Tag: Stacy Lewis

Leigh Chien earns Symetra Tour start by defending KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational title

Leigh Chien, 14, won the KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational on Thursday by reaching 11 under for 54 holes at Blessings Golf Club.

Leigh Chien does not want for role models in women’s golf. At a tournament put on by Stacy Lewis, Chien defended her title with Nelly Korda’s sweet swing in her head.

Chien, 14, won the KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational on Thursday by reaching 11 under for 54 holes at the notoriously difficult Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She won by nine shots. Blessings is the home course for the golf teams at Arkansas (Lewis is a former Razorback) and memorably hosted the 2019 NCAA Championships.

Chien was the only player either field, girls or boys, to break 70 all three days (69-69-67). That’s notable in a tournament with a unique format. Players played in twosomes each round, made up of one competitor from the boys division and one from the girls division. The idea is to promote equity, friendly competition, and reinforce the importance of ethics, integrity and leadership in junior golf. It is, in part, Lewis’ mark on her namesake event.

Scores: KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational

For her part, Chien enjoyed the experience. It’s a good format, she said, and the pace was fast.

Chien played with second-round leader Kush Arora on Thursday. Jack Usner from The Woodlands, Texas, ended up firing a final-round 67 to come from behind for the victory. He won by two shots at 4 under.

Before teeing it up in Fayetteville, Chien, who lives in Irvine, California, had studied Korda’s swing on YouTube. She liked the tempo. She also likes Korda’s strong short game.

Leigh Chien takes a swing at Blessings Golf Club. (AJGA photo)

At Blessings, Chien notes that you need to hit it straight off the tee – no problem there for her – and you need to be able to control slick and sloping greens. The putting surfaces are much different than anything she’s used to, but it’s the place where she’s most able to demonstrate her growth over the past year.

Chien won the 2019 Stacy Lewis event despite having eight three-putts throughout the week. This time, she only had two.

“I think all around, my game was pretty solid,” Chien said. “I only missed one fairway, which was the first hole of today, and my approach shots were also really on point. I got a lot of them inside 10 feet or so. I capitalized on a lot of them, which really helped me shoot low.”

If there’s a gauntlet at Blessings, for Chien it’s No. 14, a tight par 4. She picked her spot off the tee, kept driver in her hand and hit that spot in each round. She played the hole in even par for the week.

This time last year, the Stacy Lewis title represented Chien’s first win in an AJGA invitational.

“Being able to shoot under par on this course last year gave me a lot of confidence coming into this year,” she said.

The spoils are both tangible and career advancing. An invitational title comes with a new golf bag for the winner and the Stacy Lewis event in particular comes with an exemption into a Symetra Tour event.

Chien played her way into the Firekeepers Casino Hotel Championship in Battle Creek, Michigan, last year. She fired rounds of 76-75 and missed the cut. It was her first professional start. This year, she earned a start in the Founders Tribute at Longbow, to be played Aug. 14-16 in Mesa, Arizona.

“I definitely learned that I needed to hit it a lot longer,” she said of the learning experience that Firekeepers offered. “… I worked on my speed from there.”

The improvement, in all areas of Chien’s game, certainly shows.

[lawrence-related id=778050896,778048746,778045882]

U.S. Women’s Open: Notables who aren’t yet exempt for 2020

Cristie Kerr and Stacy Lewis are two players who are not yet exempt for the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open.

The USGA released a list of 100 players who are already exempt into the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open and two American players, both former World No. 1s, are noticeably absent: Cristie Kerr and Stacy Lewis.

Kerr, of course, won the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles in 2007. The 42-year-old has competed in every USWO since 1998 and has won 20 LPGA titles.

Lewis has yet to win a U.S. Women’s Open, but she is a two-time major winner and two-time LPGA Rolex Player of the Year who happens to live in Houston, where the 75th Women’s Open will be contested at Champions Golf Club in December. Lewis’s track record in helping her community, particularly in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, has been well-documented. She gave birth to daughter Chesnee in the fall of 2018.

Although qualifying has been eliminated this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, there are several ways both players can still play their way in, as outlined by the USGA’s new exemption categories.

