Tag: Sophia Popov

Opinion: Baffling rules and inflexibility kept Sophia Popov, golf’s Story of the Year, out of this week’s ANA Inspiration

Sophia Popov is the Story of the Year so far in all of golf. Incredibly, she’s not in the 105-player field at this week’s ANA Inspiration.

When Sophia Popov came up the 18th hole at her home club last Friday, members of FireRock Country Club in Fountain Hills, Arizona, had gathered around the green. They wanted to give Popov the applause she didn’t receive at Royal Troon. The party was capped at 50 people due to COVID-19.

Popov is a friendly pro, the kind of player who will stop what she’s doing and engage in conversation. Sometimes give a mini lesson. It’s no wonder that members had tears in their eyes when they came up to congratulate the most improbable winner of the AIG Women’s British Open. Heck, they were proud of those three Cactus Tour wins too.

“We realized that the cup could’ve been made by Yeti,” said Popov. “We put ice cold beer in there, and it stayed ice cold the entire time.”

Golf fans around the world became enthralled with the story of Sophia Popov, the 304th-ranked player who became the first major winner of 2020.

It’s the Story of the Year so far in all of golf. And yet, incredibly, she’s not in the 105-player field at this week’s ANA Inspiration.

It’s a complete whiff by the tour. Popov will be the most talked-about player who isn’t at the blistering Dinah Shore Tournament Course, and that includes the defending champion and No. 1-ranked Jin Young Ko.

Why?

Because Ko hasn’t played all year on the LPGA. She’s not top of mind for most fans. Popov, on the other hand, is the new LPGA darling, the Cinderella who catapulted from Symetra Tour status to major champion in the span of seven days. In the weeks following her victory, Popov averaged five to six media interviews per day. She was in demand, and rightly so.

Interest grew even more after a Golf.com story reported that Popov wasn’t eligible for the tour’s five-year exemption as she was a non-member at the time of her victory. Instead, Popov is exempt for the remainder of 2020 and all of 2021. Her first eligible start is next week’s Cambia Portland Classic.

Popov, a four-time All-American at USC, isn’t in this week’s field because the criteria for the ANA Inspiration (originally scheduled for April) was set before the LPGA took a 166-day break due to the coronavirus. The winner’s five-year exemption into the ANA was slated to start in 2021.

LPGA commissioner Mike Whan said that there was no changing it.

The simplest answer to this would have been to let Popov start her five-year exemption into the ANA in 2020. She wouldn’t get more years than anyone else. She’d simply be able to start the clock now. That would’ve given Popov and the LPGA the chance to capitalize on the momentum of the moment.

There was plenty of room for Popov in the field. Plenty of players chose to skip this year’s ANA due to COVID-19, including former major winners So Yeon Ryu, Jeong Eun Lee6, Hyo Joo Kim, Shanshan Feng and Ko.

The world needs more Popov stories in these uncertain times. A bigger picture perspective would’ve served the tour well here.

Popov kept waiting for the LPGA to offer her a seat on the charter flight and a spot in the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. There was a spot reserved in the Arkansas field for the winner at Royal Troon if needed, but Popov didn’t qualify for that either because she wasn’t a member when she won. (And her winnings from the AIG don’t count toward the money list either because she wasn’t a member.)

No one was more shocked by this than the player who benefited from that bewildering rule, first alternate Kristy McPherson, who made the most of the start by finishing in the top 10.

While the criteria was set for the ANA last spring, there was still a way to play in through the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. The top 20 players and ties on the money list, not otherwise qualified, through the end of the Walmart event made the field, provided those players were within the top 80 on the money list.

Dani Holmqvist was the last player in through that category with $48,127. She’s 80th on the money list.

Popov first earned LPGA membership in 2015 and lost her card last year by one stroke. She has competed in 34 LPGA tournaments in her career and played three times on the Symetra Tour this season.

Several male pros, including Ian Poulter and Tommy Fleetwood, took to Twitter to express their disdain for the LPGA’s exemption rule for non-members.

Whan said he would look into the rule in the offseason but wouldn’t change it midseason, pointing out other non-members who have won previous majors – last year’s Women’s British winner, Hinako Shibuno, for starters. Shibuno didn’t take up LPGA membership.

