks will be announced at 10 a.m. ET Monday.
“The last two years have been so long and I’m so happy to finally know who be on Team USA in Toledo,” said Hurst. “This is an incredibly talented group of players, with so much crucial experience to lean on as we work to win back the Cup. I’m excited for the opportunity to lead this team and can’t wait to finally get to Inverness.”
Here’s a closer look at the first nine qualifiers for Team USA.
Now that Nelly Korda is forever off the best-without-a-major list, who’s next to break through? Well, in the eyes of many, it stays in the family. Jessica Korda, a six-time winner on the LPGA, heads to this week’s Amundi Evian Championship still in …
Now that Nelly Korda is forever off the best-without-a-major list, who’s next to break through? Well, in the eyes of many, it stays in the family. Jessica Korda, a six-time winner on the LPGA, heads to this week’s Amundi Evian Championship still in search of her first major title.
The last eight majors were won by players winning their first major title: Nelly Korda, Yuka Saso, Patty Tavatanakit, A Lim Kim, Sei Young Kim, Mirim Lee, Sophia Popov and Hinako Shibuno.
Here’s a list of 10 players who might continue that trend based on recent form and close calls at big events.
In this edition of Forward Press, Golfweek’s David Dusek chats with senior writer Beth Ann Nichols about Austin Ernst’s win at the LPGA Drive On Championship, Morgan Pressel’s debut on Golf Channel, a look ahead to this year’s Solheim Cup at Inverness in Toldedo, Ohio, and much more.
As always, you can download the Forward Press podcast and listen on all of your favorite platforms, including: iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Castbox | Radio Public.
Did you like what you heard? You can catch up on previous episodes of the Forward Press podcast here.