They can also be granted special exemptions by the USGA, provided they first apply.

Both Albane Valenzuela and Andrea Lee would’ve been in this year’s USWO field had they stayed amateur. Valenzuela earned an exemption as runner-up at last year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur (her second silver medal). Lee earned one as the 2019 McCormack Medal winner for being the top player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

Albane Valenzuela and her caddie/brother, Alexis, on the second fairway during the final round at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Miss. on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019. (Copyright USGA/Steven Gibbons)

Because the two Stanford seniors opted to turn professional for the 2020 season, both lost their spots in the field. With so many limited opportunities thus far on the LPGA (13 events already have been canceled), it will prove increasingly difficult for rookies to play their way in, though it’s certainly possible through top finishes in four domestic events the USGA has designated as play-in tournaments.

The top two players, not otherwise exempt, in the top 10 and ties at the 2020 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, Cambria Portland Classic, ShopRite Classic, and the top three players, not otherwise exempt, in the top 10 and ties of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship will earn their way into the 156-player field.

They could also get in off the LPGA money list and Rolex Rankings as of Nov. 11, though that might be particularly hard given how far they have to climb as new pros (Lee No. 677 and Valenzuela No. 394).

Last year’s USWO field had eight LPGA rookies, including the winner, Jeongeun Lee6. So far three LPGA rookies are exempt into this year’s field: Esther Henseleit, Nuria Iturrioz and Yui Kawamoto.

It’s also worth noting that the top five players on the Symetra Tour money list through the end of the season will be in the field.

Notable players who must play their way into the field:

Jodi Ewart Shadoff (77)

Jenny Shin (80)

Anne Van Dam (85)

Yealimi Noh (98)

Mel Reid (99)

Stacy Lewis (101)

Cristie Kerr (103)

Alena Sharp (104)

Ryann O’Toole (109)

Katherine Kirk (113)

Mo Martin (135)

Patty Tavatanakit (154)

Sandra Gal (187)

Christina Kim (195)

Leona Maguire (199)

Emma Talley (218)

Mariah Stackhouse (222)

Maria Fassi (240)

Cheyenne Woods (386)

Albane Valenzuela (394)

Andrea Lee (677)

 

Stacked Texas Women’s Open field includes Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lang, Gerina Piller and more

It’s a stacked field this week at the Texas Women’s Open with Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lang, Gerina Piller and more all competing.

Can we get some television cameras out to next week’s Energy Producers, Inc. Texas Women’s Open? The field has become a who’s who list of playing professionals. Former World No. 1 and Texas resident Stacy Lewis is competing for the first time, along with former U.S. Women’s Open champion Brittany Lang, Gerina Piller, Celine Boutier, Cheyenne Knight, Maria Fassi, Yu Liu, Lindsey Weaver and two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Kristen Gillman.

The event takes place June 2-4 at the Old American Golf Club in The Colony, Texas. Knight won the LPGA’s Volunteers of America Classic last year at the venue. This year’s LPGA stop has been pushed back to Dec. 3-6, leading into the U.S. Women’s Open in Houston.

The projected purse is $50,000. First played in 1933, past champions of the Texas Women’s Open include LPGA founders Babe Zaharias and Betty Jameson as well as fellow Hall of Famer Betsy Rawls. The event stopped after the 1946 edition and was resurrected in 2001. It’s run by the North Texas Section PGA.

Two-time champion Savannah Vilaubi, who won in 2016 and 2019, is in the field as is 2015 champ Maddie McCrary and Chirapat Jao-Javanil (2017).

Texas All-American Kaitlyn Papp highlights the amateurs in the field.

[lawrence-related id=778046144,778045479]

USGA reveals how much money U.S. Women’s Open loses annually

The U.S. Women’s Open purse is the largest among the women’s majors, but it’s still about $7 million behind the men.

Part of the USGA’s strategy in rebranding the U.S. Open is being more transparent about how the men’s championship funds the overall growth of golf. More specifically: women’s golf.

During its annual meeting at Pinehurst, the USGA revealed that of the $165 million in revenue that’s generated by the U.S. Open, the organization takes in $70 million in profits. All of that money goes directly back into the game, officials said, with $22 million of it going toward women’s championships and participation.

