What a difference a day makes — KPMG recap — Must-click women’s golf links
By Addie Parker
The IX: Golf Thursday with Addie Parker, June 30, 2022
What a difference a day makes, I guess. Like Annie wrote on Monday, we spent last Golf Thursday celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX and less than 24 hours later millions of Americans had their world rocked with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Something we knew was coming, but doesn’t lessen the blow of having your reproductive rights, bodily autonomy, and right to privacy ripped away from you.
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Last week’s major tournament was held at Congressional Golf Club — just a 38 minute drive, but, if you know DC — add on 45 minutes of traffic — from our nation’s capital. An iconic course, with another historic payout, and a leading women’s sports organization. It was the perfect storm for the higher ups at the LPGA to stand up for their athletes and women across the country and yet the exact opposite happened.
The LPGA pulled the “no comment” card. Meanwhile, organizations like the WNBPA and NWSL issued timely statements expressing a clear stance on how they feel about the decision. If you recall earlier in the month, I had touched on how the tour lags behind other organizations with it comes to social issues, and this situation furthers my point.
However, the next day (Saturday), the LPGA posted this statement to its official social media pages:
It’s underwhelming at best. To deduce the court’s decision to a mere ‘conversation’ seems a bit out of touch…and dare I say as if a man wrote it. It’s disheartening as a fan to know that the governing body of women’s golf was late to the party on this, and once they arrived they showed up empty-handed.
Compared to this quote from the WNBPA: “This decision shows a branch of government that is so out of touch with the country and any sense of human dignity. We must recognize that when we cast a ballot it is to elect officials and to connect the dots to policies and legislation that align with our values.”
The LPGA missed its chance to stand up for something. This court decision is more than just a concern, it’s a violation of human rights.
Seems like tour players felt as though the organization didn’t say enough either, on Tuesday, over a dozen tour players including Michelle Wie West, Lydia Ko, Mel Reid, Brittany Lincicome, and Marina Alex posted identical messages over Twitter and Instagram as an act of solidarity in response to the SCOTUS decision.
Truthfully, I don’t know what to do, or say, or who to even turn to at this moment. It’s frightening that there are people who cheer for this, who think that this is about saving lives, and they haven’t thought far enough ahead to see that Roe was so much more than abortion rights. It sent the precedent for so many other decisions that are now vulnerable such as rights to contraception and same-sex marriage.
It’s easy to brush aside what voting can really do, but I fear our nation’s leaders are too comfortable with doing nothing to protect us. Check your registration status, know when your state’s primaries are, and make a plan to exercise your civic duty. We owe it to all these new babies the Supreme Court wants us to have.
“Reproductive freedom is critical to a whole range of issues. If we can’t take charge of this most personal aspect of our lives, we can’t take care of anything. It should not be seen as a privilege or as a benefit, but a fundamental human right.”
Faye Wattleton, American reproductive rights activist who was the first African American and the youngest president ever elected of Planned Parenthood Federation of America
This week in women’s in 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
As we say goodbye to June, we think about what this month means to a community that is ostracized in golf. Anytime pride-related content was posted on a major golf account, the homophobic keyboard warriors were there to make their presence known. Mel Reid opens up on LPGA.com about what pride is about and how golf and its governing bodies can be better. “I would like to see a little more support for Pride Month both from the LPGA and the PGA Tour. People might correct me, but I think it is easier for women to come out about their sexuality and it is extremely difficult for men in the sports industry,” said Reid. “You don’t need to be out there with a big rainbow flag on, but just be a little more sensitive to the subject.”
I’ve heard it time and time again, Brooke Henderson is one of the kindest, most down-to-earth people to grace the game and she now has a key to Ottawa! The CP Women’s Open, Canada’s national championship tournament, will take place at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club in August!
The halfway point of the season is here, and so are Rolex Rankings. Some names are climbing up the list, and could possibly shake things up in the second half of the season!!!
LET News
It’s nearly the halfway point of the 2022 Ladies European Tour (LET) and the 17th event is the Amundi German Masters. The Tour returns to Germany after six years and a field of 126 players will tee it up at Golf & Country Club Seddiner See in a 72-hole stroke play tournament from June 30 – July 3.
To WATCH , click here.
Epson Tour News
LPGA players have gone both ways when it comes to a new identity. Ally Ewing, Michelle Wie-West, and Lindsey Weaver-Wright are a few that have made the switch. Stacy, Lewis, Annika Sorenstam, Morgan Pressel, and Jessica Korda kept the name on which they built their careers…but what about those who take the name of their new spouse? What does that mean for them? Epson player Katelyn Sisk, formerly Katelyn Dambaugh, explains her “clean slate”.
Sibling success: Sarah White joins brother Brett as Michigan Open champ! Last week I had linked a different story on Sarah, but I thought this piece by the Detroit News was also worth a mention. Besides, who doesn’t love supporting local journalism???
NCAA News
The college scene is still relatively quiet, but here’s Golfweek’s 2021-22 college golf coaches and players of the year!
Other News
To lightened up the mood just a tad, please enjoy this hilarious Tik Tok of this family of “backyard commentators” in Cedar Falls, Iowa!
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Five at The IX: Notable topics from the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
The prize money
Before the first tee shot was even hit, this year’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship was making headlines. This year’s purse had DOUBLED compared to last year’s. A whopping total of $9 million, and the winner took home $1.35 million!!!
This isn’t the first major purse upgrade we’ve seen this year, and it’s not the last. The precedent has been set…let’s keep the money flowing.
TV coverage
Coverage, coverage, coverage — a topic we are no strangers to here at The IX. This year’s final round was the most watched in more than 15 years and due to slow pace of play (which we will get into), the last 30 minutes of coverage was bumped from NBC to CNBC due to the last group taking nearly six hours to finish their round. It had fulfilled its time slot and they were on to the next program. Women’s golf deserves better, and I’m honestly a bit shocked that this isn’t making more noise.
Based on the numbers, the demand to watch women’s golf, especially a major, is there…give the people what they want.
Pace of play
Imagine you’re playing a newly renovated Congressional, known for it’s difficulty, in 15-20 MPH winds, during a major championship Sunday WITH a million dollars on the line. You’d play slow too.
Six hour rounds of golf are excruciating, I’m a huge advocate for ready golf, but like Justin Thomas said…the rules committee should have read the room.
I don’t think being put on the clock was the only thing that led to Lexi Thompson’s final stretch melt down, but it certainly didn’t help. To add more fuel to the fire, she was then fined $2,000 for slow pace of play.
Lexi Thompson
It’s no secret that Lexi Thompson is in a drought. Her last victory was in June 2019 at the the ShopRite LPGA Classic outside of Atlantic City, New Jersey. Every player goes through that plateau period, no wins, some missed cuts, and you fall off the radar a little. But Lexi remains one of the most popular golfers on the LPGA Tour, she’s a crowd favorite.
Over the last couple of years, especially in majors, she gets so close to the finish line but can’t quite seem to hold on. And for the second consecutive week, she had a back-nine lead, but couldn’t close out.
But the point is, she’s there. Every week she shows up, she plays her game and she inches just a little bit closer. I think her time is coming, I hope she puts this past week in her rear-view and close out the second half of the year strong.
In Gee Chun
From firing and open round 64 ( a record) to shooting 75 on Saturday and Sunday, In Gee Chun had a time at Congressional. She’s no stranger to records, in 2016 at the the Amundi Evian Championship, she drained a 10 foot par putt on the last hole to finish at 21 under, setting a record for the lowest 72-hole score in men’s and women’s major championship history.
This was her fourth win on tour, three of which are majors…beyond impressive.
| 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 |
