To say she was stunned when her tee shot found the bottom of the cup would be an understatement.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff was 7 over when she came to the 16th tee at the Evian Resort Golf Club. To say she was stunned when her tee shot found the bottom of the cup on the 148-yard par 3 would be an understatement.
Shadoff covered her mouth as the ball worked its way down the slope on the right side of the green and into the hole. As the first player to make an ace there, she won a voucher worth 180,000 euros to pick out the Porsche of her choosing at the Amundi Evian Championship.
“I struck it really nicely,” said Shadoff, who shot 75 in the first round. “It was a little right of the pin so I knew it needed the left bounce off that slope. It was going straight at the hole and I was like, oh, man, this is a chance.
Chun-Wei Wu, one of eight amateurs in the field, recorded an ace of her own on the picturesque par-3 5th hole. Chun, who opened with an even-par 71, won the 2024 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific to earn her spot in the field. She hit a 5-iron from 177 yards
“Actually, I didn’t see the ball go in,” she said, “and I ask my friend and they say, you go in. I said woo-hoo. Really? First hole-in-one in a major. I’m so excited.”
Radio silence didn’t make for happy remaining teammates on English team after two players withdraw.
For the first time since 2018, the Hanwha Lifeplus International Crown is back on the LPGA schedule.
One of the unique events on the golf calendar, the event pits the top eight countries (based on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings) against one another in match play May 4-7. This week’s tournament will be at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. It’s the fourth installment of the event.
The United States and Korea have dominated the event, but other countries are doing their best to try to take down those two, including Team England.
However, England will attempt to do so without two of its top players, Georgia Hall and Charley Hull. The duo withdrew Saturday, leaving officials scrambling to replace them. Hall told Golfweek she has struggled with her left foot for several weeks. Hull said she hasn’t felt well recently and planned to go home to see a doctor.
However, their Team England teammates don’t sound too happy with their decision. Bronte Law and Jodi Ewart Shadoff said they didn’t find out about Hall and Hull’s decision until Sunday, Law joking she found out through “Chinese whispers,” which is a game in the United Kingdom similar to the American game of telephone in which information is repeated.
“I think anyone with some level of decency would send their teammates a message that they weren’t coming, not find out from other players on tour who have heard things from them saying things at the tournament last week,” Law said during a pre-tournament press conference at TPC Harding Park. “I don’t think that that’s a lot to ask for.”
Ladies European Tour players Alice Hewson and Liz Young flew in Sunday from England to round out the four-player English squad.
“Very happy to have both Alice and Liz are here,” Law said. “They’re both very patriotic, very team-oriented, and I think that that’s a testament to kind of what this tournament is about and is more important than the individuals in the team.
“I know that they’ll fight with everything that they’ve got.”
Law said she didn’t get any messages from Hall or Hull until Tuesday, when Hull reached out to apologize for not being able to play.
“But it’s besides the point now,” she said. “We’re here, and this is our team This is Team England.”
The competition gets underway Thursday. There are eight teams in this year’s Crown: U.S., South Korea, Japan, Sweden, England, Thailand, Australia and China.
View photos of Jodi Ewart Shadoff throughout her career.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff is the epitome of perserverance on the LPGA Tour.
The Englishwoman earned her Tour card in 2011, a year after turning pro upon graduating from the University of New Mexico in 2010. In her first 50 starts, Ewart Shadoff finished inside the top 10 on six occasions including a T3 finish in 2013.
Her youth as well as her solid play earned her a spot on the 2013 Solheim Cup team where she went 2-1-0 in her debut. Since then, Ewart Shadoff has represented Europe in both 2017 and 2019 and has yet to be a part of a losing effort against the Americans.
Shadoff won for the first time in her 246th start last year to qualify for the Tournament of Champions field.
The first time Jodi Ewart Shadoff met her husband Adam was during her sophomore year at the University of New Mexico. Adam, a local TV reporter, interviewed Jodi after that first round in Albuquerque, and as the young Englishwoman kept playing well, they kept talking.