To help understand the U.S. Women’s Open purse of $5.5 million, the USGA broke it down even further for Golfweek. The USWO purse is the highest among the LPGA’s five majors but is still $7 million behind the men. While there’s a national conversation around equal pay for women, some in golf have also questioned the wide gap.

According to the USGA, it costs $19 million to conduct the U.S. Women’s Open (including qualifiers), which most consider to be the crown jewel of women’s golf. The USGA sees about $9 million comes back by way of ticket sales, corporate hospitality and partner support.

The bottom line: The USGA loses about $10.4 million on the Women’s Open.

“Truthfully, they spend more on the Women’s Open than I thought they did,” said former No. 1 Stacy Lewis.

Every championship the USGA runs outside of the U.S. Open loses money. The USGA spends $4.7 million on the U.S. Senior Women’s Open. The other women’s championships cost around $6.3 million.

The total cost for men’s and women’s amateur events: $14 million.

The USGA’s total revenue for the year was $211 million, including the U.S. Open. Media rights, which includes the 12-year multimedia deal signed with Fox that began in 2015, represented 54 percent of the total revenue at $114 million.

Growing golf’s footprint

To help develop the U.S. Open’s new brand platform, which was unveiled Saturday, the USGA surveyed stakeholders from across the game. One of the themes that kept coming up was that the organization needed to do a better job of informing people how the U.S. Open impacts the overall health of the game, including women’s golf.

“In the end, this is really about our commitment,” said Craig Annis, the USGA’s chief brand officer. “Yes, these are numbers, but as I hope everyone has seen, we are committed to continue to grow the women’s game through inspiration of the U.S. Women’s Open, things like purse, things like broadcast hours, things like international qualifiers. All those things are worth the investment.”

Meg Mallon, a two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion, said the Women’s Open has been the benchmark event for the LPGA since the tour’s inception in 1950. The championship, which celebrates 75 years this year at Champions Golf Club in Houston, has not only changed the lives of individuals, Mallon noted, but also changed golf among the nations, pointing to winners like Liselotte Neumann, Laura Davies and Se Ri Pak. The USGA’s transparency in where the numbers fall can only help drive the championship forward, Mallon said.

“Because then you can kind of attack the problem,” said Mallon, “and see where you can do better in promoting the Women’s Open.”

Angela Stanford looks at the USGA’s $6.3 million investment in women’s amateur championships and thinks back to her experience on the 2000 Curtis Cup team.

“One of my greatest golf memories was playing in England on a Curtis Cup team,” said Stanford. “I don’t remember spending a dime. I couldn’t have spent a dime. I was a senior college and didn’t have a dollar to my name. … Somebody had to pay for that because I certainly didn’t.”

Breaking through at $1 million

Last year the USGA announced a $500,000 increase to the U.S. Women’s Open purse and a $1 million first-place check to the winner, the largest prize in women’s major championship history.

The USGA has long been a leader in pushing purses to new heights in women’s golf. Given the substantial loss the championship takes each year, one has to wonder if there will come a time when the organization would consider adding a title sponsor to the event. Every other major on the women’s schedule has one, including the AIG Women’s British Open.

“I think it would be weird to have a sponsor in the U.S. Women’s Open, but I bet it won’t be too long before they have one,” said Lewis. “How do you say no?”

Mallon said she’s still struggling with the fact that the tour did away with the “LPGA Championship” name entirely when it went to the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She believes strongly that organizations should protect their own brand.

Amy Olson, the 2009 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion and a former Curtis Cup player, knows as well as anyone how steeped the USGA is in tradition. She said a title sponsor wouldn’t change the way she views the championship.

“As a player, and maybe I’m more short-sided,” said Olson, “but if that’s what needs to happen to continue to grow the game and give opportunities for women to play on big stages, I think that’s ultimately the way it needs to go. That’s obviously the USGA’s decision and I’m just a player.”

When asked if the USGA would ever consider adding title sponsor, a move that could cut the USGA’s losses by at least half (or double the purse), Annis said: “Our view is that we would be willing to consider things that both align with our mission as well as the opportunity to grow the women’s game, in particular the Women’s Open. I wouldn’t suggest that there are things that we would never consider, but certainly anything that we would do would need to meet those two parameters.”

