Players who finish in the top 45 and ties will earn 2024 LPGA cards.
An abbreviated LPGA Q-Series gets underway on Thursday at Robert Trent Jones’ Magnolia Grove Golf Course in Mobile, Alabama. The event, which has been shortened from 144 holes to 108 holes, concludes on Dec. 5.
A field of 104 players will compete over the Falls and Crossings courses, with a cut after Round 4 to low 65 and ties. Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Hae Ran Ryu medaled at the 2022 Q-Series.
Players who finish in the top 45 and ties will earn 2024 LPGA cards. Those who finish in the top 20 and ties will earn the Category 14 status while those who are 21-45 and ties will fall into Category 15.
Any player who completes 72 holes will receive Epson Tour status.
PXG celebrated Women’s Day to Play on June 5 and just released its new Summer 2023 apparel capsule.
PXG celebrated Women’s Day to Play on June 5 and invited all their female employees out of the office for a paid day off to experience golf.
This day off was celebrated within PXG in their North America, United Kingdom, and Japan regions. In Scottsdale, Arizona, home of PXG, Renee Parsons hosted more than 75 PXG employees at the Parsons’ private golf oasis, Scottsdale National Golf Club. LPGA Tour Professional and PXG Ambassador Christina Kim joined the festivities of clinics and shotgun scrambles.
PXG also hosted a panel where social media and comedian star Becky Robinson and Kim joined others for engaging golf conversation.
“Last year, I played my first round of golf at Scottsdale National Golf Club during PXG’s 2nd Annual Women’s Day to Play. At that time I was pregnant a week out from giving birth,” shared Rachel Beach, PXG resale associate. “PXG was super supportive in helping me be a first-time mom, spending time with my son while continuing my career and gaining exposure to the game of golf.”
PXG new Summer ’23 capsule. (PXG)
PXG has already had a busy week, but also just released its Summer 2023 apparel collection.
This summer capsule contains navy and yellow hues for both men and women. It contains 11 classic course-ready styles with PXG signature details of six for men and five for women. The men’s capsule features 4 core polos and two new silhouettes of a layer-able, four-way stretch golf vest and a new slim golf short.
The women’s capsule introduces five figure-flattering pieces of two polos, two core classic skirts and one new dress. The polos, featured in solid yellow and Fairway Camo navy, complement the Fairway Camo Big Logo Pleated Skirt and the Classic Side Logo Tape Skirt.
Women’s golf clothing is finally helping players feel at home on the course.
From bermuda shorts to pleated tennis-looking skorts, women’s golf fashion has blossomed into a trendy style over the years. Most girls getting into the sport 10+ years ago struggled with feeling feminine on the golf course.
For many women, golf was not appealing from a fashion standpoint alone. The fashion didn’t make the sport inviting and wasn’t functional if you did make your way to the course.
There were not many ways to express yourself or stand out from the rest with khaki shorts and standard pink polos. There was a limited selection of golf clothing, and if you happened to find something that caught your eye, it came with a steep price tag.
The dress code for women was stricter back then with some courses only allowing knee-length shorts and a polo shirt with capped sleeves. Fast forward to today when you see women golfing in breathable, fashionable and stylish clothing.
Many professional players have witnessed this transition first hand. The tour used to consist of very bland styles and prints. The LPGA is now full of bright colors, feminine trim and various ways to express your personality while on the course.
Christina Kim plays her shot from the second tee during the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship golf tournament at the Atlanta Athletic Club. (Photo: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports)
Longtime LPGA player Christina Kim has been known for her electric style on the golf course.
“I’m happy to say that women’s golf fashion has come much closer in line with fashion trends in public society. Long gone are the days of boxy, oversized shirts and pleated khakis,” said Kim. “Functional fabrics, silhouettes that actually accentuate a woman’s figure, fun colors and patterns and sharp lines are all part of the norm. I’m a big fan of the changes made, though I still am not a huge fan of sweatpants or joggers on course, but it’s mainly because I don’t think they look good in general.”
Pernilla Lindberg follows her shot from the sixth tee during the second round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship golf tournament at the Atlanta Athletic Club.
