U.S. Women’s Open June 4 – June 7 at Riviera Country Club

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Another major golf championship and another week of “must watch golf television.”

REASONS TO WATCH

(1) The Course: Riviera Country Club in LA is an old school course and always a “test” for the men on the PGA Tour. It’s the first time a women’s major has been brought to this iconic course. The most famous hole is the 6th hole, par 3 with the bunker in the middle of the green. Fun fact, regular members are not allowed to chip over the bunker while on the green; but pros can chip during a championship (and that is because they can do it without taking a divot). The other hole that is discussed frequently is hole #10 where the player needs to decide which fairway to drive (the right or left side).

If you want to see every hole the USGA has a good YouTube Flyover video.

(2) The Players: For me, it’s about the best women golfers in the world wanting to win the oldest and most important major for women’s golf. Who do I want to see get lots of television coverage and win:

Nelly Korda – this is obvious as the #1 player in the world. But more interesting is that she has not played well in previous U.S. Women’s Open. Perhaps it’s been a mental issue – it means too much? Or just fatigue. Nelly has completely changed her routine to “rest and not play” LPGA events the week before big events. It’s seems to be working since she won the first major of the year, The Chevron. And, it’s also exciting to watch to see if she can win the first two majors of the year. She has been playing great – she has played 7 events, won three times (including a major) and placed second three times.

And I am a fan of Charley Hull, Brooke Henderson and Lauren Coughlin so I would be happy if any one of them won the championship; but I think it might be an up hill battle if Korda comes to Riviera in great form. If Nelly doesn’t win then I think Hannah Green or Lottie Woad might be a good bet.

(3) New Pro that just played in the NCAA D1 Women’s Championship: Megha Ganne (from Stanford) and the reigning 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion. She is on a high with Stanford winning the Team NCAA D1 Championship just a few weeks ago. Ganne has an infectious personality and a solid game so hopefully she plays well and gets tv time.

(4) Amateurs to Watch: Kiara Romero (University of Oregon from the USA) is the #1 Female Amateur in the world. Romero shot a final round 5 under (67) in the last round of the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills. What was truly remarkable was the fact that on Saturday she shot an 84 (so a 17 shot improvement). Farah O’Keefe (University of Texas from the USA) just won the NCAA D1 Individual title a few weeks ago. Maria Jose Marin (University of Arkansas from Columbia) is the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur Champion. Asterisk Talley is a 17-year-old that took home co-low amateur at the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open. Aphrodite Deng (from Canada) is the 2025 U.S. Girls Junior Champion. There are many more I could list but these are the one’s I will keep an eye on for the low-amateur title.

Finally, it is “must watch television” because it is the most important major in women’s professional golf!

HOW TO WATCH

THURSDAY AND FRIDAY: Watch on USA Network from 2 pm to 7 pm and then replay on NBCSN (or Steam on Peacock) 7 pm to 10 pm

SATURDAY (Moving Day): Watch on NBC from 5 pm to 7 pm and Peacock 7 pm to 10 pm

SUNDAY (Championship Round): Watch on NBC from 3 pm to 5 pm on NBCSN and 5 pm to 8 pm on NBC; or stream 3 pm to 8 pm on Peacock.

Age Differences in Men and Women in Elite Amateur Four-Ball Competition

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I was looking at the USGA website to follow the Men’s Amateur Four-Ball championship and I was struck by the ages of the men; especially after following the Women’s Amateur Four-Ball earlier this year.

If you are not familiar with the USGA Four-Ball Amateur Championship, there are 128 sides (two golfers on a side or team) and 256 total competitors. They play two rounds of four-ball stroke play to get the field down to 64 sides (teams) that will participate in match play over three days. Day 1 has 64 sides (or 32 matches), Day 2 has 16 matches, and Day 3 is the semifinal matches and the final match for the championship.

The USGA Website lists the age breakdown of championship events and If you look at the Women’s field versus the Men’s field it is really striking but after thinking about it, not as surprising as I first thought.

So here is a quick comparison of ages for the 4-ball championships:

For me the striking comparison is the total players age 31 to 60 with 149 men playing in the 2026 Amateur 4-ball and only seven (yes, seven) women in the age range of 31-60 in the 2026 Women’s Amateur 4-ball.