Lewis hopes that the USGA’s transparent approach will help people better understand what the organization does to grow the game, even beyond championships. The USGA, for example, invests $500,000 in LPGA-USGA Girls Golf. Lewis also appreciates that in recent years, USGA officials have been proactive in asking players how the Women’s Open can improve.

“A fundamental priority for us,” said Annis, “as the association who puts these championships on, is to make sure the players have the most memorable experience that they’ll ever have in their competitive life. That’s our goal each and every time. That takes an investment. We’re not going to cut corners on that.”

 

USGA announces more flexible family policy

The USGA will apply the policy, a result of feedback from top players like Stacy Lewis, to all 13 of its championships.

The USGA has announced changes to its family policy. The new more flexible plan allows players who have earned a spot in a USGA championship either through qualifying or exemption the option to defer his or her place in the championship for one year due to maternity or paternity.

The policy is in line with the LPGA’s recent changes, in that players can lock in their status, or in this case world ranking, before going on maternity leave. Stacy Lewis was among the players who provided input.

Last year the USGA offered Lewis and Brittany Lincicome, both new moms, a spot in the U.S. Women’s Open field in lieu of a policy change. USGA officials promised to take a fresh look at its maternity policy, and they delivered.

“Updating our family policy was an opportunity to support players as they welcome new family members and also to go a few steps further,” says John Bodenhamer, Senior Managing Director, Championships. “We are pleased to have a policy that affords players more balance between parenthood and competing at the highest levels.”

Players can also request an additional one-year extension based on special circumstances.

Lewis was No. 33 in the world when she went on maternity leave in 2018. The two-time major winner had competed in 12 consecutive U.S. Women’s Opens, finishing in the top 3 on three different occasions. During that stretch, she won a dozen LPGA titles and spent 25 weeks at No. 1.

She’d finished no worse than 21st on the money list since 2010 before quitting mid-year in ’18 to give birth to daughter Chesnee. She finished the season at No. 99 and was staring U.S. Women’s Open qualifying in the face before the USGA offered her a spot in the field.

Under the new policy, Lewis’ ranking of 33rd would’ve easily gotten her into the 2019 contest.

“I was thrilled when the USGA asked me to participate in the process to update the policy,” said Lewis. “Last year, I experienced the challenges that new parents often face and was fortunate that the USGA worked with me for my circumstance surrounding the U.S. Women’s Open. As players, we want a fair and inclusive policy, and that is exactly what this reflects.”

The policy applies to all 13 USGA championships.

“It’s super nice,” said Lincicome. “You never know how you’re going to come back, how your body is going to feel. When you get into it, especially your first child, there are so many what-ifs. You already have so much pressure to get your body back.”

[opinary poll=”which-of-these-pete-dye-courses-is-your-” customer=”golfweek”]

European Tour stars: Play the Vic Open and show the world what’s possible

Imagine if half the European Ryder Cup team showed to the Vic Open to support a mixed event co-sanctioned by the LPGA and European Tour.

A childhood friend recently retired from the military and moved back home to Florida with his wife. My husband and I had them over to watch football a couple times over the winter, and we talked about his combat tours and our years growing up together at the local muni. I’ve often thanked Craig for his service to our country. But until I sat down to write this column, I hadn’t thought to thank him for being cool with a girl crashing the party all those years ago.

Craig, Brad, Morgan, Chris, Kyle, Neil, the list goes on. I probably would’ve kept on playing basketball and quit golf if I had to practice on my own every day.

Twenty-five years later, the need hasn’t changed much. For the innovative ISPS Handa Vic Open to get to the next level, heavy-hitting male players need to step up and show support. It’s the only way the event can garner the worldwide attention it deserves. Imagine if half the European Ryder Cup team showed at 13th Beach Golf Links.

Former World No. 1 Stacy Lewis made her debut in the tournament last week. This marked the second year the Vic Open has been co-sanctioned by both the LPGA and European Tour. The women’s field was substantially stronger this year, despite the purse, $1.1 million, being the lowest on tour.

