When You Win, Win It With Style

Evian: In Gee Chun wins with record score

In Gee Chun completed a wire-to-wire win at the Evian Championship, setting a new major scoring record at 21 under.

In Gee Chun of Korea completed a wire-to-wire win at the Evian Championship on Sunday, finishing at a major championship record 21-under par, four strokes ahead of countrywomen Sung Hyun Park and So Yeon Ryu.

Chun was at 19-under 194 through 54 holes at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, and already tied for the lowest score in relation to par in a women's major championship. Karen Stupples won the 2004 Women's British Open at 19 under, as did Inbee Park at the 2015 KPMG Women's PGA Championship.

With a final-round two-under 69, Chun bettered the record for lowest score in a women's major by two strokes. It was her second career major win, the other being the 2015 U.S. Women's Open.

Chun also set the record for lowest score in relation to par in a men's or women's major. Jason Day won the 2015 PGA Championship at 20 under, while Henrik Stenson did the same at this year's Open Championship.

Park and Ryu finished tied for second, rounding out the all-Korean top three. This is Park's best finish in a major and Ryu's 10th career top-five in a major.

(GolfDigest.com)

The Medalists Did Not Suprise

Inbee Park, Lydia Ko and Shanshan Feng Win Medals in Rio

The Republic of Korea’s Inbee Park, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and China’s Shanshan Feng are Olympic medalists.

Saturday at the women’s competition in Rio de Janeiro, Park added gold medalist to her list of accomplishments by extending her 54-hole lead to as many as six-strokes over the course of the final round, winning at 16-under par to secure her place atop the podium. Ko finished at 11-under par for the silver medal, with Feng taking home the bronze medal at 10-under par.

(LGPA.com)

USGA Hits Blunder Trifecta With This

USGA President Murphy Apologizes for Calling Brittany Lang 'Bethany'

As if another rules controversy wasn't enough, USGA president Diana Murphy made a blunder of her own during the finale of the U.S. Women's Open on Sunday.

Following Brittany Lang's playoff victory, Murphy repeatedly called the newly minted major champion "Bethany" during the trophy presentation. It wasn't until several spectators watching corrected her that she noticed her mistake.

(Golf.com)

I'm Happy I Got To Watch This

Brooke Henderson Captures 2016 KPMG Women's PGA Championship

Brooke Henderson began her week at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship with a hole-in-one that won her a new car. She ended it with an even bigger keepsake – her first major championship, won in a battle of the LPGA Tour's two youngest stars.

(KPMGWomensChampionship.com)

There Were No Suprises In This Article

Undercover Tour Pro: LPGA Edition 

A quick cut on cliques and mean girls

The Koreans are, clearly, the biggest presence. They always stay in the same houses and eat together and are always sharing things. A lot travel with their parents, and it can get crazy. Moms and dads hovering, giving their daughters candy when they make a birdie, accusations of hand signals from the gallery, like what club another girl hit on a par 3. They root for each other to win more than any other nationality. Some of it is corporate-conditioned, too. A club company, for example, has a one-month retreat every winter where its players practice all day and eat meals and spend virtually every waking second with one another. 

The mean girls? They're all pretty, almost exclusively blonde, and usually diehard Republicans. These mean girls are nice to your face but then make a comment about you as soon as you leave. If you're not wearing the right designer brands, watch out. Very few women have clothing deals with fully scripted outfits, so only in our locker room will you ever hear, "Can you believe she paired that top with that skirt?"

(GolfDigest.com)

Sometimes The Driver Needs To Be Benched

The hottest LPGA player in the world won without using a driver

If you’re the type that prefers to scroll down and look at the clubs that were in the winner’s bag first, no, we’re not missing Ariya Jutanugarn’s driver. That’s because Jutanugarn didn’t carry one at the Volvik Championship, preferring to use her TaylorMade AeroBurner 3-wood and a trio of utility irons to keep the ball in play off the tee at Travis Pointe C.C. in Ann Arbor, Mich. The 3-wood was the only metal wood in her bag last week as she also took out her hybrid in favor of a 50-degree Titleist Vokey SM6 gap wedge.

(GolfDigest.com)

This Got Me Thinking

LPGA players aren't jealous. They're frustrated -- and rightfully so. Since its founding in 1950, Golf Digest has had 23 issues with women on the cover. Nine of those, she shared the cover with other male pros, and three had non-professionals on them (including TV personality Holly Sonders, model Kate Upton and social media starlet Paulina Gretzky). Eleven female professional golfers have had their own cover.

(ESPN.com)

Good For Her!

Lexi Thompson drilled a 359-yard drive at LPGA Tour's Lotte Championship

Lexi Thompson is no stranger to bombs off the tee, leading the LPGA Tour in driving distance with a 285-yard average. But what she did to her golf ball at the LPGA Tour's Lotte Championship was absurd.

At Ko Olina Golf Club's par-5 fifth hole, the 21-year-old crushed her drive a whopping 359 yards. That left Thompson with a 9-iron into the green:

Video link (GolfDigest.com)

Their 'Partnership' Is Just A Good Will Formality

LPGA Takeaway: Opportunities Abound, but Don't Read Too Much Into the PGA Alliance

"I wouldn’t read too much into ‘partnering’ with the PGA Tour," Whan says. "It’s not like we’re going to become one tour, we’re not going to become one organization, we’re not sharing board seats or ownership rights. Getting together is not going to change our personality or theirs, it’s not going to change how we treat the fans or theirs. We’re just going to get together and say, ‘Hey, is there an opportunity or two where we can play together and create something really special for the fans?'"

(Golf.com)

I Like This New Change

Most players under 50 no longer eligible for World Golf Hall of Fame

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Phil Mickelson was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2012 at the age of 41.