That conference victory eventually led to a date that led to a lifetime of conversations. But after college, the next time Adam found himself working a tournament with Jodi in the field was last week’s Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando. Adam, a sports anchor and reporter at FOX 35 Orlando, came out to media late last year at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club.
Jodi, who won for the first time in her 246th start last year at the Mediheal Championship to qualify for the TOC field, was part of the pre-tournament interview panel. At the end of the session, a colleague in the room asked, “Nothing from you Adam? You’re not going to ask a question?”
Adam looked to his wife and jokingly asked, “Who’s the best sports anchor in Orlando?”
“She said ‘Get out of here,’ ” said Adam, smiling, “and she walked away. It was funny.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CY6juXhs6_j/?hl=en
The Shadoffs, who recently celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary, live less than 25 minutes from Lake Nona. Jodi, who plays out of the Ritz in town, isn’t a member at Lake Nona, which was the case for several in the field, but this was as close to a home game that she could hope for. In fact, when Shadoff finally broke through with her first victory last year in California, the TOC was one of the first things that came to mind.
“It’s pretty pure,” said Shadoff of Nona. “It’s probably one of the best courses we get to play all year, in my opinion.”
In the second round, she played alongside Brian Urlacher, a fellow Lobo and NFL Hall of Famer. It was the first time the two former UNM standouts had met.
“It was funny,” said Jodi, “walking down one of the early holes he goes, ‘Did you go to UNM? I’m like, yeah. He’s like, so did I. I’m like, yeah, I know. You were like the legend.’
Adam wasn’t working in the studio the day Jodi won the Mediheal. He thought about flying out for the final round to surprise Jodi.
“I thought, if I show up and she doesn’t win,” he said, “I’m going to feel like a huge jerk. So, in the end, I didn’t go.”
He only started to relax back home in the living room after she hit the green on No. 18 in regulation. The joy of that moment was felt coast-to-coast.
The couple recently took a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, during Jodi’s brief offseason. The Englishwoman likes to get out in the snow at least once a year.
“I don’t ski because I can barely walk around without getting injured,” she said with a laugh.
Given how good things were going at the end of last season, Jodi didn’t want to “lose the feels” she had after her best year on tour and took off less than two weeks. She was soon back to work with her instructor, former PGA Tour winner Grant Waite, who said they mostly focused on ways to be more efficient.
“We spent quite a bit of time talking about flighting the ball a little bit more,” he said, “putting some curves on curves off, trajectory control, stuff like that. … Again, for her it’s not about reinventing the wheel, just making it turn a little bit better here and there.”
Short game was another area of focus. Jodi, one of the best ball-strikers on tour, finished last season ranked 3rd in greens hit in regulation, 60th in driving distance and 20th in driving accuracy. She was 88th in putts per green in regulation.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff reacts on the 18th green after winning the 2022 LPGA Mediheal Championship at The Saticoy Club in Somis, California. (Photo: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
While she prefers to focus on smaller goals, there’s no doubt that the 2023 Solheim Cup in Spain is on her mind.
“I would love to represent Europe for a fourth time,” she said, “and under Suzann (Pettersen), I think that would be a lot of fun.”
Adam covered the TOC several days early in the week but took the weekend off to walk around Lake Nona with his wife. Jodi finished tied for 18th in her TOC debut, and because an LPGA victory guarantees a start in that tournament for two years, she’ll be back.
“I’m not mad at the club; I’m not mad at the sponsor. I’m annoyed at the LPGA for that just being an overlooked factor.”
ORLANDO — There’s no locker room for players here at the LPGA’s season-opener, an event designed to celebrate those who have hoisted trophies over the past two years. Don’t be surprised to see players at the Hilton Grand Vacation Tournament of Champions changing their shoes in the parking lot.
Lake Nona Golf and Country Club has a men’s locker room that would’ve been more than suitable for the 29 players in the field. LPGA players can use the bathrooms and showers in the women’s facility, but there’s no place for them to store anything while they’re on the course. That area is also not private.
Matilda Castren can’t imagine something like this playing out on the PGA Tour. Grant Waite, a former winner on the PGA Tour, was on the range at Lake Nona on Tuesday working with his student, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, and confirmed that he never played in a PGA Tour event that didn’t have access to a locker room.