On the men’s side, Haotong Li, was the highest-ranked player at No. 79. Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy, an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour, was both the biggest draw and the most vocal.

“We should do this more often,” Ogilvy said. “The fact that this happens only once in a year is just nonsense.”

Bless him.

Geoff Ogilvy tees off during the second round of the ISPS Handa Vic Open at 13th Beach Golf Club. (Photo: Jack Thomas/Getty Images)

Lewis felt that most of the men in the field embraced the fact that women were there playing the same course at the same time for equal money. But it will take more male stars to grow the concept.

“We need top players,” said Lewis. “I know Geoff Ogilvy’s here and we need some top players to really step up and support this, especially if they have little girls, you know? Let’s give this opportunity to your daughter. That’s a lot of what motivates me now.”

To help encourage more players to make the trip, Lewis suggests cutting down the field from 144 players on both sides to 50 each for the men and women. Make it a limited-field event rather than a full field, with one cut for the last day. Everyone gets a check.

Guaranteed money will attract more top players to compete. And shrinking the field from 288 to 100 will cut costs for the title sponsor.

Ogilvy pointed to the success of back-to-back U.S. Opens at Pinehurst in 2014. Said he’d like to see concurrent Australian Opens at Royal Melbourne East, Royal Melbourne West, or Peninsula North, South.

“It really was successful at Pinehurst when Martin (Kaymer) won and Michelle Wie won the next week,” said Ogilvy. “We all loved it. … That’s the U.S. Open I watched the most of the girls because I was interested to see how they played the course that I just played.”

Karrie Webb would like to see Australia replicate the Vic Open model for men and women at all the country’s state opens. It would help female players especially feel more prepared before going to the next level.

“If we could create that sort of pathway here in Australia so that the guys and girls have some tournament experience before they go overseas,” said Webb, “I think it makes that next step or that jump in level that much more attainable than, ‘I just played the Australian Amateur and now I’m going to LPGA Q-School.’ ”

Innovation has reinvigorated the Vic Open. It will take more outside-the-box thinking to grow it further. Male voices like Ogilvy’s are needed to challenge the status quo. Or as he put it, to “open your eyes” to a world beyond the PGA Tour.

What if players turned down these outlandish appearance fees in Saudi Arabia and instead made a true grow-the-game trek to a tournament like the Vic Open? It’s not going to pad the bank account, but it certainly could be a catalyst for real change. Something meaningful.

Britain’s Meghan MacLaren, who recently told James Corrigan of The Telegraph that she wouldn’t be competing in the lucrative Saudi Ladies Championship because of how sport is being used in the Kingdom, penned a blog on equality following her play at the Vic Open.

“Equal treatment is where all the questions lie,” wrote MacLaren, “where all those with stakes in this game must look at themselves and ask if they can do better. Ask themselves what they would say when their daughter asks why playing golf may not be a viable career path when her brother didn’t have to wonder.”

Virginia Elena Carta, a thoughtful Italian who won the NCAA Championship at Duke and is continuing her studies at Cambridge before turning professional, posted a photo on twitter of her new college golf team.

She’s the only female.

On weekends, Carta plays 72-hole matches from the back tees alongside the men against the members of various host clubs. The main event against Oxford will feature only a handful of players (note the guys wearing the light blue jackets) from the Cambridge team. Carta said only three or four women in the history of the match have played varsity for the Blues. The match dates back to the 1800s.

These 11 young men are helping Carta stay sharp before she heads back to the U.S. to try and compete on the LPGA.

“When you talk about breaking barriers and you do it with the most amazing team of supportive, kind and joyful guys,” Carta wrote. “Thank you.”

Barriers aren’t broken alone.

[jwplayer RnDbLg3x-9JtFt04J]

[opinary poll=”does-purse-size-make-a-professional-even” customer=”golfweek”]

[lawrence-related id=778025340,778025331,778025050]

Nichols: These inspiring stories stick out from the last decade of covering golf

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols details her top five storylines from the past decade, ranging from amateurs to a Hall of Famer.