Shibuno differs from Popov in that she hadn’t spent any time on the LPGA in previous years, nor had she competed on the LPGA’s developmental tour. She came directly from the Japan LPGA.

“I think everybody in their right mind thinks (Popov) should get a five-year exemption,” said McPherson, “but that’s how it’s written.”

It’s time for the LPGA to loosen up its non-member rules and reward exceptional play.

Anyone who wins a major – regardless of what tour they came from – deserves a five-year exemption.

Anyone who wins a tournament deserves a spot in the next week’s field.

The LPGA should also take this time to strongly consider adopting a top-10 rule that allows non-members and members alike the chance to play their way into the next event with a top-10 finish.

Growing the tour should always be the main goal.

“I truly believe that a major champion is a major champion,” said Popov, “regardless of what status you came into the tournament with. It should be rewarded the same.”

Popov isn’t exempt into this year’s U.S. Women’s Open either but has a strong chance to get into the field by way of her Rolex Ranking, which vaulted to 24th after the British.

“It was imperative to us as we built the exemption categories for this year’s U.S. Women’s Open that the final field most closely resemble a traditional championship, which includes rewarding players for solid play leading up to the event,” said Shannon Rouillard, Senior Director, Championships.

“In addition to several play-in events this fall, we also created a category for LPGA money list high performers not otherwise exempt, as well as made the decision for the remainder of the field to be filled using the Rolex Rankings, to ensure those playing well would find themselves in the championship.”

As of now, the final 11 spots will be awarded off the Rolex Rankings and Popov tops that list.

Popov has taken the high road throughout the controversy, saying that she doesn’t want to dwell on it too much ahead of Portland. She also made sure to note that the LPGA staff has been overwhelmed in general with COVID-19 protocols and that she appreciates what they’ve done to get tournaments running again.

This is a player with great perspective. A player who has overcome health battles with Lyme Disease and Q-School heartbreak, battling back from obscurity to give the LPGA a storyline that reverberated throughout the sports world.

Baffling rules and inflexibility robbed Popov from making her debut in the ANA Inspiration. That robbed the rest of us too.

It didn’t have to be this way.

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Why no five-year LPGA exemption for Sophia Popov? Commissioner Mike Whan explains

Sophia Popov’s status as a non-member winner – and the current COVID climate – affects her perks associated with winning AIG Women’s Open.

Sophia Popov became perhaps the best Cinderella story of the month — even the year? — when she won the AIG Women’s British Open at Royal Troon on Aug. 23.

She was a Symetra Tour member, having missed out on earning her full LPGA card by one shot at last fall’s Q-School. She gained late entry into the Women’s British Open courtesy of a top-10 finish at the Marathon LPGA Classic.

Popov rode it all the way to a trophy and career-changing perks. Her status as a non-member winner – and the current COVID climate – limits those, however.

When Popov won at Royal Troon, she was granted instant LPGA membership. According to Category 3 of the LPGA’s priority status document, any player who wins a major as an LPGA member secures status for the next five years.

Therein went the overlooked detail of Popov’s situation. She was not an LPGA member when she won, thus she went into Category 7 on the tour’s Priority List, which is for non-member wins. If she had been an LPGA member, she would have gone into Category 3, which is for major winners.

Thus, Popov will hold full LPGA membership through the completion of the 2021 season.

Sophia Popov
Sophia Popov holds up the trophy after winning the 2020 AIG Women’s Open at Royal Troon. (Photo: R&A via Getty Images)

In addition to LPGA membership, another perk associated with winning the Women’s British Open comes in the form of major exemptions. Popov now has an unlimited exemption (at least through age 60) into the Women’s British Open and a five-year exemption into the tour’s other four majors.

But here’s the asterisk: She is not in the field at next month’s ANA Inspiration or the U.S. Women’s Open in December. Her five-year exemption into those events begins in 2020. That’s largely because the majors are out of order in 2020.

Popov is in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in October. That five-year exemption runs from 2020 through 2024.

LPGA commissioner Mike Whan addressed the Popov status issues on Friday in a video shot at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

The ANA Inspiration field was finalized in March to make to sure that players who qualified into the ANA were secure. In doing so, anything that happened after the field was set would be addressed in later years.