Castren was as shocked about the locker room situation as she was about the player fact sheet that came out on Jan. 14, laying out restrictions for when players had access to practice facilities at Nona. In the memo, players were informed that they “may not use the practice facilities more than one hour prior to their practice tee times. Use of the practice facilities is not available unless playing a practice round.”
Castren inquired with an LPGA rules official about the situation on Monday and was told that it was non-negotiable with the tournament, but that the LPGA wouldn’t be strictly policing it.
“The guys would never agree to an hour of practice each day,” Castren said.
Danielle Kang reacts after winning the 2022 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club on January 23, 2022, in Orlando. (Photo: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
An LPGA official said what was written on the memo applied to last Sunday only, though there’s a section on the memo directly underneath the lines in dispute that read, “Sunday, January 15th” in bold and underlined type, followed by four lines explaining the rules specifically laid out for Sunday.
Aaron Stewart, VP of sports marketing at Hilton Grand Vacations, said that players were never restricted to one hour of practice and were free to practice even without scheduling a practice round.
“Once they have their credentials,” he said, “it’s their course.”
As for the locker room, a tour official said that due to the hospitality setup, the men’s locker room had to remain open to the public to utilize the restrooms, and that they were unable to create a private and secure locker room for LPGA players.
Stewart said they planned to order lockers for the week and use an area on the lower level of the clubhouse next to player dining for players in the field, but the tour itself changed course.
“I don’t know why they canceled the lockers,” he said.
An LPGA statement on the situation noted that the space offered to add temporary lockers did not include a bathroom area, and that due to a prioritization of that space for other player uses, the tournament team opted not to pursue that option.
“We are always open to player feedback,” the statement continued, “and work with our tournament partners to allocate finite space.”
Ryann O’Toole is sharing a car with a player this week, which makes working out of the trunk less than ideal.
“I’m not mad at the club; I’m not mad at the sponsor,” said O’Toole. “I’m annoyed at the LPGA for that just being an overlooked factor.”
One veteran LPGA player said that, in general, she often viewed how a club felt about hosting an event based on the locker room situation. If LPGA players were allowed to use the men’s locker room, typically the larger and nicer facility at a club, she felt particularly welcomed. Often times the club member would leave a note inside the locker wishing her luck.
The locker room isn’t just a place to store valuables and a change of clothes. It’s also an oasis for players to gather their thoughts away from the rest of the world.
“You should have a certain standard,” said Castren.
While the TOC has always been known for its party atmosphere with concerts, on-course music and a celebrity division, it’s also billed to be an elite event filled with the LPGA’s brightest stars, though a number are notably absent this year with the tour taking a full month off after the TOC.
Stewart said 43 playing professionals who compete on tours around the world call Lake Nona home.
World No. 1 Lydia Ko, who isn’t in the field this week because she recently got married and went on her honeymoon, has a house here. Annika Sorenstam, who will be competing in the celebrity portion of the event, has called Lake Nona home for decades. This is where the first Solheim Cup was contested in 1990. Players rave about the place.
LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan has talked often about placing an emphasis on performance excellence. She’s focused on putting together a strong schedule with big purses, but also on the small, important things that are needed to help players perform.
“So how do we create an environment for everyone within our ecosystem to reach their own peak performance?” she asked during a press conference last year in Singapore.
“And that goes to the things I just talked about, making it as easy as possible for our women to get the most sleep that they need, to eat properly when they come to tournaments, to have the administration taking care of them so they can focus on being the best that they can be.”
That would, of course, include the basics of a proper locker room setup and practice facilities, as well as strong, clear communication.
An LPGA official confirmed that Marcoux Samaan was unaware of either situation prior to Tuesday.
This former PGA Tour winner turned instructor is making quite an impact on the women’s game.
The first time Grant Waite met with Jodi Ewart Shadoff, it rained. He filmed two swings, and they talked about her back pain. Ewart Shadoff, who had missed the cut in eight of her last 10 events, feared her career might be cut short. Waite offered a few swing change suggestions to ease the pain and said he’d see her soon at the LPGA stop in Arkansas.