[jwplayer r9njw87E-9JtFt04J]

Some stories stick with you, both as a reader and a writer. When I sat down to make a list of my top five story lines from the past decade, the process took all of one minute. I sat there longer, of course, jotting down all other ones that came to mind. But the top five didn’t change.

What do those five stories have in common?

Inspiration.

The athletes highlighted in these memorable stories range from major winners to amateurs to soon-to-be rookies. Even a Hall of Famer.

All proved unforgettable. 

Lorena Ochoa retires from the LPGA on top of the world

My editor flew me down to Mexico when Lorena Ochoa announced her abrupt retirement in 2010. But he didn’t just send me to Mexico City, where she held her press conference. I also traveled to Guadalajara, where her father opened up the doors to her childhood home and lifelong friends and mentors sat down at the clubhouse patio to shed light on one of the most beloved figures in the game. But when I met Angelita at the 10th-hole snack bar, I knew exactly where this story had to begin.

More: Ochoa ends LPGA career on top, shifts gears to family

Cameron Champ’s stellar U.S. Open start brings family joy

It was Friday at the 2017 U.S. Open and amateur Cameron Champ was racing up the leaderboard. I caught up with his father on the 17th hole at Erin Hills and introduced myself. Thank goodness the final hole is a par 5, because I needed every inch of that long walk to the clubhouse to get the foundation of Champ’s story and his grandfather’s phone number.

I’ll never forget walking to the back of the media tent where it was quiet and sitting down on the steps to call Mack Champ. He was hooked up to a dialysis machine back home in California when I called and didn’t realize that his grandson was two shots off the lead at a major. I can still hear his heaving sobs of joy. So beautiful.

More: Champ’s stellar U.S. Open start brings family joy

Stacy Lewis gives away winner’s check to Houston

I was out of the country celebrating a friend’s milestone birthday the day Stacy Lewis won in Portland. I woke up in the middle of the night to a text from my husband that Lewis had given us one of those “this is why we love sports” moments. We somehow knew this would happen.

Even with all of her onsite obligations, she took my FaceTime call and reflected on what it meant to win for Houston. It’s a day I’ll never forget. I pulled an all-nighter and then went paragliding over Lake Como for my friend’s 40th the next morning. No doubt Lewis was flying higher!

More: Lewis earns emotional win for Houston: ‘I knew what it meant’

Haley Moore emerges as hero of NCAA final

While standing on the 18th green after Haley Moore sank the winning putt for Arizona, I turned to her mother, Michele, and asked if kids had been mean to her daughter growing up. Michele didn’t hesitate in answering. In May of 2018, I wasn’t quite sure how to ask that question. Now, Haley talks with ease about using her experience of being bullied as a platform to help young kids.

My heart gets full every time I think about it.

More: Moore emerges as hero at NCAA final

A dream duel at Augusta National

Tiger Woods won on Sunday at Augusta National in 2019. But if you had been there the week before, you would’ve already felt chills coming up the 18th. Walking onto the grounds of Augusta National and seeing nothing but women line the range and putting green was nothing short of surreal. That Jennifer Kupcho and Maria Fassi put on a show for the ages at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur made a day that many gave up on long ago all the more spectacular. Decades from now we’ll look back on it as a watershed moment in women’s golf.

More: Kupcho outlasts Fassi to win inaugural ANWA

And if I had to pick a sixth …

I remember pulling into the course in Rochester, New York, like it was yesterday and seeing Meredith Duncan walk toward my car with an armful of trial-sized toiletries. I rolled down the window to say hello and inquire about her load. Thus began one of the most authentic interviews I’ve ever had about life on tour. (I did manage to park my car before returning to talk to her on the range.)

More: Meredith Duncan reveals a side of the tour most don’t see

[lawrence-related id=778018057,778017960,778017906,778017316]

10 best LPGA players of the decade

Suzann Peterson? Lydia Ko? Ariya Jutanugarn? Golfweek reveals the best 10 LPGA players of the decade.

After Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa left the game to focus on family, youth mostly dominated the next decade on the LPGA.

A dozen players took a turn at No. 1 after Lorena Ochoa ended her streak of 158 weeks in May 2010.