“You don’t have to like that, you don’t have to agree with me on that,” Whan said. “But that way, from the very beginning we knew that a winner there was going to qualify for the 2021 ANA.”

As for limited membership, Whan points out it has happened before – and recently.

“I’ve been commissioner 11 years. I’ve seen plenty of non-member wins at majors,” Whan said. “And I’ve seen almost all of those non-members go onto long and storied careers on the LPGA.”

According to the LPGA, In Gee Chun (2015 U.S. Women’s Open) and Hyo Joo Kim (2014 Evian Championship) are among recent players who won a major championship and received a two-year LPGA membership. Hinako Shibuno (2019 AIG Women’s Open) would have received the same if she had accepted LPGA membership.

Whan said he would think harder about that situation in the off-season and whether it’s a regulation that needs an update. He would not, he said, change a regulation mid-season, “the Monday after an emotional win.”

Popov’s situation initially was reported by Golf.com on Friday. According to writer James Colgan, Popov was contacted by an LPGA official shortly after the trophy presentation at Royal Troon and informed she would not receive the five-year membership exemption.

“I definitely got a little bit frustrated about the whole thing,” Popov told Golf.com a couple of days after the Women’s British Open. “It’s tough because I feel like I deserve the full five years of exemption from the LPGA, but at the same time, I understand the regulations and the fact that they can’t change the rules for a certain player.”

Popov could potentially appeal the rule, an option other players have exercised in similar situations. Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson both used that avenue to gain LPGA membership after winning an LPGA event before they reached 18, the tour’s required age for membership.

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Opinion: Sophia Popov isn’t exempt into all the majors for 2020, that needs to change

Sophia Popov earned LPGA status for the 2020 season by winning the AIG Women’s British Open on Sunday, but should be in all 2020 majors too.

Sophia Popov became the improbable winner of the AIG Women’s British Open on Sunday, earning LPGA status for the 2020 season.

But that season won’t start until the Cambia Portland Classic because amazingly, she’s not in the ANA Inspiration field.

How is that possible?

Because the LPGA’s majors are out of order due to COVID-19, Popov’s five-year exemption won’t start until 2021. An LPGA official explained that since the ANA field was basically filled when the tour had to shut down, they’ve chosen to honor that field. The only exemption adjustment was changing the cutoff for top 20 on the money list.

But because Popov, 28, isn’t an LPGA member (she missed out on her card by a single shot last fall at Q-Series), her $675,000 earnings won’t count as official money.

The victory does put Popov into the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in October. It does not, however, get her into the U.S. Women’s Open in December. Like the ANA, her five-year exemption into the Women’s Open begins next year at the Olympic Club.

How does a Symetra Tour player qualify for a major by finishing ninth at the Marathon LPGA Classic but yet a victory at a major championship doesn’t get her into the rest of the majors for 2020?

Surely there’s an exemption (or two) somewhere with Popov’s name on it.

Her story is too extraordinary to deny. A woman ranked No. 304 in the world who won three times on a desert mini tour during the COVID-19 break didn’t just win at Royal Troon, she marched to victory like a grizzled Hall of Famer.

It was a story for the ages, and fans want to see it continue next month at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course. Popov deserves that. Instead, the earliest she can get back out on the tour is Portland – the week after the ANA.

In this era of COVID-19 protocols and asterisks, why not make an exception?

“There was a lot of hard work behind it,” Popov said after the tournament, “a lot of struggles that I went through the past six years … I knew I was capable. I had a lot of obstacles thrown my way, and I’m glad I stuck with it.

“I almost quit playing last year. Thank God I didn’t.”

The major parade should just be getting started for the sensational Popov. The powers that be must make it happen.

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Sophia Popov wins AIG Women’s Open at Royal Troon

Sophia Popov capped a most remarkable week with a victory in the AIG Women’s Open to become the first woman from Germany to win a major.

Three weeks ago, Sophia Popov was caddying in an LPGA event.

Two weeks ago, she finished ninth in the LPGA Marathon Classic to earn a spot in the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Troon in Scotland.

She only got into the Marathon because so many international LPGA players decided not to go to Toledo and the tour filled out the field there with Symetra Tour players.

Last week, she battled temperatures that soared well past 100 degrees to post a second-place finish in a Symetra Tour event in the Mesa, Arizona, desert.

