Tag: ShopRite LPGA Classic

Meijer LPGA Classic 2024 prize money payouts for all the LPGA golfers at Blythefield Country Club

Vu earned $450,000 out of the $3 million purse.

Lilia Vu started the day eight strokes back at the Meijer LPGA Classic and stormed her way into the winner’s circle. The 2023 LPGA Player of the Year collected her first victory of the season in her first start in more than two months.

The former No. 1, who has been struggling with a back injury all season, earned $450,000 for her efforts. She now has $558,825 this season and $4,983,897 in her career.

Lexi Thompson and Grace Kim, who took a share of second after coming up short in a three-way playoff, earned $234,649.

With $3 million up for grabs, check out how much money each LPGA player earned this week at the 2024 ShopRite LPGA Classic:

Pos. Golfer Score Earnings
1 Lilia Vu -16* $450,000
T2 Lexi Thompson -16 $234,649
T2 Grace Kim -16 $234,649
4 Ally Ewing -15 $152,634
T5 Allisen Corpuz -14 $111,685
T5 Narin An -14 $111,685
7 Kristen Gillman -13 $84,136
T8 Ayaka Furue -12 $64,032
T8 Atthaya Thitikul -12 $64,032
T8 Ryann O’Toole -12 $64,032
T8 Alison Lee -12 $64,032
T12 Yu Jin Sung -11 $46,162
T12 Georgia Hall -11 $46,162
T12 Paula Reto -11 $46,162
T12 Natthakritta Vongtaveelap -11 $46,162
T12 Anna Nordqvist -11 $46,162
T17 Hira Naveed -10 $33,803
T17 Lauren Hartlage -10 $33,803
T17 Gabriela Ruffels -10 $33,803
T17 Nanna Koerstz Madsen -10 $33,803
T17 Carlota Ciganda -10 $33,803
T17 Nataliya Guseva -10 $33,803
T17 Aditi Ashok -10 $33,803
T17 Alexa Pano -10 $33,803
T25 Ariya Jutanugarn -9 $26,358
T25 Marina Alex -9 $26,358
T25 Jin Hee Im -9 $26,358
T25 Jing Yan -9 $26,358
T25 Yuna Nishimura -9 $26,358
T30 Sarah Schmelzel -8 $22,039
T30 Maria Fassi -8 $22,039
T30 Jiwon Jeon -8 $22,039
T30 Lizette Salas -8 $22,039
T34 Mao Saigo -7 $18,689
T34 In Kyung Kim -7 $18,689
T34 Jeongeun Lee6 -7 $18,689
T34 Brooke M. Henderson -7 $18,689
T38 Xiaowen Yin -6 $16,132
T38 Chanettee Wannasaen -6 $16,132
T38 Jeongeun Lee5 -6 $16,132
T41 Yealimi Noh -5 $12,992
T41 Caroline Masson -5 $12,992
T41 Roberta Liti -5 $12,992
T41 Angela Stanford -5 $12,992
T41 Eun-Hee Ji -5 $12,992
T41 Caroline Inglis -5 $12,992
T41 Hinako Shibuno -5 $12,992
T41 Jaravee Boonchant -5 $12,992
T49 Laura Wearn -4 $10,312
T49 Arpichaya Yubol -4 $10,312
T49 Madelene Sagstrom -4 $10,312
T49 Weiwei Zhang -4 $10,312
T53 Azahara Munoz -3 $8,356
T53 Auston Kim -3 $8,356
T53 Celine Boutier -3 $8,356
T53 Stephanie Meadow -3 $8,356
T53 Lindsey Weaver-Wright -3 $8,356
T53 Ssu-Chia Cheng -3 $8,356
T53 Jennifer Kupcho -3 $8,356
T53 Laetitia Beck -3 $8,356
T53 Lindy Duncan -3 $8,356
T62 Malia Nam -2 $6,999
T62 Jennifer Chang -2 $6,999
T62 Bianca Pagdanganan -2 $6,999
T65 Leona Maguire -1 $6,477
T65 Hye-Jin Choi -1 $6,477
T65 Wei-Ling Hsu -1 $6,477
T65 Morgane Metraux -1 $6,477
T69 Moriya Jutanugarn E $5,938
T69 Ruixin Liu E $5,938
T69 Muni He E $5,938
T69 Brittany Lincicome E $5,938
T73 Kelly Tan 1 $5,625
T73 Ashleigh Buhai 1 $5,625
T73 Daniela Darquea 1 $5,625
T73 Keera Foocharoen 1 $5,625
T77 Peiyun Chien 2 $5,380
T77 Mi Hyang Lee 2 $5,380
T77 Hee Young Park 2 $5,380
T80 Alena Sharp 6 $5,209
T80 Isabella Fierro 6 $5,209