After some thought I basically believe it is the cycle of life that represents the age difference; and you see this in professional golf too. If you are a fan of the LPGA you know that when the ladies get into their 30s many retire (or take a leave) to have children. Yes, the LPGA has great day care but I think it is still very difficult for women to be professional golfers and raise their children. But it can be done! Julie Inkster is famous for balancing her professional golf career and raising her two daughters.

I did google the topic and a number of other “reasons” were listed such as:

(1) Physical Development – I found it interesting that one point made was that young female golfers can achieve the driving distance of their older female counterparts sooner. While boys do not have the physical ability to achieve the same driving distance that is required in the power game of men’s golf (hitting drives over 300 yards). So you will see a thirteen year old girl driving it as far as an LPGA player but you won’t see a thirteen year old boy driving it as long as a PGA Tour player. Interesting premise.

(2) Women that have the skills to turn professional do it at a younger age then men turning professional. I think it is true that women turn professional sooner because they are aware that by 30 they may want to start a family. And of course there was the “Michelle Wei” effect on the LPGA. However, this may also be changing as you see players like Blades Brown turning pro at 16 and playing on the Korn Ferry tour. But what that doesn’t solve is the question as to why so many elite amateur female golfers that do not turn pro, also do not continue competing in elite amateur golf.

There are women that continue to play after college golf if you look at the USGA Mid-Amateur Championships which are for men or women 25 years or older. It is interesting to note that the field size is different. The men’s Mid-Am. has 264 competitors and the women’s Mid-Am field is 132 competitors.

Even in the amateur golf (casual leagues) I play in you see that most of the women are past child rearing age so it’s not just about having a job that keeps them from playing. But once the kids are off to college a lot of women find golf again and enjoy playing.

I will say it is nice to see more women in their 20 and 30s recognizing the importance of golf from a business/career perspective; and I do see more young couples playing on the weekends. But as far as serious amateur competition goes I do think we will continue to see the age gaps. However, with young girls being the fastest growing demographic in golf it would not surprise me if in the future more women find their way to elite competitive golf.

Reasons to Watch the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink

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Of all four majors the PGA Championship is the one that I do not get overly excited about to watch. I’m not saying I don’t want to watch it but it just doesn’t carry the same interest for me. I think if I surveyed most golf fans they would rank the majors as (1) The Masters, (2) U.S. Open, (3) The Open, and (4) PGA Championship. Well, maybe non-us golf fans would rank The Open ahead of the U.S. Open.

Since it is not one of my favorite events I was thinking what are the reasons to watch (besides the fact I just like to watch golf).

(1) Jordan Spieth – Every year the question arises can Jordan Spieth get hot and win. Spieth needs the PGA Championship to achieve his career grand slam. This year Spieth appears to be in better form. He has played in 12 events and made 11 cuts (missing the cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open). He has had six top 25 finishes. But frankly he is no where near the form he needs to be a favorite to win the PGA Championship. But we can hope for a miracle and that “the Spieth of 2015” suddenly appears.

(2) The Top Dogs – If you assume one of the top three players in the world will win then the question is will it be Scottie, Rory, or Cam. And yes I think golf fans know that Cameron Young is number three in the world and popular enough to be known by his first name. I am betting on Scottie because I think he has something to prove with so many runner up finishes this year. Of course, I heard that Rory spend a week at Aronimink so perhaps that strategy will allow Rory to win. It was interesting how poorly he played at Quail Hollow (the week before the PGA Championship). The Golf analysts all had Rory winning Quail Hollow because he had won there four times; but he shot 5 over on Saturday and basically was not a factor.

If you had to bet and the choice was one of the “top three in the world rankings” or “the field.” What would you bet? I’ve heard smart betters would take “the field” but I would bet one of “the top three” to win. And, as I mentioned above, if I have to pick one guy – it’s Scottie.

(3) The Course – Aronimink is a classic Donald Ross design located in Pennsylvania. The PGA Championship was held at Aronimink in 1962 and won by Gary Player. Gil Hanse completed the restoration of the course to “bring it back to the original Donald Ross design.” Hole 11 is a featured hole with 20 bunkers. I saw a video interview in which Gil Hanse said the course went from 79 bunkers to 179 bunkers. Hanse also said the greens are the major defense for the course because many greens have sever slopes and/or spines. Viewing the Aronimink hold-by-hole previews on Golf Channel it is beautiful and it is always fun to see a championship on a course we don’t normally get to see as amateur golfers.

