Tag: Mel Reid

Can a mom win on the LPGA for the first time since 2020? A local mom is in position at the Ford Championship

The last mom to win on the LPGA was Stacy Lewis at the 2020 Scottish Open.

GILBERT, Ariz. — The last mom to win on the LPGA was Stacy Lewis at the 2020 Scottish Open. This week, there are 10 mothers teeing it up in the Ford Championship, the seventh tournament on the LPGA’s 2024 schedule.

That includes Lindsey Weaver-Wright, who played high school golf in Cave Creek, Arizona, and completed her college career at the University of Arizona.

Weaver-Wright is playing in her first LPGA event since she became a mom to son Crew on Dec. 17. She opened her week with a bogey-free, 4-under 68 at Seville Golf and Country Club, which is hosting the inaugural Ford Championship

“I didn’t really know what to expect, so I just went into the whole week with very little expectation,” she said. “Got a lot going on in my mind right now. Yeah, Crew was just, it’s so funny just getting his texts from daycare, updates after the round. I just love it. My husband is updating me and he gets all the notifications, too.”

Her last shot in her last tournament before taking leave last October was a hole-out eagle.

PHOTOS: Ford Championship

Weaver-Wright trails co-leader Azahara Munoz of Spain, one of three to shoot an 8-under 64 on Thursday, along with Gabi Ruffels and Isi Gabsa.

Other moms playing this week include Sophia Popov and Caroline Masson, who played as a parent for the first time a week ago as well as Lewis, Brittany Lincicome, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Mel Reid and Hee Young Park.

LPGA players revealed their favorite swings on tour — and one name kept coming up

It’s tough to beat Nelly’s.

At the LPGA Drive On Championship last week, the first full-field event of the season on tour, Golfweek asked several players to name their favorite swing on tour (outside of their own). Not surprisingly, one name kept popping up – Nelly Korda.

The hometown favorite would go on to win her ninth LPGA career title in a playoff against Lydia Ko in Bradenton, Florida. Danish player Nanna Koerstz Madsen even noted that she has used videos of Korda’s swing in the past to help her get into certain positions.

The No. 2 player in the world wasn’t the only name mentioned, of course. Here are the favorites:

Nasty rainstorms pushed LPGA players (and our writer) into a nightmare travel situation after the KPMG Women’s PGA

Many players want to forget what happened when they tried to fly back home.

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol in Springfield, New Jersey, was a fantastic event. Several stars made Sunday charges, including Rose Zhang and Yuka Saso, but it was 20-year-old Ruoning Yin who held the hardware when it was all said and done.

Although the week was a memorable one, many players want to forget all about what happened to them when they tried to fly back home.

More than 1,600 U.S. flights have been canceled and over 5,400 more have been delayed as of Tuesday evening, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.

United Airlines flights were impacted most heavily, with 471 flights scrapped – 16 percent of its schedule – and more than 1,000 delayed. Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in New York saw the most cancellations and delays.

The disruptions came as severe weather rolled through the East Coast and Central Plains. Strong weather that moved through the Northeast, especially around New York, was behind many of the cancellations and delays.

This wreaked havoc, forcing several players to ditch their plane tickets for car keys.

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Here’s what several LPGA players faced this week after competing at the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship:

KPMG contender Mel Reid hit with one-stroke penalty after marking her ball on the fringe at Baltusrol

Unfortunate error.

SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — Mel Reid came into the third round of the KPMG Women’s PGA one shot behind her Solheim Cup partner Leona Maguire. The momentum of the week, however, quickly unraveled for the Englishwoman after an unusual mistake.

After a pair of bogeys on the first four holes, Reid had an unfortunate mental error on the par-4 fifth at Baltusrol’s Lower Course. The veteran player marked her ball and picked it up on the fringe of the green, resulting in a one-stroke penalty under Rule 9.4b.

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Rules Committee stated Reid’s ball came to rest 4 inches from the putting surface on the collar. Reid didn’t realize the ball was not on the putting green until after she had marked, lifted, cleaned and replaced her ball. She then called for a rules official to confirm that her ball was not on the green.

KPMG Women’s PGA: Photos

Reid made bogey on the hole and turned in 4 over. Her 4-under 67 on Friday was the best of the day.

Reid, 35, came into the 2023 season off a medical exemption for a sore wrist and a mental fatigue that had her seriously considering quitting the game to pursue a career in media. Time with her mental coach, Duncan McCarthy, however, helped her hit the restart button, and she came into Baltusrol fresh off four straight top-30 finishes.

Reid posted her best finish in a major, a T-3, at the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA at Hazeltine National.

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Four-time Solheim Cup player Mel Reid and wife Carly announce they’re expecting first child

The baby boom continues.