The first hole at Pinnacle Country Club is on the shorter side, and Waite, a former winner on the PGA Tour, watched Ewart Shadoff knock it to 6 feet from about 70 yards. What happened next made a strong impression.
“She walked on the green she just kind of really stopped breathing,” said Waite. “I could tell by her body language how stressed she was. Not only the situation of where she stood the money list, but playing golf at the moment. I said I’ve never had more of an urge to walk on the green and give a player a hug and say everything is going to be OK; I can help you.”
Grant Waite makes a tee shot on the third hole during the second round of the Toshiba Classic at the Newport Beach Country Club on October 8, 2016 in Newport Beach, California. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
Ewart Shadoff finished seventh the next week at ShopRite, helping to secure her status for 2022. And then, roughly one year after they started, the 34-year-old Englishwoman won in her 246th start on the LPGA.
“He has walked in my shoes,” said Ewart Shadoff of working with Waite. “He knows what it feels like. He knows what it feels like on the golf course. What’s cool about working with Grant is, he knows how I think. He knows the emotion that it takes to win.”
After competing on the PGA Tour for 13 years, Waite, the 1993 Kemper Open champion, switched gears to teaching. His roster of Tour clients included Charles Howell, Aaron Baddeley, Trevor Immelman and Mike Weir.
The Kiwi then stopped coaching to join the PGA Tour Champions, that is until two surgeries to repair a torn rotator cuff resumed his teaching career. In addition to several PGA Tour hopefuls, Waite’s current roster of LPGA clients represents a wide variety of players in various stages of their careers.
Patty Tavatanakit talks with her caddie on the ninth tee during the first round of the Gainnbridge LPGA at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club on February 25, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
That list no longer includes Patty Tavatanakit, however, who recently told Waite that she wanted to go her own way. The pair went to work ahead of the 2021 season, and she broke through with the Chevron Championship title and Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award. The pair have worked together on and off this season.
In addition to Ewart Shadoff, Waite’s list of clients includes promising players gearing up for Q-Series and a major champion back from maternity leave. Here’s how he’s helping each of them:
“I was thinking too much in my 20s. Once I reached my 30s, I was like, ‘stop thinking and just play golf.'”
A sneeze nearly ended Jodi Ewart Shadoff’s career. It sounds rather silly now, but in January 2021, an under-the-weather Ewart Shadoff sneezed, and an hour later, she couldn’t walk. The American Lung Association reports that sneezes can travel up to 100 mph, and the force behind Ewart Shadoff’s sneeze resulted in a herniated disc.
The Englishwoman missed two months of tournaments that season, and as a veteran of back ailments, didn’t know if she could battle through another one.
“The game that I loved for 25 plus years, I was starting to resent because I was in so much pain,” said Ewart Shadoff. “I just didn’t know if I could keep going.”
It was her team, Ewart Shadoff said, that pushed her through one of the most trying seasons of her career and last Sunday, it all paid off. Ewart Shadoff, 34, won in her 246th start on the LPGA, one of three players over the age of 30 to break through for their first LPGA title this season, joining South Africans Paula Reto (32) and Ashleigh Buhai (33).
“I keep telling people I wake up in the morning and think ‘Oh, that was a weird dream,’” said Ewart Shadoff of her wire-to-wire victory at the LPGA Mediheal Championship.
“Then ‘Oh wow, it’s real. That actually happened.’ ”
Im beyond proud of @Jodi_Ewart winning on the @LPGA for the first time. From the countless hours of practicing, to the close calls. She’s missed weddings and funerals. Injuries so bad I’ve had to help her step into her clothes. 11 years later, you’re a champion, Jodi. I love you.
In all, six players over the age of 30 have won this season, putting the average age of winners on at 26.52. Eun-Hee Ji (36), Lizette Salas (32) and Marina Alex (31) round out the veteran group. On a tour full of prodigies, these women give inspiration to those taking the long route.
“I’ll play this game until I’m 50, I love it so much,” said Paula Reto, who won for the first time in her 157th start last August at the CP Women’s Open. The Purdue grad contended last week at the Mediheal as well, until two late bogeys dropped her into a share of third.
