Did you watch the Chevron Championship last weekend?
This should be the first question asked of anyone, or by anyone, at all interested in the game of golf. Not necessarily because it’s a women’s major (in fact, this author has his doubts to this claim as it is no longer the Dinah Shore tournament in Palm Springs), but principally due to how exciting of a tournament it was.
In the end, Nelly Korda came from one shot back to claim her 5th victory in a row and her second Major in total. This is really impressive stuff, and she is doing it week in week out against the best of her peers, on different styles courses, in different formats.
This five win stretch is something that should be banner material for golf; however, from the capital G golf world, her achievements are consistently compared to those of Scottie Scheffler. Such an approach is valid, but it nevertheless diminishes to a certain extent what is being achieved by Nelly as she equals a mark only set by greats of the women’s game.
Why? Well, apparently, the LPGA doesn’t matter, and if it does, it is only relevant as a comparison to the men’s game.
This is very frustrating to witness as a fan of golf who has been turned off the men’s professional game due to the fracture in the top level and the abrogation of management rules by the R&A and USGA that have allowed the best male players in the world to bully their way around every golf course. The same strategy occurs every week: hit it far, hit wedges, and then make some putts. This dilution of the game and lack of strategy has left me wanting more.
Therefore, I turned my channel to the LPGA tour, where the best play week in and out on a large variety of courses, with a wide variety of games and styles.
Everything I have been shouting for on the men’s tour was already there. All that was missing was a superstar, and Nelly Korda is definitely that. Not to mention that she has a fabulous supporting cast, ranging from the bombing Canuck Brooke Henderson, the curmudgeonly Irish Leona Maguire and the creative Aussie Hannah Green… and that’s just 3 names out of dozens that are worth watching. If you turn on this tour, you will find someone that plays the game closer to the style you might play, or chase to achieve: the limitations of the game forbit most from hitting it 300+ and playing golf like Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. They are, in a sense, playing their own sport or game—the days of them playing golf, as we know it as you tee it up on a Saturday morning, are gone—but the stars of the LPGA continue to play the game in its truest sense, with a variety of shots asked, styles of game prevelent on the tour, and so much more for like. If you turn on this tour, one of the many budding stars will become your favourite. This is why I have never met a casual fan of the LPGA.
This fandom works its way into your heart and helps stabilize your love of the game in a time of so much turmoil and uncertainly on the men’s side. For good measure, meeting a fellow LPGA fan at the pub or golf course evolves the discussion on golf beyond the surface-level discourse, leading to interesting stories and fellow observations that illuminate the game of golf in the proper light. Those who watch the LPGA are diehard golf fans, and this creates a wonderful family-like vibe among those who support the tour.
As such, if the product is great, the fans are passionate, and we have compelling stories, why does the wider world not care more than they currently do? I think the blame truly falls at the feet of the LPGA and the wider golf media.
As an additional experiment, I asked my golf friends to watch last week and to let me know what they think. Honestly, it was great feedback with a clear overarching theme: that the major barrier to entry was actually finding a way to watch it. At one point, I even had to send out a link for an illegal stream to a friend in replacement of a quality broadcast as it was not widely available… for a Major Championship, of all events! This is embarrassing for the tour and NBC.
The second point was that the quality of the broadcast is worse than that of a college tournament. It is apparent that the lack of cameras combined with on-the-ground talent leads to a large lag in the broadcasts, which slows the pace of the round down to a total grind. NBC and the LPGA Tour would be wise to truly invest in the game and the product to connect and draw in those passionate golf fans seemingly fatigued by the LIV vs PGA TOUR drama. The game of golf’s stock has never been higher—the fans are there—and with a better product, the support for the LPGA would grow exponentially, too.
Finally, the LPGA Tour has done a weak job at selling its venues and talents. If you don’t believe me, please, I implore you to watch the event from Wilshire this week. This Norman MacBeth layout is full of quirk, charm, and Golden Age interest not seen often on the Men’s side (or any professional golf tour, for that matter). It is a very cool golf course in Los Angeles, and after, the tour moves across the country to Liberty National, literally in the shadow of the beautiful skyline of Manhattan, New York. Oh, and we cannot forget the US Open this year is at the charming William Flynn Lancaster Country Club, a smaller-market golf course, yet filled with interest and merit. A scroll down the LPGA Tour schedule illustrates that this motif keeps going and going—they play great golf courses, and often, a sharp contrast in styles week-to-week, and a variety of interesting venues not often highlighted in the world of golf. But that’s just the golf courses they play: learning about the players through Instagram (specifically the world top 10) and other social media outlets reveals personality and interest. They are really unique, and fun on and off the golf course—a recipe for success!
With the fractured men’s game in shambles, ratings down, all while the game of golf continues to flourish post-pandemic, this is the LPGA’s time to take centre stage, and even with Nelly Korda, the world No. 1 golfer attempting to go for her 6th win in a row, withdrawing, this weekend’s event at Wilshire is the perfect time to tap into the tour and get familiar on one of the best week’s of the year.