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Hello,
It is crunch time as the LPGA Tour heads towards the CME Group Tour Championship and the very important end of year awards! In this issue of the newsletter, Nancy Berkley covers all the current standings and presents an award of her own!
Lovely to hear from so many readers during the month and so rewarding to bring you the best Women's Golf news, articles, and instruction.
Contact me at any time by email at info@womensgolf.com.
Best Wishes,
Jane
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With three tournaments still remaining, the 2017 LPGA Tour season has been the best and most exciting that I can remember. There have been more tournaments, more rules controversies, more definitions of dress codes, more drama at the Solheim Cup - and more rain!
The 2017 season ends with the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida November 16-19. The winner of the Race to the CME Globe takes home one million dollars. The season finale continues with a closing celebration with all the Tour players and the announcement of the winners of the following three awards:
The Rolex Player of the Year. As I write these Notes, the top-ranked players are So Yeon Ryu (Korea), Lexi Thompson (USA), and Sung Hyun Park (Korea).
The Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year. That winner is already determined: Sung Hyun Park of Korea (pictured below) is so many points ahead that no other rookie can possibly catch her in the standings. The award is named after Louise Suggs who one of the LPGA Founders.
The Vare Trophy named after Glenna Collett Vare will be awarded to the player with the lowest scoring average of 2017. Lexi Thompson has a good chance of taking home that trophy.
After the closing tournament, the Commissioner will announce the 2018 Tournament Schedule. My prediction is that 2018 will be a big one – with probably 35 tournaments (including two Asian “swings”). It will further confirm that the LPGA is, in fact, a “global” women’s golf tour. See my interview with the Commissioner, Mike Whan
I also predict that the Lorena Ochoa Match Play Event remains on the schedule. The Commissioner likes Top Golf and I wouldn’t be surprised if he included an event at a Top Golf location. I keep waiting for an LPGA and PGA Tour mixed tournament but think that is still a few years away.
A big event next season is the LPGA International Crown Tournament. The International Crown is played in alternate years to the Solheim Cup and is more “global” because unlike the Solheim Cup, the players do not have to be from just the USA or Europe. As soon as the Rolex Rankings are updated, the Commissioner will announce the eight countries that will compete in the LPGA’s International Crown Tournament. As of the publication of these Notes, the countries competing for the 2018 International Crown will be the Republic of Korea, United States, Japan, England, Australia, Thailand, Sweden and Spain. But, China and Chinese Taipei are not far behind so they could move up and replace those currently among the top-eight depending on how their players perform in the final three tournaments. Follow the International Crown rankings here.
No one asked me, but I decided to inaugurate one new 2017 award: Most Innovative LPGA Tournament of the 2017 Season. And the award goes to the Indy Women in Tech Championship Presented by Guggenheim September 7-10 at the Pete Dye course that plays both inside and outside the famous racetrack in Indianapolis, Indiana. Who can forget the picture of winner Lexi Thompson following the tradition of kissing the raceway’s bricks to celebrate a victory.
This tournament featured a program honoring the importance of women in the tech industry as well as the role Indy Women in Tech are playing in bringing more science and technology to Indianapolis schools. This tournament had it all!
One final note: In early November, the PGA of America will hold its annual meeting and Suzy Whaley – a member of both the LPGA and the PGA – will be elected to her second term as Vice President of The PGA. It’s expected that in 2018, she will become the President of the PGA of America – the first woman to hold that position. I think I just heard another glass ceiling break!
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Be Happy, Be Healthy, Live Longer, Play Golf.
NANCY
NancyBerkley.com
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About Nancy:
 Nancy Berkley (pictured here with World Golf Hall of Famer, Nancy Lopez) is an expert on women’s golf and junior-girls golf in the U.S. Nancy is a member of the World Golf Foundation Women’s Committee and a member of the National Golf Foundation. Nancy is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Harvard University, Rutgers Law School and has a degree from the Professional Management Program of Harvard Business School.
Nancy is an active golfer at Frenchman’s Creek Beach and Country Club, her home course in Palm Beach Gardens Florida, where she is a member of the Greens Committee. Describing herself as a good bogey golfer with permanent potential, Nancy shares news and her opinions about women’s golf on berkleygolfconsulting.com and nancyberkley.com.
You can also follow Nancy on Facebook and Twitter.
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Header Photo: Georgia Hall playing in Stage 2 of the 2017 LPGA Qualifying Tournament - Photo by Mark Seiden.
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