Hopefully as the championship plays out there will be compelling reasons to tune-in and watch. The PGA Championship website has all the information on broadcast stations and times.

Chevron Championship – 1st LPGA Major of 2026

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This week, April 23 to 26, is the first major for the LPGA at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston Texas. I’m always excited for any major in golf but I have to admit that I still wish this championship was in Mission Hills with Poppy’s Pond. However, when Chevron took over sponsorship, it became obvious the location would move to Texas. So let’s focus on 2026.

New Location for 2026

This is a new location for the championship in Texas. In the past three years, after the move from Mission Hills, the championship was at Carlton Woods in the Woodlands. If you watched the 2025 broadcast it was shocking how few fans were at the championship. The new location, Memorial park is closer to Houston and also hosts the PGA Tour event, Texas Children’s Houston Open; which was won by Gary Woodland this year. Clearly Chevron and the LPGA are hoping to increase fan engagement so that this event will actually feel like a major.

2026 Contenders

(1) #1 Player in the World: Jeeno Thitikul – It’s always an assumption that the number one player in the world will contend at the majors. That player is Jeeno Thitikul. She won the Honda LPGA Thailand in February but since then has a T31, T14, T50, T17 so not sure what her form is going into Chevron.

(2) #2 Player in the World : Nelly Korda – In 2024 Nelly Korda was the #1 player in the world and dominating the women’s game. Korda had seven LPGA victories; including winning the Chevron Championship.

In 2025 Korda lost her world #1 status and had zero wins in 19 events. It was well documented that Korda was dealing with a neck injury and took quite a bit of time off to recover.

Korda started off 2026 with a win at the first LPGA event and then took six weeks off (skipping the “asia swing” of the LPGA season). After her “break,” in the next three LPGA events, Korda finished second, second, and a tie for second. So I would say Korda with a win and three 2nd place finishes in four events is a nice start for her competitive eason.

Korda has taken the week before the first major off. Korda has made it very clear that she will play less events this year and not play more than four events in a row. Some in the press have criticized her for missing the “asia swing” of the tour but my opinion is she has a right to protect her body.

(3) Two Time WInners in 2026: Two players have won twice in 2026.

Hanna Green – Australia, Hanna Green, is having a great start to her 2026 season and won the JM Eagle LA Championship (the week before the Chevron). It was impressive because Green was six shots back and won in a playoff. Not only has she won two LPGA events but also has won twice on the Ladies European Tour (LET) this year.

Hyo Joo Kim – Hyo Joo Kim came out firing in 2026. She had back-to-back wins in February and it looked like she was going to have a “Korda 2024 year.” However the streak died quickly and she hasn’t been a big presence in recent events.

My Prediction:

There are a host of other players that are playing well including American Lauren Coughlin; and of course fan favorites like Charlie Hull and Lydia Ko. You cannot count out the young new LPGA stars like Lottie Woad of England or one of the IWIA sisters from Japan. Given that in 2025 the LPGA had 29 different winners (an LPGA record) and no truly dominant player; it’s hard to predict a winner for Chevron.

Yes, I said it is hard to pick a winner but what fun would it be not to try. I will go with Nelly Korda. First, I’m hoping her new plan to create a schedule that keeps her healthy works. Second, the fact she has won or come in 2nd in the four events she has played in this year can’t be ignored. It doesn’t appear that she is “rusty” after the breaks she takes from competitive golf. Of course, I have no idea what her form is and if we go off form, then you would have to say that Hanna Green has all the momentum to win the first major.

Of course, I picked Scottie Scheffler to win the Masters and said there was no way Rory would win back-to-back (in my defense, if I had known Rory spend the three weeks before the Masters playing Augusta National every week I may have had a different opinion). Bottom line, I would not bet money on my prediction. However, let’s hope I get the first major winner for the LPGA correct in 2026.

Stipends Paid to Golfers that Miss the Cut at Major Championships

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Unlike regular golf tour tournaments, players that miss the cut at a major championship actually get paid. The majors do not call it prize money but rather a stipend to help offset the cost of participating in a major.