 

ShopRite LPGA Classic 2024 prize money payouts for all the LPGA golfers at Seaview Bay Course

Strom won her first LPGA title in her 99th start.

Linnea Strom’s stunning final-round 60 secured her first LPGA title at the 2024 ShopRite LPGA Classic and a check for $262,500.

Just as valuable for Strom, however, is the 500 points that moved her from 103rd to top 25 in the Race to CME Globe standings. The top 100 players at season’s end secure their cards for the 2025 campaign while the top 60 qualify for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.

Strom, a 27-year-old Swede who lost her card after the 2021 season and went back to the Epson Tour, has now earned $322,499 this season and $1,415,093 in official career earnings.

With $1,750,000 million up for grabs, check out how much money each LPGA player earned this week at the 2024 ShopRite LPGA Classic:

Pos. Player Score Earnings
1 Linnea Strom -14 $262,500
T2 Ayaka Furue -13 $142,408
T2 Megan Khang -13 $142,408
4 Atthaya Thitikul -12 $92,633
5 Morgane Metraux -11 $74,559
T6 Marina Alex -10 $52,267
T6 Wei-Ling Hsu -10 $52,267
T6 Narin An -10 $52,267
T9 Lauren Coughlin -9 $36,903
T9 Albane Valenzuela -9 $36,903
T9 Jenny Shin -9 $36,903
T12 Ashleigh Buhai -8 $25,365
T12 Nanna Koerstz Madsen -8 $25,365
T12 Azahara Munoz -8 $25,365
T12 Jodi Ewart Shadoff -8 $25,365
T12 Maria Fassi -8 $25,365
T12 Yue Ren -8 $25,365
T12 Jin Young Ko -8 $25,365
T12 Jeongeun Lee6 -8 $25,365
T12 Stephanie Kyriacou -8 $25,365
T21 Yuna Nishimura -7 $18,301
T21 Lauren Hartlage -7 $18,301
T21 Hinako Shibuno -7 $18,301
T21 Arpichaya Yubol -7 $18,301
T21 Mao Saigo -7 $18,301
T21 Yealimi Noh -7 $18,301
T27 Hannah Green -6 $12,687
T27 Alexandra Forsterling -6 $12,687
T27 Minji Kang -6 $12,687
T27 Mina Harigae -6 $12,687
T27 Brooke M. Henderson -6 $12,687
T27 Pornanong Phatlum -6 $12,687
T27 Paula Reto -6 $12,687
T27 Dottie Ardina -6 $12,687
T27 Haeji Kang -6 $12,687
T27 Auston Kim -6 $12,687
T27 Lindsey Weaver-Wright -6 $12,687
T27 Yu Jin Sung -6 $12,687
T27 Ssu-Chia Cheng -6 $12,687
T40 Roberta Liti -5 $8,510
T40 Kaitlyn Papp Budde -5 $8,510
T40 Kristen Gillman -5 $8,510
T40 Jaravee Boonchant -5 $8,510
T40 Lizette Salas -5 $8,510
T40 Rachel Kuehn (a) -5 $0
T40 So Mi Lee -5 $8,510
T47 Jennifer Song -4 $7,004
T47 Cydney Clanton -4 $7,004
T47 Gianna Clemente (a) -4 $0
T47 Hyo Joon Jang -4 $7,004
T47 Perrine Delacour -4 $7,004
T52 Mary Liu -3 $5,693
T52 Angela Stanford -3 $5,693
T52 Ana Pelaez Trivino -3 $5,693
T52 Gaby Lopez -3 $5,693
T52 Isi Gabsa -3 $5,693
T52 Yan Liu -3 $5,693
T52 Dewi Weber -3 $5,693
T52 Alena Sharp -3 $5,693
T60 Aline Krauter -2 $4,700
T60 Muni He -2 $4,700
T60 Hira Naveed -2 $4,700
T63 Wichanee Meechai E $4,383
T63 Robyn Choi E $4,383
T65 Jin Hee Im 1 $4,203
T65 Eun-Hee Ji 1 $4,203
67 Hye-Jin Choi 2 $4,066

