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Nelly Korda’s thrilling win in the U.S. Women’s Open at storied Riviera a few weeks ago was a tremendous advert for the female game.
Charley Hull’s weekend charge, meanwhile, came with a rousing rallying cry which may not have had the same soaring, erudite elegance of Winston Churchill but still lifted the morale for fans of women's golf in the UK. Hull was seven shots off the lead after 36 holes, but covered her closing two rounds in a brilliant 10-under to finish in a share of second, just a stroke behind the jubilant Korda.
And what uplifting words sparked this fightback? “I just thought, ‘f*** it’,” Hull said as she threw off the shackles.
Most of us mere mortals, of course, will mutter that same phrase to ourselves at the medal but that’s always in sighing resignation rather than spirited defiance.
More: What does Nelly Korda need to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame?
Hull has now finished second in five major championships over the seasons. At just 30, there is plenty of time for her to make a breakthrough, but the one thing those golfing gods don’t dish out is guarantees.
For example, Colin Montgomerie won just about everything under the sun, but he too had five second-place finishes in the majors and never got over the line. It’s a fickle old business.
The U.S. Women’s Open was a true showpiece occasion, and it certainly made up for the disappointingly low-key start to the season in April when Korda won the opening women’s major of the new campaign at the Chevron Championship.
With sparse crowds and a general lack of oomph, that event in Houston felt so downbeat; it made "Requiem in D Minor" sound like the theme tune from the Benny Hill Show.
Riviera, though, served up a cracker with Hull and Korda, two of the most recognisable faces in the women’s game, going toe-to-toe. Golf, as a whole, benefits from that kind of captivating rivalry.
Back-to-back major wins, meanwhile, for Korda help to heighten exposure, something the women’s game desperately craves.
Eager observers are already giddy at the prospect of the world No 1 making it three-in-row at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship this week while talk of a grand slam – there are five majors in the women’s game, remember – grows in volume.
Yes, we probably all need to calm down on that front, but potentially historic storylines are certainly no bad thing, and the LPGA Tour needs to capitalize on this interest and intrigue.
Riviera, as always, provided a classic U.S. Open examination. Bringing such events to these historic venues also helps elevate the occasion.
In recent years, both the USGA and the R&A have championed the female cause by taking the U.S. Women’s Open and the AIG Women’s Open, respectively, to some of the game’s most iconic courses on both sides of the pond.
Whether it’s Riviera, Pebble Beach or Pinehurst in the U.S. or the Old Course, Royal Troon, Muirfield and Royal Lytham on the other side of the Atlantic, it’s a very welcome trend.
But why stop there? Imagine this trend eventually leading to a women’s professional event at Augusta National?
In a stroke, a Women’s Masters would become the biggest tournament in women’s golf; an aspirational event for both established and emerging golfers and one that could redefine Augusta’s legacy.
Fred Ridley, the Augusta National chairman, has often claimed that there are “some fundamental difficulties” about staging a Women’s Masters.
But Ridley’s club, which does of course host the Augusta National Women's Amateur, has the infrastructure and financial clout to overcome just about anything.
There will be a way to host a women’s professional event at Augusta.
But there needs to be a will, too.
Nick Rodger is a longtime golf correspondent for the Scotland Herald, part of USA Today Co.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Women's Masters at Augusta National is what LPGA truly needs
Continue reading...
Charley Hull’s weekend charge, meanwhile, came with a rousing rallying cry which may not have had the same soaring, erudite elegance of Winston Churchill but still lifted the morale for fans of women's golf in the UK. Hull was seven shots off the lead after 36 holes, but covered her closing two rounds in a brilliant 10-under to finish in a share of second, just a stroke behind the jubilant Korda.
And what uplifting words sparked this fightback? “I just thought, ‘f*** it’,” Hull said as she threw off the shackles.
Most of us mere mortals, of course, will mutter that same phrase to ourselves at the medal but that’s always in sighing resignation rather than spirited defiance.
More: What does Nelly Korda need to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame?
Hull has now finished second in five major championships over the seasons. At just 30, there is plenty of time for her to make a breakthrough, but the one thing those golfing gods don’t dish out is guarantees.
For example, Colin Montgomerie won just about everything under the sun, but he too had five second-place finishes in the majors and never got over the line. It’s a fickle old business.
The U.S. Women’s Open was a true showpiece occasion, and it certainly made up for the disappointingly low-key start to the season in April when Korda won the opening women’s major of the new campaign at the Chevron Championship.
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With sparse crowds and a general lack of oomph, that event in Houston felt so downbeat; it made "Requiem in D Minor" sound like the theme tune from the Benny Hill Show.
Riviera, though, served up a cracker with Hull and Korda, two of the most recognisable faces in the women’s game, going toe-to-toe. Golf, as a whole, benefits from that kind of captivating rivalry.
Back-to-back major wins, meanwhile, for Korda help to heighten exposure, something the women’s game desperately craves.
Eager observers are already giddy at the prospect of the world No 1 making it three-in-row at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship this week while talk of a grand slam – there are five majors in the women’s game, remember – grows in volume.
Yes, we probably all need to calm down on that front, but potentially historic storylines are certainly no bad thing, and the LPGA Tour needs to capitalize on this interest and intrigue.
Riviera, as always, provided a classic U.S. Open examination. Bringing such events to these historic venues also helps elevate the occasion.
In recent years, both the USGA and the R&A have championed the female cause by taking the U.S. Women’s Open and the AIG Women’s Open, respectively, to some of the game’s most iconic courses on both sides of the pond.
You must be registered for see images attach
Whether it’s Riviera, Pebble Beach or Pinehurst in the U.S. or the Old Course, Royal Troon, Muirfield and Royal Lytham on the other side of the Atlantic, it’s a very welcome trend.
But why stop there? Imagine this trend eventually leading to a women’s professional event at Augusta National?
In a stroke, a Women’s Masters would become the biggest tournament in women’s golf; an aspirational event for both established and emerging golfers and one that could redefine Augusta’s legacy.
Fred Ridley, the Augusta National chairman, has often claimed that there are “some fundamental difficulties” about staging a Women’s Masters.
But Ridley’s club, which does of course host the Augusta National Women's Amateur, has the infrastructure and financial clout to overcome just about anything.
There will be a way to host a women’s professional event at Augusta.
But there needs to be a will, too.
Nick Rodger is a longtime golf correspondent for the Scotland Herald, part of USA Today Co.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Women's Masters at Augusta National is what LPGA truly needs
Continue reading...