The global nature of the tour exploded, with players like Shanshan Feng, Ariya Jutanugarn and Lydia Ko blazing trails from all corners of the world.

Golfweek takes a look back on the 10 best players of the past 10 years.

Brooke Henderson at the Meijer LPA Classic. (Al Goldis, AP)

10. Brooke Henderson

A two-time winner in each of the past four seasons, Canada’s darling has been a top-10 machine in her time on tour. With nine total victories, she’s the winningest player in Canadian golf history – male or female. Won an LPGA major at age 18.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10

How does life on tour compare for women and men? Let the numbers speak for themselves

For the first time in 10 years, I was home in Houston at the same time as the PGA Tour’s Houston Open. I have to be honest: I had no desire to set foot on the property. It was very disheartening to watch all the stands go up, see all the courtesy …

For the first time in 10 years, I was home in Houston at the same time as the PGA Tour’s Houston Open. I have to be honest: I had no desire to set foot on the property.

It was very disheartening to watch all the stands go up, see all the courtesy cars around town and then see the purse that these guys are playing for. A $7.5 million purse for an event that didn’t have a single player inside the top 30 in the world competing? Well, you ask, why am I so disappointed? For starters, through last month’s BMW Ladies Championship, LPGA events averaged 19 top-30 players at each tournament. Let’s run through some more stats.

The purse at the Houston Open was greater than every single tournament on the LPGA tour’s schedule. The closest is the U.S. Women’s Open at $5.5 million, which will be played here in Houston next summer. We received courtesy cars at two events this year (KPMG, U.S. Open), and the men get them every week.

I think the one number that really highlights the difference is the total amount of money each tour plays for in a season. PGA Tour players competed for more than $343 million plus an additional $71 million in bonuses in 2018-19, while the LPGA came in at $70.2 million with only $1.1 million in bonuses in 2019! I’ll do the math for you: The women play for roughly 17% of what the men do.

Stacy Lewis hits her tee shot on the 13th hole at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes Golf Club. (Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports)

This is significantly behind what women are making in the workplace in 2019. According to the latest report from Payscale.com, women make on average 79 cents to every dollar earned by a man. I’m not writing this to complain; I’m writing this to make you aware. I believe this topic needs to be talked about more and not be one we all shy away from because it is uncomfortable. It is the truth. Let’s talk about the truth.

Club manufacturers across the golf industry have begun to pull back on sponsorships on both sides, but this has been a huge hit to our tour. Callaway and PXG are the only companies consistently out every week, and we all so appreciate their investment, but neither have a tour van. I saw at least 10 companies with their trucks in Houston for the guys. The LPGA has a full-time employee who has to drive a van to service our players. I have heard of very good players having to buy their own equipment.

Life is very different on the LPGA. Another big difference is corporate sponsorships. While I don’t know specific numbers, I estimate the 17% applies here as well, and it may be even less. I have been very fortunate in my career off the golf course. I’ve had to work very hard for it, but I haven’t had to worry about covering my expenses every year. But there are plenty that do.

Let’s take the 100th-ranked player on the LPGA money list. This season Mariah Stackhouse made $127,365. No. 100 on the PGA Tour money list for 2018-19, Carlos Ortiz, made $1,073,962. Once Mariah pays taxes and expenses, I bet she barely breaks even. The PGA Tour had 112 guys make over a million dollars in 2018-19, while the LPGA has 13 so far this year.

Stacy Lewis waits to tee of on the 10th tee during the second round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club. (Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports)

The truth is LPGA players are playing for more than we ever have in our history. We have seen significant increases specifically in our major purses over the last few years. Why? Because the person/sponsor writing the check said 17% is not OK. I would love to see more companies that sponsor the PGA Tour come to an LPGA event and ask them if 17% is OK. Another truth is we currently have great sponsors and partners. Many have been with the LPGA for a long time, and we are so appreciative of them for our progress over the last decade. But I think it’s time we start looking forward and figure out how to narrow the gap.