 

Linnea Strom records sixth 60 in LPGA history, wins ShopRite LPGA Classic

It’s the first 60 on the LPGA in three years.

More than four hours after Linnea Strom put a bow on the sixth 60 in LPGA history, she was holding a bottle of champagne.

Strom began Sunday at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in a share of 52nd – tied for last – and vaulted to the top of the board after a spectacular 11-over performance at Seaview Country Club’s Bay Course in Galloway, New Jersey.

With a daunting clubhouse lead of 14 under, Strom enjoyed a leisurely lunch of chicken and tortellini pasta while the rest of the field grinded to catch her.

No one ever did.

Strom’s victory is the largest come-from-behind win by position since Ayako Okamoto won the 1987 Lady Keystone Open, another 54-hole event, after the starting the day in a share of 23rd. After losing her card following the 2021 season, Strom went back to the Epson Tour where she won once and earned 2022 Player of the Year honors. She returned to the LPGA a more confident player.

“I mean, honestly, really did not expect this waking up today,” said Strom, who won in her 99th start on the LPGA. “This is proof that you should never give up.”

It was a banner day for Swedish golf as Linn Grant made some history of her own at the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed, winning the event in her hometown for a second time. Grant began the day 11 strokes back but pitched-in for birdie on the final hole to edge Sebastian Soderberg by one shot. Söderberg double-bogeyed the last hole.

Grant’s closing 65 gave her the largest comeback on the DP World Tour. The mixed event is co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour. Male and female pros compete for the same purse from two different sets of tees. It also gives the two former Arizona State golfers a win on the same day.

American Megan Khang was briefly tied with Strom down the stretch at the ShopRite but fell one back after a bogey on No. 16. On the par-5 18th, Khang hit her second shot long and completely misjudged her third, a chip shot from just over the green, that rolled off the other side.

“It wasn’t terrible being at the back of the green, but just didn’t execute my chip the way I wanted to,” said Kang, whose birdie attempt just missed.

Kang shot 66 and finished one back at 13 under with Japan’s Ayaka Furue (65).

Strom, who made a 12-footer for birdie on Saturday to make the cut on the number, took only 20 putts in a closing round that included birdies on four of the last five holes. The 27-year-old Swede got a boost mid-round when she chipped in for eagle on the par-5 ninth. Strom said she had no idea she was so close to a 59, and she also never once thought about winning the tournament during the round.

The Bay Course is the shortest setup on the LPGA, with Sunday’s final round playing at 5,990 yards. Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol opened with a 61 at the ShopRite but followed it with a 75 on Day 2.

Annika Sorenstam remains the only player in LPGA history to shoot 59.

Strom’s 60 sets the LPGA record for lowest final round by an eventual winner. The previous record was a final-round 61 posted by Inbee Park at the 2014 Manulife Financial LPGA Classic.

“I worked very hard for this,” said Strom. “Just surreal that it’s finally happening.”

Strom becomes the sixth player to shoot 60 on the LPGA and the first since Jessica Korda in 2021 at the season-opening Tournament of Champions. Paula Creamer (2008), Anna Acker-Macosko (2004), Jung Yeon Lee (2004) and Meg Mallon (2003) round out the group of six.

“It was fun and I embraced it,” said Strom. “You know, I kind of haven’t played that good beginning of the season so I’ve been missing this feeling a little bit. It’s fun to see people out there and cheering you on. I knew I had my dad out there following too so nice to have those support for those three days.”

Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol opened with a 61 at the ShopRite but followed it with a 75 on Day 2.

Nasa Hataoka’s controversial DQ at 2024 ShopRite LPGA could cost her a spot in the Paris Olympics

It took till the next day for Hataoka to be informed that she’d been DQ’d.

Nasa Hataoka’s gut-wrenching disqualification from the ShopRite LPGA Classic didn’t just cost her a paycheck and chance at a title. It could cost the Japanese star a spot in the Paris Olympics, too.

The ordeal began on during the first round on Friday, when Hataoka arrived at her final hole of the day, the par-5 ninth, at 6 under. After hitting her second shot into the tall fescue right of the green, at least a dozen people got involved in the search for Hataoka’s ball.

Eventually, Hataoka later noted, it was a cameraman found the ball, and she called over a rules official to go about taking an unplayable lie.

Golf Channel’s Tom Abbott, who was involved in the search, noted his concerns on air about the search having potentially taken more than three minutes, which is the maximum amount of time players can spend looking for their ball, according to Rule 18.2.

Hataoka proceeded to get up and down for par, draining a 15-footer for 65 over the Bay Course at Seaview Resort.

It wasn’t until the next day that Hataoka was informed that she’d been disqualified from the ShopRite after LPGA officials reviewed videotape footage.

The LPGA released a statement on the DQ:

During the first round of the LPGA Shoprite Classic, Nasa Hataoka played her second shot on No. 9 into the long fescue surrounding the green, her last hole of the day. After reviewing video footage provided to the LPGA following the round, it was determined that the search for Nasa’s ball lasted longer than the three minutes allowed under Rule 18.2a.  After three minutes of search, the ball is considered lost, and the player must proceed under stroke and distance (Rule 18.2b).

Hataoka’s ball was eventually found after the search time expired. The Rules require the player whose ball is lost to proceed under stroke and distance (Rule 18.2b). When Hataoka did not play from where she had previously played from, she played from the wrong place (Rule 14.7). Because where she played from could give the player a significant advantage compared to the stroke to be made from the right place, this is considered a serious breach of Rule 14.7 with a penalty of disqualification if not corrected in time. The player had until she left the scoring area to correct this mistake per Rule 14.7.

Because Hataoka’s ball was deemed lost after three minutes expired, she played her fourth shot from the wrong place (near the green). Hataoka should’ve instead gone back to where she hit her second shot.

It is unclear why a rules official monitoring the broadcast in real-time didn’t step in.

Jenny Shin, who led after the second round, took to twitter to weigh in on the situation:

Hataoka is not in the field for next week’s Meijer LPGA Classic, which means she has only the KPMG Women’s PGA to solidify her spot on Japan’s Olympic team.

With U.S. Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso moving up to No. 6 in the world after her victory at Lancaster Country Club, Hataoka, No. 19, currently holds Japan’s second spot. Ayaka Furue, however, is hot on her heels at No. 22. Furue is currently in a share of second at the ShopRite and in prime position to pass her compatriot.

Miyu Yamashit is No. 25.

Karrie Webb returns to LPGA this week to gear up for British Open at St. Andrews

This, she feels, is her last chance to play the Old Course.

Karrie Webb returns to the LPGA this week for the first time in two years for one big reason: She wants another crack at the Old Course.

Webb, 49, is playing this week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic under the Hall of Fame/Career Wins category. A 41-time winner on the LPGA, Webb won the AIG Women’s British Open in 2002 and is exempt into the event until age 60. (She also won the Weetabix Women’s British Open in 1995 and 1997 before it was designated a major.)

This summer marks the first time the Women’s British has been contested at the Old Course since Stacy Lewis won in 2013. Lorena Ochoa won the first women’s professional event ever held on the Grand Old Lady in 2007.

“I just think St. Andrews and the Old Course is such a magical place,” said Webb. “I’ve never worked out how to play the Old Course well, but I just love everything … staying in the town, being there, even being on the golf course.”