(Photo: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports)
Added Swedish LPGA player Pernilla Lindberg: “I feel like when I got into the sport as a young girl, there was not even such a thing as girls’ golf clothing or women’s golf clothing, it was more men’s polos. You just had to wear an extra small with no feminine fits, and it was just baggy. Obviously, that has changed to where more women’s polos fit better,” said Lindberg.
“It has gotten more and more feminine over time with improved sport fabrics, as well. The latest transition is obviously more the athleisure look that you see away from the golf course. This is now being more and more accepted on the course. I think it’s so fun because now you can actually show more of your personal style on the course, and you also can leave and go straight to somewhere else without it looking so obvious that you came straight off the course. It’s changed a lot from those big baggy polos that I would wear as a girl to where we’re at nowadays.”
In the past, it has been difficult to find clothing that resonates with women who are looking to find stylish apparel while shopping at traditional retail stores. If you weren’t at a golf specific store, it was unlikely to find any items that fit the golf criteria.
In today’s world, you can shop in most of your sports-related clothing stores and find items that fit the mold of the modern golfer. Athleisure has become increasingly popular for day-to-day wear, and now companies are mastering the art of bringing comfort and functionality to women’s golf apparel. You can walk into many name brand stores and find golf-like skirts, shirts and more. It has become a more-formal tennis style and readily accessible.
Alexandra O’Laughlin reacts to her shot during the Phoenix Suns Charities Shot at Glory on the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. (Photo: Michael Chow-USA TODAY NETWORK)
Golf and travel correspondent of NBC Golf Channel Alexandra O’Laughlin recently became an ambassador for Calia, a fitness apparel brand. She has a slightly different view of golf fashion.
“As a young golfer I always found a way to be sporty and stylish on the course. There weren’t options like there are now, but I found inspiration from all over and had a knack for integrating classic golf styles with functionality,” O’Laughlin said. “Calia has all of this in one line, plus the ability to make me feel confident on and off the course. With the variation of tasks women have to accomplish throughout the day, it’s important to curate a wardrobe that transcends with you. I’m so proud to represent Calia and work with Dick’s Sporting Goods to give women the options they deserve.”
The importance of feeling comfortable and confident on the course often stems from clothing. Many golfers believe if you dress well, you will perform well, and women’s golf clothing is finally helping players feel at home on the course.
“It barely qualifies as the bare minimum of allowing those girls one practice round.”
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Sunday’s final round of the Chevron Championship will mark the end of a 51-year relationship between the LPGA and its desert home in the Coachella Valley.
The tournament, dripping with history, is always the first major championship on the golf calendar and the winner’s leap into Poppie’s Pond has become a moment that fans remember and players dream of. But starting in 2023, the tournament will move to Houston and likely be played in May.
LPGA veteran Christina Kim has always spoken passionately about causes she believes in and that includes the fate of the desert’s LPGA event.
In an interview with The Desert Sun on Friday after missing the cut and therefore playing her final round at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club, the 38-year-old from San Jose had strong words for the golf power-brokers that she believes didn’t do enough to keep the event here.
“It’s very bittersweet. This tournament’s been very important to me over the years for a lot of reasons, and I’m really sad to be leaving,” Kim said. “I wish that there was more willingness from all parties including the people (making decisions) here to have found a way to make it work so that we could’ve stayed here.”
New title sponsor Chevron has stepped in to breathe new life into the tournament that has struggled to stay afloat in recent years as ticket sales lagged even before the pandemic, and as TV ratings have taken a hit with new competition from the Augusta National Women’s Amateur event which is held simultaneously.
Many current players have weighed in on the move with varying levels of vitriol. Some are outraged that the powers that be in women’s golf couldn’t rally around the iconic event, others consider it a frustrating necessity to keep the tournament alive.
Christina Kim of the United States hits her tee shot on the eighth hole during the second round of The Chevron Championship at The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa on April 01, 2022, in Rancho Mirage, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Kim is certainly in the first camp.
A 20-year veteran of the LPGA Tour, Kim’s most pointed criticism was saved for Augusta National. She believes the power players behind the Masters, in essence, pushed the desert tournament out by creating counterprogramming to the LPGA major that includes the ANWA from Thursday to Saturday.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the Masters treating the weekend of the Chevron Championship as a de facto preview to the following week’s Masters has hurt the LPGA major.