If the new requirements for nomination were in place then, he would have had to wait nine more years.

The Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday that the minimum age for induction has been raised from 40 to 50, with one exception – players who are five or more years removed from being active on their respective tours.

The new rule affects the status of Tiger Woods, who met the final requirement under the old system when he turned 40 years old in December. Woods, who has won 79 PGA Tour titles and 14 major championship, now can't be nominated until 2026, unless he retires from golf at least five years before that.

Lorena Ochoa, on the other hand, is eligible for nomination this year at the age of 34 under the exception to the 50-year-old requirement. She retired from the LPGA in 2010 after winning 27 tournaments.

One criticism of the Hall of Fame was the 40-year-old minimum, which elevated players such as Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh when they were still in their early 40s. Even players who went in soon after turning 40 had reservations.

(PGA.com)

Damn, She's Still Got Game

Caitlyn Jenner Embraced at LPGA's ANA Inspiration Pro-Am

Caitlyn Jenner made her first appearance at a tournament pro-am post-transition this week at the ANA Inspiration. The famously competitive golfer didn’t disappoint, holing out for eagle on the first hole. American soccer star Abby Wambach, part of Jenner's group, cheered her on. 

(Golf.com)

She Will Be Missed On Tour

Se Ri Pak announces her retirement 

The LPGA Hall of Famer and inspiration to a generation of South Korean golfers will wrap up her competitive career in 2016 

PHOENIX -- Se Ri Pak, the godmother of Korean golf whose twin major victories in 1998 at age 20 inspired a generation of girls to greatness in her homeland, announced her retirement Thursday at the JTBC Founders Cup.

Pak, who will be 39 in September, says she will play a few more events this year before hanging up her competitive clubs for good. She posted a three-under 69 in the first round at the Wildfire Golf Club.

“Basically, 2016 will be my last full-time season,” she said after her round Thursday. “I know I love to play golf but it is also my dream to help others.” She said she is “going back to my country” to help young girls pursue their dreams.

Pak walks away from the game as the all-time LPGA winner among Koreans with 25 titles, ranking her 23rd in tour history.

(GolfDigest.com)

An Impressive Hole In One

Interview With Ha Na Jang Who Recorded Albatross At Par 4 During 2016 Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic  

Video link (LPGA.com)

Luckily The Awesome Win Overshadows The Controversy

U.S. Stages Incredible Comeback to Beat Europe and Win Solheim Cup

ST. LEON-ROT, Germany (AP) -- After being infuriated by a call they found unsportsmanlike, the Americans staged the biggest comeback in Solheim Cup history Sunday to wrest the trophy back from Europe.

Paula Creamer defeated Germany's Sandra Gal to complete the turnaround and secure a 14 1/2-13 1/2 victory for the United States, which had trailed by four points going into the singles.

(Golf.com)

She Earned Her Card As She Should After Her Win

Canadian Teen Brooke Henderson Receives Waiver to Join LPGA Tour

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) Two days after Canadian teen Brooke Henderson won on the LPGA Tour, she won the right to be a member.

LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan said Tuesday he has granted membership immediately to the 17-year-old Henderson. She won the Cambia Portland Classic on Sunday for her first LPGA victory.

The LPGA Tour has a minimum age requirement of 18. Whan denied Henderson's request for a waiver last year. He had only granted two exceptions to the rule—Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson, mainly because both had already won.

(Golf.com)

Inbee Makes It 3, In A Row

Park wins third consecutive Women's PGA

HARRISON, N.Y. (AP) — Inbee Park shot a final round 68 and finished at 19-under par to win the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for the third consecutive year and retake the No. 1 ranking in women's golf.

The 26-year-old from South Korea made five birdies and shot a bogey-free round at the Westchester Country Club, finishing the season's second major five strokes ahead of 22-year-old compatriot Sei Young Kim on Sunday.

Park, who shot a 273 for the tournament, tied the Tour record for the lowest score in a major in relationship to par and finished the four rounds with 22 birdies and just three bogeys.

(PGA.com)

I Think She's Good, But Not Good Enough, Yet

The beef Brooke Henderson's dad has with the LPGA Tour

"We hope [LPGA commissioner] Mike Whan meets with the committee and that there is a democratic process," Bruce Henderson said. "Brooke is good for golf, she's good for revenue, she brings young people into the game."

Where Henderson's request falls short is that even if Whan granted her an age exemption, that only makes her eligible to be a member. She would still have to earn her card, and there are three ways to do that:

1. Win an LPGA event.
2. Finish in the top 40 on the final LPGA money list.
3. Go to LPGA Qualifying school at the end of the year and earn a card there.

If Whan had granted Henderson an age exemption when she applied last year, it would have only made her eligible to TRY to be a member at Q school. Remember, Michelle Wie, for all her early success, still had to earn her card at Q school.

(GolfDigest.com)

One Of My Favorite LPGA Member's Got A Win!

Suzann Pettersen wins Manulife LPGA Classic

CAMBRIDGE, Ontario (AP) -- Suzann Pettersen birdied two of the last three holes to win the Manulife LPGA Classic on Sunday for her 15th LPGA Tour victory and first since October 2013.

Pettersen closed with a 3-under 69 in windy conditions for a one-stroke victory over Brittany Lang at Whistle Bear Golf Club, the first-year venue after three seasons at Grey Silo in Waterloo.

Pettersen blasted out of a greenside bunker to 2 feet on the par-5 16th to set up a birdie that tied Lang for the lead, then hit a 5-iron to 8 feet for another birdie on the 191-yard, par-3 17th. The 34-year-old Norwegian parred the par-4 18th, hitting her long first putt to a foot.

Pettersen finished at 22-under 266. She ended a 35-event victory drought and is projected to jump from 10th to fifth in the world ranking.

(PGA.com)