Reto said she overwhelmed herself in those early years on tour, trying to do too much at once. If she could go back, she’d tell herself to focus on the small things and get those right.
“I was thinking too much in my 20s,” she said. “Once I reached my 30s, I was like stop thinking and just play golf.”
Disappointed with her putting so far this season, which is normally a strength, Reto hired Abimbola Olakanye in Canada to help give her more confirmation on the greens. Becoming a better green reader, she said, is one of her offseason goals.
“I feel like I’m going to peak more,” Reto said.
Buhai didn’t finish with her press obligations at Muirfield until 10:30 p.m. in Scotland after her playoff victory at the AIG Women’s British Open. The R&A kept the players lounge open late for Buhai and her pals to celebrate.
“We ended up not catching our flight on the Monday back to the States,” she said with a laugh.
Buhai was a star in her home country before she could drive, winning the 2004 South African Open at age 14, a title she has claimed three times, and leading her country to the World Amateur Team Championship title on home soil in 2006, before turning professional the following year.
But despite that early success, it took 221 starts over the span of a dozen years for Buhai to win on the LPGA. That she triumphed at historic Muirfield, following in the footsteps of South Africa’s Gary Player and Ernie Els, made it all the more special.
“Obviously there was so much, I wouldn’t say pressure, but expectation from a young Ashleigh to come out the blocks and carry on winning,” she said, “ but it’s hard out here and it’s gotten harder every year.”
Player, who won at Muirfield in 1959, sent along four key notes to Buhai during the championship: You’re going to hit bad shots, just let them be; stay patient; think win; and keep your head still on your putts.
“It’s easy to just back down when you’re in that moment,” said Buhai, who clinched victory with a sensational bunker shot on the fourth playoff hole.
The major title brings with it a five-year exemption, and Buhai said it couldn’t have come at a better time in her life. She and husband David, who caddies on tour for Jeong-eun Lee6, want to start a family at some point, and the assurance that a major title brings opens up their options.
“Financially, it has taken so much pressure off of me,” said Buhai.
Playing the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach next year has been high on her list as well as another British Open at St. Andrews (2024) and another Olympics (2024).
The five-year exemption and $1,095,000 paycheck from the Open means that Buhai could stop for and unpaid maternity leave and not worry so much about finances and her status on tour upon return. And if she decided after she did come back that she didn’t want to carry on competing, she’d leave the game a major champion.
“Now, I have the flexibility,” she said, which is priceless.
Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa celebrates after her putt shot on the 18th hole in the third Play Off for winning the AIG Women’s Open with his husband during Day Four of the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield on August 07, 2022 in Gullane, Scotland. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
For the past several years, Ewart Shadoff has watched friends compete in the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions near her home in Orlando and wished she could be there. Not long after she signed her scorecard last Sunday, Ewart Shadoff realized that she’d have a spot in the field next January at Lake Nona.
Her next goal: win a major.
“Now that I know that I can win under that kind of pressure, and that kind of nerves,” she said, “I feel much more comfortable moving forward.”
Ewart got her American driver’s license shortly before graduating from New Mexico in 2010 and struck out for Iowa for her first Epson Tour tournament the same day she got a car.
With a dead GPS and printed-out directions that took her the most direct route rather than the highways, Ewart Shadoff got her first speeding ticket in Kansas.
If she could turn back the clock, would she tell that 22-year-old with big dreams?
“I would say, stay very patient,” she said. “Don’t give up hope and just fight through all the adversity. You’ll get there eventually, and you’ll become stronger because of it.”
The tears said it all. Jodi Ewart Shadoff, playing in her 246th career start on the LPGA, finally found the winner’s circle at the LPGA Mediheal Championship.
“I didn’t know if this moment would ever come,” said Ewart Shadoff, who became the third wire-to-wire winner of the season, joining Lydia Ko and In Gee Chun.
The 34-year-old Englishwoman came into Sunday with a four-stroke lead and watched it melt away as the day wore on at The Saticoy Club. She even fell behind.