Ranked 304 in the Rolex Rankings before the week started, Popov has no status on the LPGA.

But on Sunday, she capped a most remarkable week with a victory in the Women’s Open.

Popov shot a final-round 68 to win by three shots. Clutch birdies on 16 and 17 iced the victory for her.

Popov became the first woman from Germany to win a major championship.

AIG Women’s Open: Leaderboard | Photos

She arrived in Scotland on Tuesday and played her first practice round at Royal Troon on Wednesday. Her boyfriend, Maximilian Mehles, was on the bag this week. The pair met on the German National team.

A strong mental game proved to be a huge asset this week.

“Honestly, I have plenty of mental games that I do on the golf course,” said Popov on Saturday, “and a lot of them include staying quiet and no negative talk, whether it’s out loud or not.”

Jasmine Suwannapura shot a final-round 67 to come in second, three shots back. Minjee Lee was third, four back, while Inbee Park shot a 66 on Sunday and finished fourth. Those were the only golfers to finish under par at Royal Troon. Austin Ernst was fifth at even par.

Popov was barely into six figures in career earnings, but Sunday’s title brings her $675,000. She also earns a five-year LPGA exemption.

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Sophia Popov looks to follow three Cactus Tour titles with major victory at Royal Troon

After winning three times on the Cactus Tour during the LPGA’s five-month break, Sophia Popov is now leading the AIG Women’s British Open.

Last fall Sophia Popov missed out on securing LPGA status at Q-Series by a single shot. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and qualifying school was canceled for 2020, Popov’s time on the Symetra Tour doubled to at least two years.

And yet, by a stroke of good luck and plenty of grit, she took advantage of every opportunity that was open to her – no matter how small – and played her way into a three-stroke lead in the year’s first major championship. How does a player go from winning a Cactus Tour event at Troon North in Scottsdale, Arizona, in May to leading the field by three at Royal Troon in Scotland three months later?

“Maybe this is the way it should have played out,” Popov said of her unusual journey to the top of the leaderboard at the AIG Women’s British Open.

Popov, 28, hit driver off the deck on the fourth hole to set up an eagle putt that set the tone for a bogey-free 4-under 67. Only three players are under par after three rounds at Troon. Popov sits at 4 under while Minjee Lee, among the best players on the LPGA without a major title, stands a 1 under alongside Jasmine Suwannapura.

Lindsey Weaver, who is using a pull cart for a fourth week in a row, joins Caroline Masson and Austin Ernst in a share of fourth.

The only player in the top 10 who has won a major is former No. 1 Lydia Ko. She trails by six.

Back to Popov, who came into the week ranked No. 304 in the Rolex Rankings, and her wild ride to the top. After winning three times on the Cactus Tour during the LPGA’s five-month break, Popov returned to the tour at the Inverness Club in July – as a caddie.

While players can use a pull cart on the LPGA for the rest of the year, caddies cannot. Popov carried van Dam’s staff bag around Inverness, soaking up everything she could from one of the longest players in the game with the sweetest swing. Popov particularly fed off of van Dam’s positive energy.

The next week, the two best friends shared Popov’s pull cart at the Marathon Classic as they were in opposite waves. Because so many international LPGA players decided not to come to Toledo, the tour filled the field with Symetra Tour players. That’s how Popov got in.

She tied for ninth that week to play her way into her second Women’s British Open. That stint looping for van Dam helped to change her perspective.

“I thought about the course a little bit more from a caddie perspective,” she said. “I said, ‘What is the smart decision to make here?’ You know, I’m someone who tends to be very aggressive. I go at pins. But do you have to be? No, not really.”

After the Marathon, Popov, who played college golf at USC, flew back to Phoenix to compete on the Symetra Tour where she came in second. She arrived in Scotland on Tuesday and played her first practice round at Royal Troon on Wednesday. This week she has boyfriend, Maximilian Mehles, on the bag. Mehles graduated from Kentucky in May and planned to turn professional before the pandemic hit. The pair met on the German National team.

To help keep the nerves to a minimum for the next 24 hours, Popov said she’ll keep her phone on airplane mode and stay off of social media.

“Please, no one text me,” she said, laughing.

Typically fast-paced about everything, Popov hopes to take things slowly the rest of the day and tomorrow. She has long thought she had the game for this type of stage, it’s the space between the ears that needed the most work.