“Truth be told, I’m not gonna lie. I’m really upset with Augusta National. Because there’s no reason why we couldn’t continue to have this tournament be the first major in professional golf,” Kim said. “And I think it’s absolutely disgusting what they’re doing and I have no problem saying that. It’s bull hockey what they’re doing.”
Even the way ANWA is run, where the amateurs are allowed one practice round at Augusta but then have to qualify to play a competitive round on the fabled course, irks Kim.
“It barely qualifies as the bare minimum of allowing those girls one practice round and giving them a playoff to see who’s going to make the cut into the final round at that place,” she said.
Gutted to have missed the cut this week @Chevron_Golf. Horrific play yesterday set the pace, but always lovely to walk to fairways (for the final time😢) at Mission Hills. Wish ALL involved could have kept the first major of golf the first major of golf. Thank you to all the fans pic.twitter.com/T4vjgqIjs2
Kim said she appreciates Chevron stepping in with sponsorship and wanting to elevate the tournament, but before it got to that point, she would’ve liked to see a more concerted effort by everyone involved to give more consideration to the history of this event and its ties to its California home.
Changing the weekend it is played to earlier in the calendar is an option she would’ve been in favor of, but finding the right TV window was an issue, as were potential scheduling conflicts at Mission Hills.
“I know there were attempts made to try and see if the date could change because Augusta was doing what Augusta does,” she said. “But it did not work for the region here either, so unfortunately, it would be easy to say there’s no one to blame other than Augusta National, but that’s neither here nor there. Everyone could have worked … I’m sure everyone did everything they think that they could’ve done to keep the tournament here. But the reality is we’re not coming back.”
After a slight pause, Kim added “For now at least.”
Kim, who has three career LPGA wins and two top-10 finishes at this tournament, said you never know what could happen three or five years down the road.
“Maybe a big corporation will step up and see — like the American Express did for the men — that the women belong here in the desert,” Kim said. “The golf here is incredible, the people here are amazing, the culture here is fun, it’s artsy, it’s inclusive, it’s diverse and it fits right in with the ethos of the LPGA so there’s no reason why they shouldn’t have a tournament here. It’s just very bittersweet.
Christina Kim of the United States walks on the seventh hole during the second round of The Chevron Championship at The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa on April 01, 2022, in Rancho Mirage, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
“The foundation has already been established. The people. The ones that really matter. The heart and soul of the LPGA coming to the desert are the fans. One can always hope that something can come out of this.”
Kim wanted to make one last clarification before the interview was over.
“I have no problem saying all that on the record. You can tell because I said ‘Bull hockey’ instead of what I really wanted to say.”
Shad Powers is a columnist with The Desert Sun. Reach him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.
“This is my passion. This is my love. My entire life is golf.”
BELLEAIR, Fla. – Christina Kim joked that she could’ve been drafted into the NBA, she jumped so high on the driving range after learning she’d received a sponsor exemption into the Pelican LPGA Championship. She’d just missed out on the Monday qualifier by one stroke and sits at 98th on the CME points list. The top 100 keep their LPGA card.
“Literally rolling around doing somersaults on the ground because I was just so overjoyed,” said Kim, who is taking full advantage of the opportunity.
The popular player, now in her 19th year on the LPGA, currently holds the clubhouse lead at the Pelican with World No. 1 Nelly Korda at 9 under. Jennifer Kupcho, who is still on the course, has moved to 11 under.
At this time last year, Kim was safely into the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship thanks to five top-25 finishes. But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, nothing from 2020 carried over into this season. Kim’s status reverted back to where she finished in 2019, and she didn’t get into an LPGA event until March of this year.
“Sometimes things go your way; sometimes they don’t,” she said. “But that’s life. What are you supposed to expect?”
Korda, who trails Jin Young Ko by 15 points in the LPGA Player of the Year race, matched Kim’s 66 by hitting 14 fairways and 16 greens. Her average drive on the measured holes: 309 yards.
“The fairways are pretty wide open,” she said, “and so I just kind of get up to it and try to rip it.”
A victory this week is worth 30 points toward the Player o the Year race.
Ko, who has won four of her last seven events, shot 66 and moved into the top 20. Yuka Saso, the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open winner, posted a 64 to move into the top five.
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Kim has missed six of her last seven cuts on the LPGA and said she spent the last three weeks in hyper-stress mode. Getting into the Pelican, however, gave her a sense of controlling her own destiny, and she finds herself in contention for her first LPGA title since 2014.