Here is a break down of the stipends from 2025 by Major (organization running the championship):

Men’s Championships

(1) The Masters (Augusta National) – $25,000 (increase from $10,000 in previous years). This was the stipend last week (in 2026).

(2) The PGA Championship (PGA of America) – $4,000 (increased from $3,200 in 2021)

(3) The U.S. Open (USGA) – $10,000 (I know this was the amount as far back as 2014).

(4) The Open (R&A) – A sliding scale is used by the R&A; with the first 10 getting $12,350, 11-20 getting $10,300, and the rest of the players that missed the cut getting $8,750

Women’s Championship

(1) Chevron Championship (LPGA) – $10,000

(2) U.S. Women’s Open (USGA) – $10,000 (increased from $4,000 in 2024)

(3) KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (PGA of America) – $4,000

(4) AIG British Women’s Open (R&A) – $4,000

(5) Amundi Evian Championship (LPGA/LET) – $3,000

My source for all the amounts of stipends in 2025 were from Golfweek and Thegolfnews.net (which confirmed the same amounts so I have confidence that they are correct numbers).

I would not be surprised if we see increases to these amounts in 2026 or in the coming years. History has shown that if one major increases a purse or stipend that other majors will follow with an increase.

This might not seem like a big deal for the stars of the tours who can afford the expense (e.g., renting homes at the majors, etc); but for the journeymen golf professionals it is a wonderful benefit for the players that qualify to play in a major championship.

Finally, if you are wondering, Amateurs are not eligible for the stipend.

The Masters – 2026 Thoughts and Predictions

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It’s time to think about who will win the Masters. They said the winner has historically come from the top 15 players in the world. The last golfer outside the top 15 to win the Masters was Charl Schwartzel ranked 29th when he won in 2011.

So here are my thoughts and predictions for the 2026 Masters.

Will Rory McIlroy win back-to-back Masters: No. The last back-to-back winner at the Masters was Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002. It’s not that Rory isn’t talented enough but I don’t think he is “dominating” the PGA Tour in 2026; and there are many other players that could catch fire this week.

My Sentimental Winner: Justin Rose. At 45 years old and as the runner up last year to Rory I would love to see Rose win this year. Rose has a good history at the Masters with six top ten finishes; runner-up three times; and lost in two playoffs. He is playing well this year; winning at the Farmers Insurance Open by seven strokes.

My “First Time At The Masters” Winner: Chris Gotterup. It is Gotterup’s first time at the Masters but he has had a great start to his 2026 season winning both the Sony Open in Hawaii in January and the WM Phoenix Open in February.

My Guess for who WILL win: If my “sentimental” pick or “first time at the masters” pick do not win then I think a more realistic prediction might be to go with the obvious player:

Scottie Scheffler – He is the world number one and last time he won, his was a new father. And just 10 days ago, his second child (son, Remy) was born so that is a good omen.

I have no idea if any of my predictions for the winner will come true but it’s always fun to have players you want to cheer for at the Masters.

Who is the player you hope will win the Masters in 2026? Leave me a comment!

Amateur Winner: Let’s not forget about the amateurs. After all, Bobby Jones was the ultimate amateur. There are two predictions to make with respect to the six amateur players in the field.

(1) Will an Amateur make the cut? YES

(2) Who will win Low Amateur at the Masters?

Prediction for the Amateur Winner: First it’s important to know how these amateurs get into the field. There are five key events: The U.S. Amateur (USGA), The Amateur (R&A), The Asia-Pacific Amateur, the Latin America Amateur, and the U.S. Mid-Amateur. The winner of each gets invited to the Masters; and the runner-up at the U.S. Amateur gets an invitation too.

The obvious prediction for the winner is Mason Howell the winner of the U.S. Amateur. Howell is 18 years old, still in high school but a University of Georgia commit. And, he played in the Houston Open this year shooting a 73 and 66 missing the cut by just one stroke.

I also always root the mid-am player because I just think it is fun to see a “thirtysomething” man living every working guys dream. This years mid-am is Brandon Holtz. He tried to make a run at being a professional golfer after college even though he was not a college D1 golfer. He played mini-tours with no success. He got married, had kids, a career in real estate. However, it was just recently that he reinstated his amateur status.