2013 Ricoh Women's British Open
Stacy Lewis putts for birdie on the 18th green during the final round of the 2013 Ricoh Women’s British Open at the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland. (Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images)

There’s a possibility that the women could return to the Old Course again before Webb reaches the end of her exemption, but she has no desire to tee it up with 20-year-olds when she’s 58 or 59.

This, she feels, is her last chance.

A seven-time major winner who will be eligible for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open next year, Webb last won on the LPGA in 2014 and claimed the ShopRite LPGA Classic the year prior.

The ShopRite Classic at Seaview Country Club in Galloway, New Jersey, is one of the longest-running events on tour and a favorite of Webb’s. While there are only two 54-hole events remaining on the LPGA schedule, Webb remembers there were nearly a dozen three-rounders when she came on tour in 1996.

“It is a bit of a throwback,” she said. “I think what this tournament does for charities in the local community is a huge thing, and it’s probably why it’s remained the three rounds.

“I would say any one of the girls that played in the U.S. Open last week would probably be really glad it’s three rounds this week because they get a bit of a breather before they have to tee it up.”

Last week’s winner Yuka Saso, now a two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion, is in the ShopRite field along with fellow Aussie Hannah Green, a two-time winner in 2024.

Green, currently No. 5 in the world, is slated to represent Australia in the 2024 Paris Olympics alongside Minjee Lee, who is currently 10th in the Rolex Rankings.

Webb will captain Australia’s golfers in Paris, replacing Ian-Baker Finch, who held the position for the Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and again at Tokyo 2020.

Both players are past recipients of the Karrie Webb Scholarship and consider the LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famer a mentor. On Tuesday of ShopRite week, the Aussies in the field had dinner together. Webb said the Aussies on tour are as tight as they’ve ever been.

“I’m a wreck watching live scoring or watching the telecast these days,” she said. “I feel like their big sister I guess, but I know what my parents went through watching me in live scoring all these years.”

2019 KPMG Women's PGA Championship
Hannah Green is congratulated by Karrie Webb after winning the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club. (Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images)

As for the rest of her summer playing schedule, Webb isn’t sure. While she’s never declared herself “retired,” being out on tour, she said, will never again be a regular thing. She just likes to get out and see what’s left in the tank.

“By the end of the week,” she said, smiling, “I’ll know why I don’t play regularly, probably.”

Ashleigh Buhai’s closing 65 at ShopRite clinches second LPGA title and fourth victory worldwide in less than a year

Ashleigh Buhai, 34, is the oldest player to win on the LPGA this season.

Ashleigh Buhai won for the fourth time worldwide in 10 months when she collected her second LPGA victory at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

The 34-year-old, the oldest player to win on tour this season, played more than 200 tournaments on the LPGA before breaking through with her first title at the 2022 AIG Women’s British Open at Muirfield.

“I had the same feelings as Muirfield except I was able to hold it down the stretch a little bit,” said Buhai, “which was something that … only comes from experience.”

Buhai started off hot with four birdies in her first five holes, including a bomb from off the green on the fifth hole that she called a “hallelujah” putt.

“Those things need to happen for to you win, obviously,” she said.

Buhai birdied the 18th to post her second consecutive 65 and hold the clubhouse lead at 14 under at the Bay Course at Seaview in Galloway, New Jersey. She then waited to see if fellow major champion Hyo Joo Kim could match it. Kim’s eagle chip on the closing par 5 came dangerously close to sending the festivities into overtime. Kim had to instead settle for a tap-in birdie to finish one shot back.

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Overnight leader Dani Holmqvist, who hadn’t made a cut in five starts this season, birdied the last to finish tied for fourth and earn $81,847.

Chiara Noja, 17, tied for 12th in her first LPGA start. The LET winner heads soon to prom back home in Dubai. Noja earned $29,995 in only her second start on American soil.

The German-born player finished runner-up last week at the Belgian Ladies Open and has seven top-15 finishes so far on the LET this season. She’s currently fifth in the 2023 Race to Costa Del Sol rankings for LET Player of the Year.

Buhai, who won the Australian Women’s Open last December and the South African Women’s Open in March, becomes only the second South African with multiple LPGA wins, following Sally Little (15).