This is an uncomfortable subject I know, and it’s not a simple fix. It goes back to the chicken or the egg, which comes first. You need to spend money to make more money, but how do you make more money if you don’t have it to spend? I’m OK with not having totally equal purses, but I think we can do better than 17%. Gwk

[lawrence-related id=778013176,778013046,778012956,778012812,778012747]

CME’s record prize sheds light on importance of financial security for LPGA players

Sunday’s unprecedented payday at the CME Group Tour Championship could be a life-changing day for one of 60 players at Tiburon Golf Club.

[jwplayer KOV21hKP-9JtFt04J]

NAPLES, Fla. ­– Stacy Lewis can’t put a price tag on what her first paycheck as a pro meant to her professional career. A share of third at the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open earned her $162,487, enough to eliminate the potential anxiety of paying the bills.

“Looking back, it was probably everything for my career,” said Lewis. “It completely took the pressure off.”

Sunday’s unprecedented payday at the CME Group Tour Championship – $1.5 million to the winner – could be a life-changing day for one of the 60 players at Tiburon Golf Club. Unlike previous years, anyone in the field can claim the big prize. The total purse for the week is $5 million.

CME Group Tour Championship: Tee times, TV info

CME’s commitment to raise the bar sends a message to current and potential sponsors, and everyone else, that women’s golf deserves more. There are favorites – World No. 1 Jin Young Ko, Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson to name a few ­– but Caroline Masson believes that any of the 60 players here can win the CME. In fact, she’s hoping someone unsuspecting grabs the title to further illustrate the depth of the LPGA. Twenty different players have won on the women’s tour this season. The last player in the field to gain entry happens to be Lewis, a former No. 1.

Since turning pro more than a decade ago, Lewis has watched too many of her peers leave the game due to financial strain.

“There’s really only a handful left,” she said of friends who turned pro around the same time. “It’s a lot of pressure to play to pay somebody back that loaned you money. You can’t think about winning a golf tournament when you’re thinking about that.”

The LPGA played for $70.2 million in total purse money this season along with $1.1 million in bonus money for the Aon Risk Reward Challenge and Leaders Top 10 competition. While the LPGA’s total purse keeps rising, consider that the PGA Tour played for $343 million in the 2018-19 season, plus $70 million in bonus money.

“Sometimes people say that’s why the guys play so well,” said Jaye Marie Green, “because they’re playing for so much money, and they have so much money, where they just feel free.”

Ah, freedom.

Exactly when a player stops worrying about money depends in part, said Georgia Hall, on how much money they had to begin with. Some start with the backing of a national federation or, for the lucky few, deep-pocketed sponsors. Others rely on the Bank of Dad or a hometown community that passed the hat.

“When I first got out here,” said Green, “I didn’t worry about money at all because I was so young that I didn’t really have a grasp of what money meant.”

Now the 25-year-old Green has a mortgage.

It took winning her first LPGA title at Kingsmill for Lizette Salas to relax about money. Like most players, Salas is more interested in trophies than paychecks, but feeling financially stable certainly helps get players into the winner’s circle more often. And even though her parents don’t expect her to pay back a dime, it’s important to Salas that she takes care of her family too.

“It’s definitely shocking to see all the money go out so quickly,” said Salas of weekly costs on the road. “… You also have to think of it as an investment. You invest in a good caddie, good swing coaches. You invest in this business and hopefully in the long run, you’re going to get more than what you put in.”

Masson said financial stability helps players focus when in contention. Those who need money, might get distracted thinking about it.

“I think that’s when these thoughts are really creeping in,” said Masson. “A top-10 finish is still a lot of money, pay some bills.”

Rory McIlroy left East Lake with $15 million for winning the FedEx Cup this year.

“If you win $15 million in one week, what do you do?” asked Jenny Shin. “Buy five Ferraris?”

At 27 years old, Shin has earned more than $4 million inside the ropes and thinks often about money in big-picture terms.

“You start thinking how much is enough?” asked Shin. “How much will I need to earn to be happily retired? Is there such a thing as happily retired?”

A $1.5 million payday won’t likely send the CME winner into retirement, but, in a way, the whole tour will celebrate with her.

“Hopefully we can convince more people that we deserve to play for that kind of money,” said Masson, “and deserve the attention we get for it, too.”

[opinary poll=”how-much-should-professional-golfers-kno” customer=”golfweek”]