Side bar: There is serious debate on if a former professional should be allowed to be reinstated as an amateur and play in the amateur events. So far the USGA has allowed this with a “waiting period” usually six months from the last professional event. I’m guessing that may change. With respect to Holtz, he’s not been a professional (on tour) for years but never change his status until recently. My view is that perhaps the waiting period should be longer (at least a year); but it will be interesting to see what the governing bodies decide if more “professionals” convert to play the mid-am to get a chance at the Masters.

If you want to read about all six Amateurs you can find their bios on The Masters Website.

The weather looks beautiful for The Masters and I will be happily sitting in front of my television watching all the coverage. Coverage Schedule Page website.

Happy Masters week!!

2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur Winner

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The Winner is…..

Maria Jose Marin, from Colombia and a stand out at University of Arkansas. She is the current NCAA D1 individual champion. She really was not on my radar (probably because she missed the cut last year at ANWA); but should have been on my list given I did watch her win the NCAA D1 Championship last spring. She is not a particularly long hitter (normally a must for winners at Augusta National) but clearly her short game is elite.There were multiple times during her round where she saved par and that made the difference (and a bit of luck on the 12th hole also played a role in the overall outcome).

Her winning way was with her putter! She had some chunky approach shots but her putter was on fire. She was quoted early in the week saying “My putter is my best friend.” Marin’s Scorecard was impressive with six birdies and only two bogies. And she was the only player to score in the 60s (65, 69, and 68) for all three rounds.

When interviewed Marin said this was her fourth time playing in ANWA and her key to winning was setting a strategy with her coach; and for the final round it was a “mental strategy.” She did not elaborate but I would love to know what that “mental strategy” was for the day.

The 12th Hole at Augusta National

The 12th hole at Augusta once again was key to the tournament. For Marin, a bit of luck on 12. For Talley bad luck (see below). Marin hit her tee shot short on 12 but it stayed on the front bank instead of rolling back into the water (which is what we usually see on 12). On Golf Central recap after the round, Brandel Chamblee noted that the only other time that a ball stayed on the bank (like Marin’s) was when Freddy Couples hit the ball on the bank and it miraculously stayed up; and he won The Masters in 1992.

The fall of Asterisk Talley was hard to watch on the 12th hole. Going into Saturday, my pick (see my per-tournament blog post), Asterisk Talley, had a one shot lead at 11 under par. It looked like Talley was cruising with 3 under par in the first four holes to get to 14 under. Then, the unthinkable happened. First, Talley made her first bogey of the tournament on hole 11; and then the nightmare on the 12th hole.

Talley hit her tee shot on 12 into the back bunker and then hit her bunker shot on the green and it rolled past the hole down the bank (where Marin’s shot sat just a few minutes earlier) and dropped into the water. Then she made a crazy decision to drop in the bunker instead of going to the other side of the water. Her second bunker shot was identical to her first and ended in the water; then she went to the other side of the water to hit onto the green. Why her caddie did not stop her from dropping in the bunker is beyond me. Bottom line, Talley ended with a seven (quadruple bogey) on hole 12. Talley’s body language and play never really recovered.

Runner Up

Andrea Revuelta (from Spain and attending Stanford University). Revuelta had a great day too with a final 10 under par (4 under at Augusta National). Her big moment was on the par three 12th where she almost made a hole-in-one when it hit the hole but did not drop in to the hole.

What I noticed most when the TV was on Revuelta was her constant smile. She look like she was having the time of her life! It was very refreshing to watch.

Past Champions in the field

The two past champions did not play that well. Tsubas Kajitani missed the cutt; as she had in her two previous appearances. So she really has not played well since her surprise win in 2022.

Anna Davis, made the cut at two under par (T23). Really there was no expectation that she would be in the mix on Saturday with the leader at 11 under par. Still to have played in five ANWA events, and win ANWA at 16, is an amazing feat for any amateur golfer.

Other Golfers Mentioned in my Pre-tournament Blog

Surprisingly some of the start amateurs that I thought would be in contention really were not and some of them; well, it just wasn’t their week.

(1) Megha Ganne – this was a big shocker that she not only missed the cut but was seven over par for the first two days of competition. Shocking because last year, she had the tournament first day record at nine under par. Ganne is a senior at Stanford and I’m sure she’ll make a run at turning pro after graduation.