When asked if her time working for PGA Tour Live on Sirius was a preview of her second act, Kim insisted that her focus remains on her playing career.
“You know, yes, I’m 37 years old, but I still tell fart jokes,” she said, “so I don’t really feel like – you know, and I’m truly in the best shape of my life, so there is no reason why I can’t sit there and think all the experience that I’ve had … with three Solheim Cups, three singles wins – no big deal – my tour wins around the world, that that can’t help me out here.
“You know, yeah, sure, there are literally players on here that can be my children if I had chosen to have them. That doesn’t mean anything, though. This is my passion. This is my love. My entire life is golf. I’ll stop when it’s time. I’m damn nowhere near close to that yet.”
After some recent lifestyle changes, Christina Kim is thriving both on and off the course.
For Christina Kim, the pandemic has been about perspective.
The three-time LPGA winner has used this unique year to prioritize taking care of herself on and off the golf course, and it’s working. On the latest edition of the “Why you suck at golf” podcast, the three-time LPGA winner discussed her return to tournament play, recent lifestyle changes and how she uses her platform on social media.
For Kim, it’s fun to compete again, but freaky at the same time. Before tournaments you can find the 36-year-old strutting through the airport in her hazmat suit, gloves and safety goggles to keep her and those around her safe from coronavirus.
“This is my prime source of income, playing on tour. I am just taking every precaution that I can,” said Kim, joking that she’s been preparing for COVID-19 for the last two and a half years because she prefers to stay by herself.
The travel is different, same goes for the atmosphere without fans in attendance. It’s been an interesting transition for Kim, a player who feeds off the energy of the crowds.
“It changes the way you compete whether you want them there or not,” she added. “The silence is insane.”
Kim most recently played the ANA inspiration, finishing T-24 at 4 under. The event was won in dramatic fashion but not without controversy surrounding “The Great Wall of Dinah,” a blue sponsorship wall placed in lieu of the grandstand for fans near the 18th green.
“Sometimes you are presented with an opportunity that some people can’t see,” said Kim, noting whether it’s a wall or grandstand, it’s the same golf course.
Christina Kim hits from a sand trap on the 3rd green during the 2020 ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills Golf Club. (Photo: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports)
Off the course Kim has played around with different diets and has recently adopted the ketogenic lifestyle, a high fat, low carbohydrate diet. This change, paired with a new gym routine, has led to significant weight loss for Kim. Now, she’s addicted to her new, healthier lifestyle.
“I always used to joke that I was just a golfer, but now I feel like an athlete which is a really cool feeling.”
Kim has also been putting in work on her social media platforms, actively advocating for civil rights despite a slew of negative comments in response to her opinions. Instead of ignoring these messages, Kim is embracing them, using them to facilitate those conversations, listen to other opinions and simply open a dialogue.
“If you want to see change in the world, be the change you want to see,” she said. “I want to see all of humanity reach the greatest heights imaginable, and I want everyone to have the same opportunities to reach those heights. So let’s have these conversations, let’s see what we can do to make change, let’s see how we can help one another, let’s see how we can love one another, and by doing that we will help ourselves.”
The 17 year professional veteran also thinks perspective matters on the golf course, as well. She explains it like this: If you take a fairway 20 yards wide and break it down to inches, that’s 720 inches. If you divide that by the diameter of a golf ball (1.68 inches), you could fit about 427 golf balls in a fairway and only hit one.
“Golf is such an amazing parallel to life,” she said. “Why would you be scared of something that hasn’t happened yet?”
Golf Channel will carry 20 hours of live tournament coverage of the LPGA’s second major of 2020, the ANA Inspiration.
The ANA Inspiration kicks off early with a charity skins match airing live on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on Golf Channel. The event, which benefits Eisenhower Health, will feature four LPGA player in the field. Katherine Kirk and Amy Olson will team up against Christina Kim and Angela Stanford in nine-hole match.
Golf Channel will carry 20 hours of live tournament coverage of the year’s second major, headlined by No. 2 Danielle, Nelly Korda, Inbee Park, Lexi Thompson and Lydia Ko. While defending champion Jin Young Ko is not in the field, two-time major winner Sung Hyun Park makes her 2020 LPGA debut at Mission Hills.