LPGA player Mel Reid and her wife Carly announced on social media Wednesday they’re expecting their first child. The couple married last April.

England’s Reid, 35, won her first LPGA title in 2020 at the ShopRite LPGA Classic and has represented Europe four times at the Solheim Cup, most recently in 2021.

Reid has competed five times on the LPGA this season and is currently No. 289 in the world. Carly is a senior PR and and social media manager at Betterworks.

LPGA Hall of Famer Inbee Park recently gave birth to her first child as did Germany’s Caroline Masson, whose husband, Jason McDede, caddies for World No. 1 Nelly Korda.

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LPGA players Amy Olson and Sophia Popov are also expecting their first children in 2023.

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10 surprising players currently outside the cutline for CME Group Tour Championship, including three former No. 1s

With eight events left in the 2023 LPGA season, it’s crunch time for players needing to make a move.

With eight events left in the 2023 LPGA season, it’s crunch time for players needing to make a move. The top 60 players on the Race to CME Globe points list gain entry into the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, where anyone in the field can win the top prize in women’s golf of $2 million. The last player in this year’s field is guaranteed to make at least $40,000.

Last week’s winner, Ally Ewing, jumped from 71st to 30th with her victory in Cincinnati. Maria Fassi, who finished a career-best solo third, jumped from 96th to 67th, just outside the mark. The story around Fassi suddenly shifted from possible Q-Series to possible Tour Championship.

The top 100 on the CME points list keep their LPGA cards for 2023.

LPGA: Here are 10 teams to watch this week, featuring stars Nelly Korda, Jessica Korda, Lexi Thompson, Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb and Leona Maguire

Here are 10 teams to watch this week at the LPGA’s 2022 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational.

The 2022 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational will feature a wonderful blend of past and present. While sisters Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson are two the biggest names on the current tour, Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb are two of the biggest names of all time. They’ll all be in action in the same field this Wednesday-Saturday at the LPGA’s only team event.

This year, 72 two-person teams will vie for a purse of $2.5 million at Midland Country Club in Michigan. The victory will be considered an official LPGA title.

Here are 10 teams to keep an eye on this week, with Rolex Ranking in parenthesis:

Mel Reid calls this Europe’s strongest Solheim Cup team ever, but can it win on American soil with virtually no fans?

The European Solheim Cup team is deep, but winning on foreign soil remains a tall task.

TOLEDO, Ohio – Mel Reid has declared this the strongest European Solheim Cup team to date.

Can they win on American soil for only the second time in Solheim history?

In a year in which Americans have won seven titles on the LPGA, compared to Europe’s two, and carry the biggest home-field advantage in Cup history due to pandemic travel restrictions, picking Europe to win the contest at the Inverness Club might seem risky.

After all, the Americans boast an average world ranking of 26 compared to Europe’s 44 and are led by World No. 1 Nelly Korda, who has a built-in partner in big sister Jessica.

But Reid makes a strong case, and when it comes to this team’s overall performance in the Solheim Cup, on paper, Europe is better.

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Europe’s team of 12 has an overall record of 42-32-11, compared to Team USA’s 27-24-13. In fact, only four Americans have ever been on a winning team: Austin Ernst (2017), Danielle Kang (2017), Lizette Salas (2015, 2017) and Lexi Thompson (2015, 2017).

Team Europe is more experienced too, having competed in a combined 22 Solheim Cups compared to USA’s 17. It’s the four rookies, however, that Reid considers to be Europe’s biggest asset.

“All these girls, they’re not scared of the American team,” said Reid. “I think before we’ve had a few players who have never played against a Jess Korda, never played against a Danielle Kang, whereas these girls all have.”

Golf Channel analyst Karen Stupples, a major winner who competed in two Solheim Cups, is working as a helper this week for captain Catriona Matthew, and she agrees with Reid’s assessment.

“I honestly can’t think of a team that I would’ve classed as being stronger than this one on the European side,” she said. “I really can’t.”

With all four European rookies competing full-time on the LPGA, there’s a built-in familiarity with players on both sides, as well as the familiarity of playing on American soil on LPGA-type setups.

The only full-time LET player on the roster, Emily Pedersen, has competed on the LPGA in the past and is making her second Solheim Cup appearance in the U.S. as a much more mature and seasoned player.

Even rookie Leona Maguire, the first Irish player to compete in a Solheim Cup, can already tell that ego won’t be an issue in the European team locker room.

“We’re going to have to be each other’s No. 1 fans this week,” said Maguire, “especially with not as many crowds in our favor, and just embracing that and I think the girls, with it.”

England’s Charley Hull calls it one of the most enjoyable teams she’s played on. Hull is one of three players who was on the 2013 team that pummeled the U.S. by eight points in Colorado. It marked the only time Europe has won on U.S. soil.