(2) Kirara Romero – The #1 amateur in the WAGR was five under (T8) going into Saturday. I think she will regret the first round where she played very conservatively when all the other players took advantage of the great conditions and played aggressively.

(3) Farah O’Keefe – I really thought she would be in the top four after the first two days but she started Saturday at T18 or four under par. Of course, when the leader is at 11 under, it’s an uphill grind to be in contention on championship day.

(4) Pate and Galitsky – Two Players I mentioned from Southern Schools were Macy Pate (Wake Forest) and Ella Galitsky (University of South Carolina). Pate made the weekend T30 (even) and finished the competition three over par. Unfortunately, Galitsky missed the cut; surprising given she was in the top 10 the past two years at ANWA. It was really heartbreaking because she was at even par and on the 18th hole of the 2nd round made a bogey missing the cut by one.

It is always amazing to watch these young women play Augusta National. And I mean young! Of the 32 women that made the cut, the age range 15-23 with half being under 20.

Hopefully, Asterisk Talley will not let the 12th hole define her and she will come back next year and be in contention to win the Augusta National Women’s Amateur! She has a bright future. It just reminds us that golf can be brutal even for the most talented players in the world.

Congratulations to Maria Jose Marin!

Augusta National Women’s Amateur 2026 (April 1-4)

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The Augusta National Women’s Amateur begins on Wednesday April 1, 2026. For those that don’t follow amateur women’s golf, the weekend prior to The Masters is the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA). You can read my 2025 blog post on ANWA here.

It’s a stacked field with 48 of the top 50 players in the World Amateur Golf Rankings participating. A fun fact – Ten of the women in the field previously participated (as kids) in the Drive, Chip, and Putt competition at August National.

How to Watch: Each day you can watch the competition lived streamed on the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Website, ANWAgolf..com or you can watch on Golf Channel and NBC (the final).

The first two days at Champions Retreat (Wednesday, April 1 and Thursday, April 2) are streamed and on Golf Channel from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m (EST). The final round from Augusta National (Saturday, April 4) is streamed and on NBC from Noon to 3 p.m. Note: No coverage on Friday, April 3 because all participants are at practice rounds at Augusta National.

Past Champions in the Field:

Unlike last year, when there were three past champions in the field. This year, only two past winners are playing. The 2021 champion Tsubasa Kajitani (Japan) and the 2022 Champion, Anna Davis (American) are playing.

In 2021, Kajitani won in a playoff against popular America, Emilia Migliaccio (now working for NBC Golf). The media made a big deal about the fact that the year she won, Hideki Matsuyama won The Masters so it was a “Japan sweep.” Kajitani has missed the cut the last two years so I’m not sure how she will play this year.

Davis became a media darling in 2022 because she wore a bucket hat when she won. No one really had their eye on Davis but as the leaders fell apart; the laid back Californian played her way to the win. Davis has a current world amateur golf ranking (WAGR) of 14. She has been ranked as high as seven in the world but I don’t see her as a favorite this year.

Top 10 World Amateur Golf Rankings – as of March 30,2026

I do predict that the winner of ANWA in 2026 will be one of the top 10 women in amateur golf. Below is a screenshot of the current top 10. Many will have their money on Kiera Romero, the #1 amateur player in the world but I have my eye on three other players.

(1) Megha Ganne – She is ranked six in the world and is ranked 7 on the D1 College rankings. Ganne won the USGA U.S. Women’s Amateur last summer (so she is the current champion).

Ganne has played ANWA five times with mixed results – missing the cut twice and her highest finish was last year with a T7 finish. One note of interest, in round one of ANWA in 2025, she scored a record 9 under par at Champions Retreat Golf Course. She plays for the dominating Women’s College Golf team, Stanford. Side note: Stanford has five players in the ANWA field.

(2) Asterick Talley is seventeen years old, has been a standout amateur golfer for a number of years (as a junior) and is ranked 10 on WAGR. She was the runner up at ANWA last year closing with a final round at Augusta National of 68; just one shot behind the winner. She has won a USGA championship (U.S. Amateur 4-Ball in 2024).

She is playing great going into the 2026 ANWA. She won the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley earlier this springs and last week she played in the LPGA tournament in Arizona . On Friday she shot seven under (65) and finished T29.