“Honestly, I have plenty of mental games that I do on the golf course,” said Popov, “and a lot of them include staying quiet and no negative talk, whether it’s out loud or not.”

Weaver looked like she needed someone to talk to – to celebrate with – after she holed-out a spectacular shot for par from the hay on the 12th hole. Because she usually takes local caddies on the LPGA and those aren’t allowed this year due to COVID-19 protocols, Weaver decided she’d go solo for this opening stretch of tournaments.

“Usually I kind of have almost a stranger there with me normally,” she said, “so it’s just me by myself. It’s fine. I kind of like it.”

Lindsey Weaver prepares to plays her third shot on the second hole at Royal Troon. (Photo: R&A via Getty Images)

Weaver’s fiancé, Zach Wright, is staying with her parents this week in Ohio while he competes on the Korn Ferry Tour. He tries to keep up with her rounds on YouTube on the 45-minute commute to the course. The couple bought a house in Dallas during the break, though the pandemic created quite the hurdle.

“Less than 24 hours before we were supposed to close on our house, they were like, ‘Yeah, you guys can’t close on your house because you both are unemployed,’ ” said Weaver.

Because neither could prove when they’d be starting work again on their respective tours, Weaver’s dad had to co-sign on the house. Weaver said a big reason they chose Dallas is because the job market is so great for her degree in finance, and it wasn’t long ago that the Arizona grad thought she might quit professional golf.

“But yeah, I’m not doing that,” she said of going to a 9-to-5 desk job.

Judging by this week, she won’t be anytime soon.

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Strong winds wreak havoc on Day 1 at Royal Troon, Sophia Popov leads and Nelly Korda lurks

At the AIG Women’s British Open, Sophia Popov takes an early lead and Nelly Korda is close behind after Round 1.

Alena Sharp thought the 6:30 a.m. tee time might offer relief from the wind. Not the case at Royal Troon, where fences fell down as she warmed up on the range. Sharp cranked her first tee shot out of bounds at the AIG Women’s British Open and double-bogeyed the opening hole.

The Canadian veteran used to hate playing in the wind, but has since learned to enjoy the grind, an attitude that served her well in an opening even-par 71, one back of leader Sophia Popov.

Nelly Korda’s opening drive went 187 yards. She then watched her 5-iron balloon into the air 140 yards, landing short of the green.

“I had a hard time walking,” said Korda, who added that she finds it fun to play in this type of weather. Korda finished at 1 over on the day, a fine score in a four-club wind.

Catriona Matthew, the great Scot, knows better than anyone how important patience plays on days like this. The European Solheim Cup captain and 2009 British Open champion, didn’t miss a fairway in her opening 71, birdieing three of her last four holes.

“I think probably the biggest thing is not fighting the wind,” said Matthew. “Sometimes when it’s as strong as this, you just have to play with the wind.”

Popov’s journey to Troon was certainly more eventful that most. The German qualified for the year’s first major by finishing tied for ninth at the Marathon LPGA Classic, using a pull cart. She then flew to Phoenix where she played in a Symetra Tour event in temperatures that soared well over 100 degrees, finishing second. Popov arrived in Scotland on Tuesday and played in one practice round before vaulting to the top of the leaderboard.

“It’s nice to kind of get a little bit of a head start,” said Popov, who has boyfriend Max on the bag this week. “You never know how things are tomorrow and how brutal the weather is going to be. No one can really prepare me for what’s going to come tomorrow. It might go totally sideways.”

Popov, who played collegiate golf at USC, kept sharp throughout the coronavirus pandemic by competing in Cactus Tour events, winning three of them.

“I definitely think it was beneficial,” said Popov, playing in only her second Women’s British Open. “Just to keep my head in the game and to keep the competitive juices flowing because it is so easy to come back after three or four months of not playing and just being very nervous and not knowing where your game is at.”

Georgia Hall of England plays a shot at Royal Troon  (Photo by R&A – Handout/R&A via Getty Images)

Georgia Hall, winner of the 2018 British Open at Lytham and lover of links, couldn’t feed off the British gallery but likes where she stands after an opening 73. sits three shots back after

“I’m so used to having friends and family there, and people I know,” said Hall of the fan-free atmosphere. “This is where I get my most support, which really kind of spurs me on. But I know there’s loads of people watching at home, and I’ve just got to focus on my golf.”