Hull won her first Solheim Cup point that year on her dad’s birthday. European players will compete this week without many of their loved ones, including parents, in Toledo due to pandemic travel restrictions. There will be a few significant others and friends on hand, but for the most part, they’ll rely on the Junior Solheim Cup team to bring the noise for Team Europe. The youngsters have already set the tone, giving Europe its first Junior Solheim victory on foreign soil.

“The only way we are going to win this thing,” said Reid, “especially with the amount of fans that are going to be cheering USA, is if we become a unit. I think that’s very important from the setoff.”

Looking back on 2013, Hull said she might have found it easier as a rookie because she didn’t quite know what she was getting into. But she knows what it’s like to pull off the upset on American soil, and she’s keen on the idea of being the underdog with few supporters.

“I enjoy that,” said Hull. “I kind of bounce off that more.”

That’s precisely the attitude Stupples believes it will take to win this week. She can’t think of a group of players that’s better suited for it.

“You’re going to have to play in your bubble and really knuckle down and really enjoy the fight,” she said. “Enjoy what’s ahead of you.”

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Mel Reid withdraws from Evian, citing new travel restrictions to the U.K. that may dash Olympic dream

A new quarantine rule for those entering the U.K. from France went into effect on Monday.

England’s Mel Reid has withdrawn from the Amundi Evian Championship, citing new travel restrictions that could prevent her from competing in the Tokyo Olympics. She has been replaced in the field by Alena Sharp.

On Friday, the U.K. announced that those entering the U.K. from France will have quarantine for 10 days, even if fully vaccinated against COVID-19, amid concerns of the Beta variant. The new rule went into effect on Monday.

“Incredibly disappointed to withdraw from The Evian Championship this year due to the recently implemented travel rules that prevent re-entry into the U.K. from Franee in time for the team’s Olympic departure,” Reid wrote on Instagram. “I’ve worked relentlessly with my team and the LPGA to find a way to compete in both but unfortunately at this point there are no assurances on firm solutions and the risk of missing the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete as an Olympian is simply too high.

“I can’t wait to return to Evian in many years to come and want to thank the tournament team for their understanding.”

Reid tied for 12th at last week’s Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational with partner Carlota Ciganda.

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Long-hitting, longtime friends Mel Reid and Carlota Ciganda lead at Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational

Mel Reid and Carlota Ciganda hold the clubhouse lead at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational with their self-described “C” games.

Mel Reid and Carlota Ciganda hold the clubhouse lead at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational with their self-described “C” games.

While some partnerships were thrown together at the last minute, Reid and Ciganda have known each other more than half their lives. Reid was 14 and Ciganda was 12 when they first met playing golf around Europe. They were first Junior Solheim Cup teammates and then partners in the grown-up Solheim, too. The two friends often share Airbnbs on tour.

“We were always kind of close growing up because she was like European No. 1 and I was basically trying to catch up with her,” said Reid. “… we used to have fun the last nights of tournaments. I used to get her in trouble, which I’m sure people are very shocked by that.”

The aggressive Reid and Ciganda shot 6-under 64 in Thursday’s fourball format, putting them at 10 under for the tournament and one shot ahead of Lydia Ko and Danielle Kang.

“I think the key is we feel ourselves,” said Ciganda. “I can be Carlota, she can be Mel, and we just play and we have no issues, no pressure. We just hit it, find it, hit it again, and at the end of the day we have a score.”

Reid went so far as to say that she actually enjoys it when Ciganda, known as “Chiggy,” hits a bad shot because it makes her feel human.

“If she hits it in the trees, I quite like seeing that shot,” said Reid. “I think that’s what makes us a pretty good team and a strong chemistry.”

Ciganda said it was her roommate in college, Guilia Molinaro, who gave her the name “Chiggy” or “Chig.” The Italian pronounced her last name “Chiganda.”

Ko and Kang, two other longtime friends known as “Sisters from Another Mister” this week, had a lot of laughs and a lot of celebratory shimmies in their second-round 63.

“The last hole putt was my highlight because I never wanted to make a putt more for Lydia in my life than that last hole because I kept missing,” said Kang. “I was like, I have to make this: ‘Lydia, it’s good!’ She had my back today. I asked her if her back hurts from carrying me all day.”

When asked about the origin of the shimmies, Ko said all the cool ideas come from Kang.

“We tried to come up with a handshake,” said Kang, “but it seems really natural. When she makes a birdie, I just want her to be happy and excited.”

Four teams are in the clubhouse at 8 under including Lexi Thompson/Nasa Hataoka, Eun-Hee Ji/Hyo Koo Kim, Alison Lee/Lindsey Weaver and Brittany Lincicome/Brittany Lang.

“I think golf needs more events like this,” said Thompson.