The future is bright — Cincinnati quotes — Must-click women’s golf links
By Addie Parker
The IX: Golf Thursday with Addie Parker, Sept. 8, 2022
Consider this week’s Golf Thursday the sequel to my final sentence from last week. Seeing greats like Serena and Sue, both in their 40s, leaving their sports happy and healthy is all we could ever want for our idols. A farewell tour doesn’t always have to mean going out in a blaze of glory. They’ve given decades of their lives to create this moment for women’s sports to be in the best possible position.
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In our neck of the woods, The LPGA and EPSN+ announced the coverage of tournaments on ESPN+, marking the first time Featured Groups for the tour being streamed live on any platform. It seems like I’ve been a broken record over the last several months about giving these players the screen time they deserve and the time has come— this is HUGE!!!
Not only does this benefit tour players, but think about how many people now have the opportunity to be exposed to golf itself. ESPN+ has about 22.3 million subscribers and counting. Gen Z is locked into their screens constantly, they don’t care for traditional cable TV, they are in the streaming era, and organizations are beginning to understand their consumer power (I’m also a Gen-Zer but I’m a 90s baby so let’s pretend I’m not).
This coverage on ESPN+ also marks the return of live coverage of the LPGA Tour to an ESPN platform for the first time since 2018. Featured groups for today and tomorrow have already been assigned, tune in NOW!!!!
Viewerships for the WNBA (which is always a top of discussion) is up 16% compared to the 2021 season, Serena’s last match was the most watched tennis match in the sports history...enough said, and women’s sports across the board have seen an influx of popularity.
As more and more players retire, new faces are popping up and taking things by storm. We look at where women’s golf is today, Lucy Li was just 11 when she qualified for the U.S. Open in 2014. Eight years later, she was the first to earn her 2023 tour card and was in contention last week at the Dana Open.
Joining Lucy in earning her tour card early is Xiaowen Yin, who currently sits at No. 2 on the Epson Tour Official Money List. She’s the youngest player on the Epson Tour, but she’ll ring in her 18th birthday in December before making her LPGA debut.
If you thought 19 and 17-year-olds made you feel old, how about 14-year-old Gianna Clemente qualifying for the Queen City Championship this week!!!
At 17, Lydia Ko became world No. 1 and is a force on the LPGA. Lexi Thompson, Brooke Henderson, Michelle Wie West, and so many others stormed onto the scene at such young ages and have been shaping the game ever since.
These young girls and young women are pursuing their dreams and are doing so with conviction. The amount of guts it takes to pursue a professional golfing career in something you can’t fathom unless you witness it first hand. We could all take a page out of the Gen Z playbook and just go for it. Whatever it is, just do it. Play as if you have nothing to lose, because at the end of the day, if you aren’t willing to take a chance on yourself, who else will?
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This week in women’s golf
If you have links you wish to share for Golf Thursday, sources for golf news, or want to talk about anything at all, you can email me at addieparker25@gmail.com ! Discussion of any kind is always welcome…I mean it…MESSAGE ME!
LPGA News
All things Cinci-related:
How to watch it ; Who’s in the field ; The course.
Gaby Lopez fought hard to win the Dana Open, Megan Khang was close behind.
Players react to Serena’s impact on tennis, and women’s sports.
LET News
G4D Skaftö Open: A first for the LET and golfers with disability.
Epson Tour News
The role of indigenous people in golf is extremely important…seven events over the course of the season are sponsored and run by tribal communities, and the Epson Tour shows their gratitude.
This is your sign to never ever give up…one bogey could mean 11 birdies.
NCAA News
Rose Zhang is out being Rose Zhang…I’m hype for what she will do in her sophomore season.
Shaft Education: The fastest way to get longer and straighter off the tee.
Five at The IX: Kroger Queen City Championship Quotes
“Like with me, especially being like a teenager, you think you know everything but you don’t, so that’s what I’ve been learning; I don’t know everything.”– Anna Davis on what she has learned about herself this year.
I really enjoy golf again this year. That’s been my journey this year. I had two goals, and one is to play healthy golf. I fought an injury last year, just trying to grind through this slump I was in, and sometimes you push harder and it doesn’t always — kind of had to take a step back and look at a lot of things in my life.” – Jillian Hollis, won on the Epson Tour in August to her back at an LPGA event which so happens to be in her home state.
“I’m a very fiery player out there. I really have a hard time to calm myself on the golf course because I know I get pumped up. But yeah, I’ve had terrible past two nights. I talked to my psychologist and coach today, I’m ready to start from zero, because at the end of the day it’s a brand-new tournament, it’s another opportunity, and we all start from zero.” – Gaby Lopez, most recent winner on the tour, on how she resets after winning.
“Yeah, definitely getting my card through the Epson Tour was the No. 1 goal this year. Definitely was really nice to be able to do that earlier in the season and get that off my mind.” – Lucy Li on the excitement around clinching her tour card.
“I think it’s really great they’re coming on board and having a few more featured groups. I think the coverage is going to be really great for or tour. And also just as players, just to get a little bit more people interested in us as well.” – Minjee Lee on the EPSN+ annoucement, she’s in today’s first featured group.
| Mondays: Soccer |
| By: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Women’s Soccer |
| Tuesdays: Tennis |
| By: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer |
| Wednesdays: Basketball |
| By: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The Next |
| Thursdays: Golf |
| By: Addie Parker, @addie_parker, The IX |
| Fridays: Hockey |
| By: @TheIceGarden, The Ice Garden |
| Saturdays: Gymnastics |
| By: Lela Moore, @runlelarun, Freelance Writer |