“Definitely the best golf I’ve played in my career,” said Buhai, who celebrated on the 18th with husband David, who caddies on tour for Jeongeun Lee6. “I think we have found a good balance. I’m on the older side on tour nowadays, one of the veterans.”

The former prodigy credited much of her success to her work with sports psychologist Duncan McCarthy.

“I really only have one thought with everything,” said Buhai. “I have one thought with the swing, one thought with the chipping, one thought with the putting, and I just tried and do that over and over.

“I know it sounds boring and I know he says, ‘I know this is getting boring,’ but this is what creates good results. So when I put it all together, this is what can happen.”

Chiara Noja, the 17-year-old from Dubai who averages 295 off the tee, making LPGA debut at ShopRite Classic

Noja is fifth in the 2023 Race to Costa Del Sol rankings for LET Player of the Year.

Chiara Noja joins an impressive list of players – Brooke Henderson, Paula Creamer and Lexi Thompson ­­– who made their professional debuts at the ShopRite LPGA Classic as sponsor exemptions.

The 17-year-old won her first LET title last November at age 16 at the Aramco Team Series event in Jeddah, defeating Charley Hull in a two-hole playoff. Noja finished runner-up last week at the Belgian Ladies Open and has seven top-15 finishes so far on the LET this season. She’s currently fifth in the 2023 Race to Costa Del Sol rankings for LET Player of the Year.

Noja, who is still in high school, makes only her second start on U.S. soil this week in New Jersey. She heads next to her native Berlin for the Amundi German Masters and then home to Dubai for prom.

“I actually do enjoy being in this school and being a regular person out there,” she said. “Then coming back to golf and you just feel a lot more refreshed.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrdGpVspHT0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MmJiY2I4NDBkZg==

At 6-feet tall, Noja averages 295 yards off the tee on the Ladies European Tour but says she doesn’t swing full throttle in competition. Her swing speed of 106 mph is plenty, she noted, because hitting the fairway remains priority.

“When I was like 13, I had a bit of back pain because I think I was just swinging it too fast for my frame,” she said, “so we’ve made sure that I’m just swinging healthy and efficiently, and that’s what I’ve done or the last two years.”

Currently No. 94 in the world, Noja won’t turn 18 until next March and would need special permission from the tour to attend LPGA Q-Series later this year.

“I’m hoping I can go to Q-School at the end of the year,” said Noja, “but it’s dependant on my age, so we’ll see what the answer is to that.”

Inbee Park, Jin Young Ko atop the leaderboard at ShopRite LPGA Classic

This would be Jin Young Ko’s third win in five starts

The LPGA is in New Jersey this week for the ShopRite LPGA Classic at Seaview’s Bay course and two of the game’s biggest names are tied for the lead. Inbee Park and Jin Young Ko both sit at 11 under, two shots clear of the next challenger.

Park had it going on the greens, carding seven birdies, along with one bogey, for a 6-under 65. She’s looking for her first win since late March 2021, despite having six top-10 finishes during that stretch.

Ko shot the same score as Park on Saturday, but she did it without carding a bogey. A flawless 65 has put her in position to win for the third time in five starts. Her most recent triumph came at the Cambia Portland Classic just a few weeks ago.

(Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

Other big names in the mix include 2021 ANA Inspiration champion Patty Tavatanakit (9 under, 3rd), 13-time LPGA winner Stacy Lewis (-6, T-10), 10-time winner Brooke Henderson (6 under, T-10), Maria Fassi (5 under, T-16), and 2021 U.S. Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso (5 under, T-16).

For a full leaderboard, click here.

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Cheyenne Knight on the grueling mental aspect of the LPGA: ‘Bad golf is never fun’

Exhaustion that often comes from competing on the world’s largest stages has become a focal point.

Cheyenne Knight isn’t afraid to admit that life on the LPGA tour hasn’t been exactly perfect of late where she’s concerned.

After missing just three cuts during the entire 2020 season, Knight came to the Shoprite LPGA Classic at Seaview in Galloway, New Jersey, having missed the cut in each of her last three events — the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, Cambia Portland Classic and AIG Women’s British Open. She’s now missed the cut 11 times in 2021 and knew she was in need of a reboot.