Dame Laura Davies hit the opening tee shot on Thursday in her 40th appearance in the Women’s British. She was eight over after six holes but battled back to finish at 9 over. After a quick bite to eat, the World Golf Hall of Famer was in the booth commentating for Sky Sports.

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Former high school hockey goaltender Sarah White wins Symetra Tour’s Founders Tribute at Longbow

Sarah White capped off a final-round 68 with a birdie on the 18th hole to finish at 15 under to win the Symetra Tour’s Founders Tribute at Longbow.

Sarah White capped off a final-round 68 with a birdie on the 18th hole to finish at 15 under to win the Symetra Tour’s Founders Tribute at Longbow.

White, the starting goaltender for two seasons for East Kentwood High School’s varsity hockey team in Grand Rapids, Michigan, edged Casey Danielson and Sophia Popov by a shot.

“I have that competitive spirit in me from playing ice hockey for so many years,” White said after Saturday’s second round. “I know what it takes, the grind and all of that. I hit a 354-yard drive today and this course sets up for me really well. I’m also putting well, which trusting that frees me up.”

Danielson shot a final-round 65, a score that was matched by Demi Runas and Min-G Kim for the best scores of the day. Popov’s 63 on Saturday was the best score of the week.

Founders Tribute at Longbow scores

Fatima Fernandez Cano finished solo fourth at 12 under. Lucy Li shot a final-round 66 and finished in fifth.

Sunday’s final round in Mesa, Arizona, was played under an excessive heat warning, with the temperature reaching 109. Longbow Golf Club in Mesa withstood high temperatures for all three days of the 54-hole event, the Symetra Tour’s second on its restart. It was 112 during Friday’s first round. The Thursday pro-am saw temperatures climb to 114.

The Symetra Tour should find cooler weather in Beaumont, California, for its next tournament, the IOA Championship Presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, Aug. 21-23.

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Two players making a run at Marathon LPGA Classic while sharing a luxury pull cart

Anne van Dam and Sophia Popov shared a pull cart at the Marathon LPGA Classic amid the coronavirus pandemic.

SYLVANIA, Ohio – From a distance, it looked like Anne van Dam was pulling a relic behind her at the Marathon LPGA Classic. There was no cooler on this trolley. No seat. No spot for her scorecard.

Ah, but this was no antique. It’s actually a TiCad pro, the Mercedes of pull carts. Handcrafted in Germany, the stream-lined TiCad trolleys are light-weight and easy to fold for travel. Van Dam pulled her staff bag around Highland Meadows with ease, raving about its performance. The titanium TiCad runs about 2,000 euros.

After carding an opening 2-under 69, van Dam was off to disinfect the pull cart before she gave it back to owner Sophia Popov for the afternoon wave. Popov caddied for van Dam last week at Inverness, carrying a staff bag. But now the former USC player is in the field too, and since they are in opposite waves, the pair decided to share Popov’s pull cart.

SCORES: Leaderboard at Marathon Classic

What happens if both make the cut?

“Yeah, we’ve gotta fight,” said van Dam, breaking into a smile. “Whoever gets the lowest score.”

Local caddies aren’t being used for the rest of the year on the LPGA due to COVID-19 testing. Players have the option to go without a caddie for 2020, and with her caddie in the Netherlands, van Dam decided not to fly him over to self-quarantine for two weeks prior to the two events in Ohio.

LPGA: Marathon LPGA Classic - First Round
Sophia Popov brought a TiCad pull cart to the Marathon LPGA Classic. (Photo: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports)

It’s the first time she’s gone without a caddie since she played a handful of events on the Symetra Tour in 2018. While she would’ve rather taken a caddie at the Marathon, she liked the fact that going solo forced her to fully commit to her own decision.

“Doesn’t talk back,” she said, looking down at the trolley. “I can hit it and it doesn’t hurt.”

Van Dam, 24, first met Popov, 27, in junior golf about a dozen years ago. While van Dam stayed in Florida during the COVID-19 break, practicing with Marathon co-leader Ko and Lindy Duncan at Lake Nona, Popov competed out west on the Cactus Tour during the pandemic and won three times. She used the TiCad most weeks in the desert and said the trolley is so light-weight that she can pick it up with one finger after it’s folded like a binder clip.