The ANA Inspiration week will kick off with a 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗦𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 that will benefit @EisenhowerHeal ✨
In this edition of Forward Press, Golfweek’s David Dusek chats with LPGA golfer Christina Kim about her recent diet and lifestyle changes that have helped her not only feel better, but also play better.
The two also talked about how learning about golf course design can improve your own game, what it’s like playing and traveling on the LPGA during a pandemic and much more.
Despite players being constantly surrounded by competitors, life on the LPGA can be incredibly lonely.
Karen Stupples makes a living talking about golf, but she’s actually quite shy. To escape the bullying she sometimes endured at school back in England and enter a world where her own creativity and drive could blossom, Stupples shoved a couple of clubs into her backpack and rode her bike five miles down the road to Princes Golf Club, where the practice ground was tucked away from chatty grown-ups and peace and quiet prevailed.
For Stupples, the solitary nature of golf was a natural fit.
“I’m a firm believer that whether a player is successful or not on tour,” said Stupples, “is how comfortable they are with that loneliness.”
There are no teammates in professional golf. Players are constantly surrounded by competitors, and it takes effort to make friends. Even winning can be lonely.
When the hugs and handshakes and press conferences are over, the victor often walks out of the clubhouse to the startling realization that the tour is gone. The traveling circus has packed up and moved on and, unless family is on the road, there are times the winner is left standing alone with the trophy.
Karen Stupples working as an on-course announcer for the Golf Channel during the Ricoh Women’s British Open. (Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images)
“I think I felt more lonely when I played well,” said Na Yeon Choi, a nine-time winner on the LPGA, including the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open.
Being alone, of course, isn’t the same as feeling lonely. How a player builds her support system for this nomadic life can have a deep impact on performance and longevity.
“I think far more people struggle coming out on tour because of the lack of community and loneliness,” said 27-year-old Amy Olson, “than from a technical problem in their swing or their putting stroke.”
Growing up different
Angel Yin showed prodigious talent at an age when some kids are still learning how to color inside the lines. By 7 she was competing in tournaments and began separating herself from “normal everyday kid life” to focus on the future. For the exceptional, the battle with loneliness can begin early.
“We’re friends with competitors, but you can’t just go cry on their shoulder because maybe they played worse than you,” said Yin. “You’ve got your mom, but this is your job. You have to accept it. Sometimes you just hold it inside, but you want to let it out.”
Yin, one of the longest players in the women’s game, loves to make people laugh. She’s a cut-up during interviews and doesn’t appear to be an introvert, though she says she tips that way.
“I close myself off,” she said. “I disappear for a while.”
It’s easy to do when more than half the year is spent on the road, away from friends and family. In high school, classes forced her to connect with people. As a professional, she had to make a choice. She chose not to connect. She has since realized the need to change.
“I enjoy being alone,” said the 20-year-old American. “There’s nothing wrong with that, but we do need friends in life.”
More than a number
Mo Martin lines up a putt at the 2018 Volunteers of America LPGA Texas Classic at Old American Golf Club on May 5, 2018 in The Colony, Texas. (Photo: Darren Carroll/Getty Images)
Mo Martin calls it “performance-based communication.” Win a tournament and your world explodes, like when she won the 2014 AIG Women’s British Open at Royal Birkdale. Calls and texts poured in along with interview requests. Miss a cut, on the other hand, and nobody wants to talk to you.
“I think that’s hard mental health-wise to balance,” said Martin, 36, who is rehabbing a back injury. “You get a lot of exposure when you’re doing well, but when you’re not doing well, you’re either criticized or ignored.”
Vision54 performance coaches Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott call the human side of golf the forgotten piece. So much of being a professional is centered around results. Players sometimes feel reduced to a pile of numbers.
“The real you is your values,” said Nilsson. “I think it’s more important today than ever … to create a support group around them (focusing) more on who they are than what they do.”
Angela Stanford, 41, said the first time she really felt alone in the game was this year when she dealt with her first serious injury and came back playing poorly.
At least on a team, said the TCU grad, you’re rehabbing in a facility with other players and sitting in the dugout or the bench during games.
“Here, it’s you,” she said. “So when you’re not playing or you’re not playing good and your phone is really quiet, I think that’s when it’s hard.”
Oftentimes fellow players, even friends, don’t know what to say when someone falls into a slump.