While Ewart Shadoff dueled most of the day with South Africa’s Paula Reto, another first-time winner this season, several players put themselves in position down the stretch. Late bogeys from Reto on Nos. 16 and 17 gave Ewart Shadoff some breathing room, and pars down the last four holes proved enough for her to hang on for the victory at 15-under 273.
Major champion Yuka Saso closed with a 66 after posting birdies on four of the last five holes. Saso finished alone in second while Georgia Hall (65), Danielle Kang (67) and Reto (69) finished two shots back.
Ewart Shadoff played her first full season on the LPGA in 2012 and made the Solheim Cup team not long after earning her tour card. She has since represented Europe on three occasions.
Considered one of the best ball-strikers on tour, Ewart Shadoff has struggled on the greens and with injuries over the course of her career. She averaged 29 putts for the week this week in California and it proved the difference-maker.
“I’ve always struggled with putting and it’s been a source of frustration for a long time,” she told Golf Channel after the round. “But this week it was the best part of my game, so, yeah. I think practicing putting goes a long way.”
Jodi Ewart Shadoff reacts on the 18th green after winning the 2022 LPGA Mediheal Championship at The Saticoy Club in Somis, California. (Photo: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Ewart Shadoff is the 10th first-timer winner this season and the 24th different winner. The record for the most different winners in a season is 26, which happened in 1991 and 2018. There are four tournaments remaining in the 2022 season.
Ewart Shadoff, who now works with former PGA Tour winner Grant Waite, missed only three fairways for the week and hit at least 14 fairways each round.
Raised in a small horse racing town in North Yorkshire, England, Ewart Shadoff’s mother, Zoe, once said that Middleham is so quaint, if you walked around town at 2 a.m. during Solheim Cup week, you’d get an idea of how many people know Jodi by the number of house lights switched on.
Ewart Shadoff’s father, Harvey, is a former jockey who met Zoe at the stables. Jodi didn’t take to horses growing up but her grandfather bought her a set of plastic golf clubs one Easter. When she broke off the head of one of the clubs, grandpa booked her a lesson.
Ewart Shadoff met her husband, Adam, during her sophomore year at New Mexico. Adam, a young sports reporter, became smitten during an interview, and they’ve been together since. He’s now a sports anchor at Fox35 in Orlando.
At this time last year, Ewart Shadoff, who was struggling with back pain so bad she thought she might not be able to play this season, began working with Waite. The changes Waite made to her swing has enabled Ewart Shadoff to play pain-free.
“Just a different type of hip rotation that’s just off-loaded my lower back a little bit,” she said. “I’ve been able to use my lower body. Definitely hitting the ball farther, but I have – most importantly, I have a lot more control in the club head.”
As for putting, Ewart Shadoff said they’ve worked a lot on speed training, trying to limit three-putts.
“My stroke in general is pretty decent,” she said. “But, you know, matching speed to line has been a pretty big issue for me, and I think that I’m doing a much better job at that.”
When Ashleigh Buhai, 33, broke through with her first LPGA title at the AIG Women’s British Open earlier this summer, she noted that she’s playing the best golf of her life. Veteran Ewart Shadoff feels the same.
“I think all facets of my game are just gelling really well together,” she said, “and I’m doing – all the hard work that I’ve been putting in throughout the season, the past year, has just really been paying off.”
Stacy Lewis highlights a group of 10 players added to the field for this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, the USGA announced.
Houston resident and two-time major winner Stacy Lewis highlights a group of 10 players added to the field for this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, the USGA announced. The contest’s 75th edition is set for Dec. 10-13 at Champions Golf Club in Houston. With qualifying rounds canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire 156-player field is made of up exempt players.
The 10 spots were filled using the 2020 LPGA money list (top 10 players, not otherwise exempt). Those players are: No. 7 Jasmine Suwannapura, No. 10 Stacy Lewis, No. 25 Jodi Ewart Shadoff, No. 33 Cydney Clanton, No. 37 Andrea Lee, No. 40 Mina Harigae, No. 42 Kelly Tan, No. 46 Perrine Delacour, No. 48 Xiyu Lin and No. 54 Lindsey Weaver.