Popov credited last week’s stint on the bag at Inverness in helping her to shoot 5-under 66 on a picture-perfect day in Sylvania, Ohio, putting her two back of leaders Danielle Kang and Ko.

“Today I think strategically I was doing a way better job than I usually do,” said Popov. “I really picked my spots … played a lot smarter.”

It can be stressful sometimes out there without a caddie, Popov admitted, but she’s naturally a fast player and doesn’t worry about slowing anyone down. Plus the caddies in her group on Thursday were quick to help out.

“If we both make the cut, it’s my push cart,” said Popov, laughing. “It’s obviously going to me.”

Fortunately, they have a trolley in reserve.

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Sophia Popov is on the hottest streak in pro golf after back-to-back Cactus Tour wins

Sophia Popov has added a handful of Cactus Tour events to this odd offseason, and is reaping the benefits of intense work on the details.

There may not be another professional golfer on an April winning streak. Sophia Popov’s recent success on the Cactus Tour tells a story of intense attention to detail amid a Symetra Tour shutdown forced by the coronavirus.

In March, Popov — based in Fountain Hills, Arizona — had flown across the country to start her season. The tour was scheduled to come west at the end of the month, but that never happened. Instead, Popov found herself alternating between backyard practice and trips to her local course.

“I was like, this is going to be wild if I have to do this for four or five months,” Popov said.

In January, just like in past years, Popov had played a couple of Cactus Tour events as a tuneup for the upcoming season. After the Symetra Tour started canceling events, she picked up the phone and called Cactus Tour owner Mike Brown. He told her about all the safety measures in place: limited interaction with other players, inserts in the cups and directions to leave the pin in the hole.

Popov was sold from the health aspect. Then she started pulling up entry lists.

“The first one I played, I looked at the entry list and I’m like, Anna Nordqvist? Linnea Strom? I was like what the hell?” she said. “It feels like an LPGA field. It was funny, there were probably six or seven LPGA players in it.”

She entered a March event at Moon Valley Country Club, finishing T-10, seven shots behind Nordqvist. Popov played four of the next five events, winning for the first time April 15 at Union Hills Country Club in Sun City, Arizona.

As Las Colinas in Queen Creek, Arizona, this past week, Popov went 22 under with rounds of 61-69-64. She finished nine shots ahead of runner-up Britney Yada and set a course record and a tournament scoring record in the process. Her putter carried her, but Popov is seeing her wedge game and her irons come together too.

Popov, who started her career as an LPGA rookie in 2015, is realizing that this unscheduled downtime has allowed her to hone in on the parts of her game that needed work. Now she feels comfortable over every shot and is excited to get to the course for each round.

“Quarantine has given me a little more time to intensely work on parts of my game that maybe the offseason didn’t give me,” she said. “I didn’t work on specific shots very well and now I feel like I did that. I feel like I really picked numbers and said alright, I’m really going to grind and work on 70-yard shots and 75 or 95 or 90 – some shots I usually feel uncomfortable with.”

At last fall’s LPGA Q-Series, Popov finished one shot out of the top 45 – the magic number needed to earn some level of status on the LPGA in 2020. In some ways, it was a blessing. She knows what it’s like to be too far down the priority list to get into early-season events.

This year, she decided to focus solely on the Symetra Tour, finish in the top 10 on the money list and earn full status for the 2021 LPGA season. These few wins won’t change that focus.

“It’s still the most important thing for me,” she said.

For now, Popov plans to play two more Cactus Tour events. She’ll regroup next month when the mini-tour takes a break. The Symetra Tour is scheduled to resume mid-June.

Some players have endured criticism for continuing to tee it up in mini-tour events among stay-at-home orders. In fact, Popov saw some of the messages sent their way and was horrified.

Cactus Tour fields often make up a very small percentage of the play at any given tournament venue, with most golf courses in Arizona open for public play. Popov is also an avid hiker – a hobby she has been grateful for during the pandemic – and compares the two outdoor sports.

“When I go on my hikes,” she said, “I feel like there are a lot more people on those hikes than on the golf course.”