A detour to see her mental coach has brought the reset she needed — after one round this week, she’s feeling like her old self again and a breezy 67 has her just two shots behind leader So Yeon Ryu.

“It’s just a constant mindset you have to have,” the three-time Alabama All-American and 2017 SEC Player of the Year said after her round. “I was just not enjoying myself. Bad golf is never fun.

“But like I’ve been putting in some good work with my coach, because I struggled a lot this summer. I was missing it kind of both ways. So we’ve been working hard to just like get back to how I play golf, which is really straight, consistent.”

Of course, mental exhaustion that often comes from competing on the world’s largest stages has become a focal point in recent months as players in multiple sports — Naomi Osaka, for example — have talked openly about the strain.

Cheyenne Knight reacts after winning the Volunteers of America Classic golf tournament at the Old American Golf Club on October 6, 2019, in The Colony, Texas. (Chuck Burton/Getty Images)

Knight knew she wasn’t feeling right. She reached out to get some focus.

“It’s easy to let the hard times kind of get you down. But just know that I’m putting in work, especially a lot on the mental side, visualizing my shot well, just playing the shot at hand, and not let my emotions affect me so much on the golf course,” Knight said. “And it-is-what-it-is attitude. So I did a good job of that today.

“It’s a constant effort. I mean, everything is good. You’re happy when you’re playing well. It’s all fine. But when you’re not playing well it’s hard because we do this all — I mean, I was actually talking about this with someone yesterday,” Knight said. “You go from in college you don’t play that many events a year, and out here it’s hard when it’s week after week after week and you’re struggling a little bit.

“But just look how far I’ve come and just try to enjoy it more, because I play the best when I’m having fun or not so hard on myself.”

Of course, Knight has a victory under her belt — the 2019 Volunteers of America Classic — and at the age of 23 she knows these struggles can pay off over the course of a career.

“I’ve won on tour before,” she said. “I feel like the hard times are necessary, even though you don’t want to go through them. My faith has helped me a lot, because like I don’t know why I’m like going through all this stuff.

“But it’s to make me stronger and a better player and a better person. It’s hard to tell yourself that, but it’s the truth. Just to keep believing that, keep working hard, being honest with yourself, and just like checking in with yourself mentally to make sure you still play the game for a reason.”

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NBC Sports to make history with all-women broadcast team for ShopRite LPGA Classic in October

The all-women team will call the ShopRite LPGA Classic in New Jersey.

NBC Sports will make U.S. television history this fall.

On Monday the network announced it will utilize an all-women broadcast team to call the ShopRite LPGA Classic on Golf Channel, Oct. 1-3, at Seaview’s Bay Course in Galloway, New Jersey.

Cara Banks will take the play-by-play duties with Judy Rankin and Paige Mackenzie as analysts while Karen Stupples and Kay Cockerill will serve as on-course reporters. Longtime producer Beth Hutter, who has produced LPGA coverage for more than 15 years, will call the shots behind the scenes.

“We’re thrilled to assemble this incredibly accomplished group of women for our broadcast of the ShopRite LPGA Classic on Golf Channel,” said Molly Solomon, executive producer for NBC Olympics and Golf Channel. “Our NBC Sports team features talented women at all levels – both on-camera and behind-the-scenes – who are essential to making our coverage a success on every platform, and we’re honored to celebrate their work as part of this broadcast.”

Earlier this year former Golf Channel employee Lisa Cornwell caused a stir when she aired out allegations of mistreatment by Golf Channel executives on the No Laying Up podcast, which led to a Washington Post report where women who worked at the network said sexism fuels a “boys’ club” culture.

In March of 2020 NBC Sports featured the first all-women broadcast for an NHL game. Earlier this year, Rene Hatlelid then became the first woman to produce the Indianapolis 500 on NBC. Lindsay Schanzer also became the first woman to produce a Triple Crown race, leading NBC Sports’ Preakness and Belmont Stakes productions on NBC.