WOO-HOO! I’M IN! So proud to share the news that I have officially EARNED an exemption into the field for the 75th @uswomensopen ! My first US Open since 2015! @tkreiter12 & I are so thankful to everyone who’s helped get us to here & we’re ready to take on another major!! 🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/3cz0zhsEA1
Lewis, 35, won the Ladies Scottish Open in a playoff earlier this year for her 13th career LPGA title and first since giving birth to daughter Chesnee. This marks her 14th U.S. Women’s Open appearance. She tied for third as a newly-minted pro in 2008 and finished runner-up to Michelle Wie in 2014.
Lee, a rookie on the LPGA, will make her fourth USWO appearance and first as a pro. The 2019 Mark H. McCormack Medal winner made the cut as an amateur at the 2019 Women’s Open at Charleston Country Club. The 22-year-old Stanford standout has two top-10 finishes in 2020’s abbreviated LPGA season.
Delacour will make her USWO debut this December. The Frenchwoman has posted three top 10s in 2020, including a third place at the 2020 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open.
Weaver has made headlines since July for playing most of the season without a caddie. She was on the leaderboard well into the weekend at the AIG Women’s British Open, using a push cart in trying conditions at Royal Troon. The Dallas resident ultimately tied for 19th. This will be Weaver’s third USWO appearance, with her first coming in 2015 as an amateur.
Lindsey Weaver hits her approach shot on the 4th hole during the final round of the Marathon LPGA Classic at Highlands Meadows Golf Club. (Photo: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports)
In Houston, Weaver will have two tracks to learn in short order with both the Cypress Creek Course and Jackrabbit Course being used for the championship due to reduced daylight.
Last month, the USGA announced that the Women’s Open would not have fans on site due to the ongoing pandemic.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff holds a share of the lead at the LPGA Drive On Championship with a fellow English pro on the bag.
TOLEDO, Ohio – It’s safe to say that Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Holly Clyburn make a good team. They never lost when paired together for England four years ago at the UL International Crown. They practice together in Orlando, mostly at ChampionsGate where both take lessons from David Leadbetter.
Now, with the Symetra Tour off this week, Clyburn is toting the bag for her friend of 17 years. Ewart Shadoff currently holds a share of the lead at 5-under 139 along with Solheim Cup teammate Celine Boutier and Danielle Kang on a rainy day at Inverness Club. Ewart Shadoff said her regular caddie will meet up with her in Scotland.
“I think we got the best end of the draw by the looks of it,” said Ewart Shadoff. It sprinkled a bit on Ewart Shadoff and Boutier on the front nine and started coming down with authority on their last five holes. Kang teed off around the same time her closest competitors were finishing up.
Tee shots will held at a premium this afternoon.
“The rough is pretty bad with the rain on it right now, even just the semi cut,” said Ewart Shadoff. “You have to club up at least one. So it’s going to be interesting how it plays this afternoon, I think.”
Jodi Ewart Shadoff and her caddy, fellow professional Holly Clyburn, read a putt on the 9th hole during the first round of the LPGA Drive Championship at Inverness Club. (Photo: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports)
With the 2021 Solheim Cup being held next year at Inverness, a leaderboard peppered with American and European players gives everyone somewhat of a taste of what’s to come.
Boutier, a 26-year-old Frenchwoman who went 4-0 in her Solheim Cup debut last fall at Gleneagles, won two tournaments in Texas during the LPGA’s extended break. She tried to stay within driving distance of her Dallas home. Boutier won both the Texas Women’s Open as well as the Kathy Whitworth Paris Championship, a Women’s All-Pro Tour event. The competitions helped keep her motivated during the LPGA’s five-month break.
“You know when you don’t have tournaments for three months,” she said, “sometimes you don’t even want to go to the course.”
Ewart Shadoff, 32 first qualified for the LPGA in 2011 and is still looking for her first tour title. Boutier broke through on the LPGA last February at the ISPS Handa Vic Open. Boutier played four times on the LPGA before the tour was suspended and recorded three top 10s. Ewart Shadoff played twice, finishing tied for 19th and tied for 10th.