(3) Farah O’Keefe is a Texas University player that has been on fire this college golf season. She has won the individual title in three events this spring; and she is a long hitter which is a big advantage once the ladies get to the final round at Augusta National. I just have a good feeling about her changes and if I was not such a big fan of Asterick Talley, I would probably go with Farah O’Keefe as my pick.

Other Players I have on my “Favorites” list on the ANWA website:

There are a number of great amateur golfers I follow and so I hope they do well at ANWA. A couple of ladies that play for southern schools are:

(1) Ella Galitsky – She has been a standout in junior golf for a number of years and this is her fourth time playing in the ANWA. She has finished in the top 10 the last two years at ANWA. She is a freshman at University of South Carolina. She has also won two events on the Thai LPGA tour (she is from Thailand). She finished T8 in 2024 and T4 in 2025 at ANWA.

(2) Macy Pate – A Wake Forest player that I have enjoyed following in college golf. She missed the cut last year at ANWA (her first time) but hopefully she can make the cut this year with having had experience. She is playing well this year in college competitions.

Predictions

It’s hard to predict especially with six of the top eight players on last year’s ANWA leader board back in the field. However I if the world number one does not win then my pick is Asterisk Talley. It may be crazy to go against the norm of picking the #1 player, Kiara Romero, in women’s amateur golf because world #1’s have a history of winning ANWA; but Asterisk Talley is playing really well (last week she was T29 at the LPGA event), was runner up last year at ANWA; and it just seems like she has good momentum going into this year.

Side Note: Lucky Standford University because Talley has committed to play golf for the Cardinals.

Of course, I will add an Update to this post with the winner after Saturday.

A Tree Root Ended My Golf Season in 2025

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I was not going to write about my injury but since I normally do a year-end review of my golf stats before leagues begin in 2026 I thought I’d share why you won’t see a 2025 review.

Injury Day, August 19, 2025:

I was playing the regular ladies league and I was playing great. First seven holes I had three pars, one birdie, and three bogies. So no double bogies which was a big goal for me in 2025. On the 8th hole I had a great tee shot, then hit a great shot from the fairway. Now here is where it all went wrong.

It was cart path only that day because we had so much rain over the weekend. I was walking back from the fairway to the cart path; and between the fairway and cart path was a dirt area (it was wet from the rains), in front of a bunker. My friend was in the bunker and she said go ahead, I walked past her (quickly to get out of her way), was not looking down and did not see a tree root and tripped.

I tried hard not to fall. It felt like slow motion and when I realized I was going down all I was thinking was don’t put out your hands to break the fall (because I knew I didn’t want to break my wrists).

Well, I did my best to roll as I fell but unfortunately hit the edge of the cement cart path (photo below sent to me by my friends) with my right collarbone and broke it. My golf partners were great and took me to urgent care.

I thought I was going to pass out as they drove the golf cart from the 8th hole to the parking lot. I have never broken a bone so I didn’t realize what was wrong until at urgent care when I couldn’t move my arm.

Cement Cart Path unfortunately a good inch between cement and dirt created the perfect sharp edge

My friends were playing a few weeks later and the grounds crew was actually removing the root so no one else would get hurt. They took a photo (below) and sent it to me.

Bye Bye Tree Root – good to know the course took this issue seriously

I am fortunate that I did not need surgery. Basically where the break is, one end of the clavicle now sits on top of the other part (so there’s a bump where the bones meet or fuse). Only 10% of people get surgery for this type of collarbone fracture (usually for cosmetic reasons).

I won’t show any of the ugly photos of my bruises but it was not pretty. I had bruises on the back shoulder, the front shoulder/chest and upper arm. I also had a bad bruise on my right knee and above my right eye. I’m feeling blessed because I could have a much worse outcome; like I could have hit my head on the cement instead of the dirt on the other side.

Anyway, I don’t care if I have a bump on my shoulder as long as I get full mobility and no pain. At six weeks the surgeon was please with the bone growth but said it will take six months to heal to where I don’t need to worry about hurting myself playing golf; but he did say that complete bone growth and fusion with the other bone may take a year at my age – thanks, doc. LOL

So, at six weeks the surgeon said there was enough “calcification” (bone growth) so Physical Therapist (PT) could start “active movement” working on increasing range of motion and strength.