“You don’t want to ask them why,” said Stanford. “It’s a weird dynamic. I’ve had a couple of friends that have struggled. I’m learning all you can say is ‘I’m thinking about you. It hasn’t passed me that you are struggling.’
“That’s been hard because I haven’t had a lot of people say that to me.”
At times, the silence was as painful as the injured rib.
Wired but not connected
As the LPGA skews younger, more and more players are growing into adulthood while traveling the globe chasing a dream. And much of their lives, at least a version of it, is available for the world to see on social media.
“There’s this outer persona that so many are required to keep up, that’s a mismatch back to who they are,” said Marriott.
The Vision54 coaches help players learn how to run the show in this virtual world “and not let it run you.”
“These young golfers are addicted to social media,” said Marriott. “Literally, they can’t get off of it.”
It’s about redirecting daily habits so that the phone isn’t the first thing that comes out of the golf bag and consumes a player’s attention all through lunch. Helping players learn how to connect and squashing the notion that you can’t open up and care for the competition.
Rookie Charlotte Thomas decided in September to quit social media for the rest of the season. She doesn’t have any contractual obligations to be on Twitter or Instagram, and while she feels guilty about not interacting with sponsors and fans, it’s more important that she stops comparing herself to others.
Little by little, it was eating away at her joy.
The LPGA looks so glamorous in perfectly edited photos and carefully chosen words. But the reality behind this hashtag life is that most players travel the world but rarely see it.
Many never make it beyond the hotel and the golf course.
Nilsson and Marriott want players to start thinking about what they can do off the golf course that will give them energy before they turn professional. Choi, 31, for example, learned how to bring people together by cooking South Korean specialties in her hotel room. She also spent time in big-box stores like Target, Walmart and Home Depot talking to workers so she could strengthen her English skills away from the spotlight.
Paula Creamer said the unconditional love of her dogs, first Studley and now Penny, helped her on weeks she traveled alone and reminded her to see the big picture after a tough day.
In Gee Chun lets loose with ice hockey during the offseason and took up drawing last spring. Being active helps the two-time major winner forget how far away she is from home.
Christina Kim during the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club. (Photo: Thomas J. Russo/USA TODAY Sports)
When Christina Kim asks, “Are you OK?” it’s not a flippant question. She wants to know. Truly. As a person who has been open about her battle with depression and thoughts of suicide, she’d do anything to help someone else avoid going down the same road.
“A lot of that was out of loneliness,” said Kim, “but a lot of that was out of my own stubbornness, my own inability to ask for help, my inability to realize that I needed help.”
So many players on tour are the breadwinner for their families, said Kim. They are the CEO of their business, and when problems arise, it’s not always easy to share those concerns.
“You almost feel like you have the future of the world depending on you,” said Kim, 35. “So you have to be strong. You can’t allow your emotions to take over.”
Kim appreciates the blue-chip athletes, like Michael Phelps, who have been open about anxiety and depression.
“The fact that Michael Phelps came out and said that he sees a psychiatrist,” said Kim, “you’re an Adonis! You’re one of the greatest athletes of all time. What could be wrong with you?”
Phelps’ admission provided a lot of perspective for Kim.
“I learned that a lot of what was going on with me went back to the fact that our bodies are working 24 hours a day to keep us from crumbling under the pressure,” said Kim. “When you’re constantly trying to perfect yourself, you’re run ragged. Just like a car runs out of gas.”
Double-edged sword
After someone gushed to Martin, “Oh my god, you have the best job in the world!” her uncle, who was at an LPGA tournament for the first time, looked at her and lovingly said, “Your life sucks.”
Martin laughed and said both statements were true. The opportunities can be extraordinary. But she misses out on a lot, too.
Stanford often tells people she’d like to drive a school bus when golf is over. Sleep in her own bed, same schedule every day, summers and weekends off. She might hate it, but the normalcy of it sure sounds nice.
Missing the weddings of friends and the births of their children, said Martin, becomes part of the job.
“I don’t consider myself to be a selfish person,” she said. “But to play this game at the highest level is very selfish. You have to maintain this certain space. … That is the loneliness part of it.”
Or the beauty of it, depending on whom you ask and where they are in the journey. Gwk
This story originally appeared in the October issue of Golfweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.