Side Bar on Physical Therapy: Moving to “active movement” therapy was great news because PT had only been doing what is called “passive movements” (the PT moves the joint); and in “active movement” the patient uses their muscle to move the joint. The passive movement is fascinating because the therapist moves your arm until they feel resistance and then stop because the bone is still fusing and in a very delicate condition. During the “passive movement” stage I had very specific but light stretching (like using a towel to push my arm along a table top or using a pulley system where the good arm pulls down to lift the bad arm up). But outside of PT, I had my arm in a sling.

I did purchase a pulley for home because at first you can barely raise the arm and I wanted to be able to do that exercise at home. Eight weeks after accident, I could pull the arm to full extension straight out in front of my body; but not full extension in any other direction (like from the side or diagonal out or across the body). And, without the pulley I cannot raise my arm above my head.

The other issue I did not know (again because I have never had a broken bone) was how much muscle strength disappears after being in a sling for weeks. So the process – first get mobility back and then get strength back. Bottom line, each week a bit of progress was all I could expect. And regular movements, like touching your head or being able to put a dish on a shelf in the kitchen, was how I celebrated recovery.

I had googled “how many weeks to get back to golf after a shoulder fracture” and answers were all over the place. In one golf forum a guy said he played at eight weeks but it hurt. Maybe he was really young (and had a minor fracture) but at my age and with what I have experienced, I can’t imagine golf that soon. The majority of the answers stated getting back to any sport activities would be around four to six months.

Anyway, physically therapy went well but was a slow process. For example, I could not drive a car until eight weeks after my accident. As much as I miss golf not driving (not having freedom) was awful; but my friends were great taking me to PT and food shopping.

I did not rush the process. I wanted to come back with a strong shoulder. The PT said that I would get back to golf in stages; first putting, then chipping, and lastly, full swing last. I stopped asking when I could putt; and I was just happy with my range of motion and strength getting better each week. Turns out I didn’t start putting until after Christmas, then chipping mid-January, and full-swing by end of January.

We play golf all year long in South Carolina but I was fine letting PT tell me when I could start more vigorous activities. Getting back to some light practice in January and February felt right; and knowing by end of March, I’d be able to play at the start of ladies leagues for 2026, was just fine with me.

But, oh how I do miss golf!

Update: March 2026:

I have been practicing in February (when weather permitted but it’s been a horrible winter). I am very aware of not over doing it; getting a small bucket, taking breaks between swings, etc. So far, I feel good and I am excited about getting back to full golf activities.

I will play my first round of golf on Thursday, March 19 which is the day my ladies league starts for 2026. I have no expectations other than to have a good time and be thankful to be back on the course. And, of course, I will be watching out for tree roots.

OSU Wins the NCAA D1 Men’s Golf Championship

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Prior to the start of the NCAA D1 Men’s Golf Championship very few analysts were talking about OSU (Oklahoma State University). The consensus seemed to be that the battle would be between the number one ranked program, Auburn and FSU (because of their star Luke Clanton). OSU was ranked #2 in the country coming into the competition.

Surprises from stroke play: The most shocking outcome from stroke play was that FSU did not make it to the top eight so they never even had a sniff at match play. The other surprises were that Texas A&M (#11 in the rankings) and Ilinois (#12 in the rankings) did not make the top 15 cut.

The individual champion from stroke play came for Ole Miss, Michael La Sasso with a final score of 11 under par. Again, this was not a player getting press at the start of the championship. The big names really did not play well: Luke Clanton from FSU (+1, finished 22nd) and Jackson Koivun from Auburn (-6, finished 4th).

Surprises from Match Play:

Just like with the women’s championship we had a team that was not on the radar take down some big teams. Virginia (#11 ranked school) took down Auburn (#1) 3&2 in the first round of match play. Then Virginia took down the Florida Gators (#6) 4&1. The Gators took down Texas (#5 ranked) in the first round.

The Final day it was OSU against Virginia and at the start of the matches it looked like Virginia was going to take down the #2 program in the country; but momentum change as the matches got deeper into their rounds and OSU came out on top 4&1.

The most famous current PGA Tour golfers from OSU, Rickie Fowler and Victor Hovland, must be a very happy alumni!