Category Archives: Women and Golf

2026 AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St. Anne

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It’s the final golf major of the year for the women and for our viewing pleasure the championship is being hosted at Royal Lytham & St. Anne which is widely considered the second hardest course in the major rota; with the most difficult course being Carnoustie.

Here are some fun facts about Royal Lytham & St. Anne:

  • It has hosted 11 Opens; including the 1926 Open won by Bobby Jones securing Jones the grand slam of his era (winning the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, The British Amateur, and The Open in the same calendar year).
  • It has hosted 5 Women’s Opens. This year’s will be the sixth Women’s Open hosted.
  • It has hosted 2 Ryder Cups in 1961 and 1977; both won by the United States.
  • The last winner of the Women’s Open at Royal Lytham was Georgia Hall in 2018. She is just coming off maternity leave so I doubt her game is in form to content at Royal Lytham in 2026.

Here are some of the interesting course features:

  • It starts with a Par 3 and there are seven green side bunkers protecting the green.
  • It has 174 bunkers on the course; including 17 bunkers on the 18th hole.
  • The fairways are tight so the margins are fine for a good shot.
  • There is a railway track along the right side of the course; it’s stated that on the 2nd, 3rd, and 8th hole the railway is only 20 yards from the edge of the fairway.
  • Hole 8, left side bunker is reported to be 12 to 14 feet deep.
  • One interesting fact stated is that on hole 18, standing on the tee you can see all 17 bunkers but if you are standing on the back of the 18th green none of the bunkers are visible.

So yes, I will be watching to see if Nelly can win her third major this year; or if not Nelly perhaps Charley Hull can win her first major at home; but she has already stated that she’s not a big fan of links style. Many will be watching the Korean golfer, Haeran Ryu because she also has won two majors this year. But what I will be really interested in watching is how the golfers play the course because it really doesn’t favor long hitters; it’s all about strategy and staying out of the bunkers. And one final note, the wind is suppose to blow 25+ mph on Thursday afternoon so that always brings some drama to links golf.

Two fun groups to watch (if you want to get up early ):

(1) Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko and Haeran Ryu. at 3.42 EST

(2) Charley Hull, Brooke Henderson and Hanna Green at 8:26 EST

At the end of the post you will find times and channels for USA coverage.

Side Note: If you are a Charley Hull fan and like to watch YouTube golf; she has launched a new channel, called “Sweet Spot Golf” which is a tribute to her famous quote (click on link to see video from Pebble Beach) “Shy kids don’t get sweets.” Hull said this to her caddie on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach during the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open in 2023. Her ball was in the fairway but behind the tree and she wanted to go for the green in two for an eagle (vs laying up). The first video on her new channel is a practice round at Royal Lytham and St Anne. I watched the video and I’m guess it was filmed in the spring. It was fun to watch.

How to Watch:

Thursday, July 30: 4:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. (Golf Channel); 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (USA)

Friday, July 31: 4:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. (Golf Channel); 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (USA)

Saturday, August 1: 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (USA); 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (NBC)

Sunday, August 2: 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (USA); 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (NBC)

Streaming: GolfChannel.com, Golf Channel App and the NBC Sports app

Women’s Scottish Open July 23 to July 26, 2026

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It’s the ladies turn to cross the pond and play a few weeks of links golf. Starting with the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links. The defending champion is Lottie Woad. The purse is $2 million; for comparison the purse for the next major, the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lythan & St Annes Golf Course is $10 Million. All the big stars will play the Scottish open not for the purse but for preparation for the Women’s Open.

If you like to watch links golf then you will be up early for just a few hours of coverage on Thursday and Friday. The weekend is a bit more reasonable. Here is how to watch in the USA on television:

Thursday and Friday: Golf Channel 4:30 – 8:30 a.m

Saturday: CNBC 8:00 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Sunday: CNBC 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

As much as I like women’s golf, I will not be up at 4:30 am; however, 6 am to 8:30 is a time I can manage since I am an early riser. Not to beat a dead horse but the delegation to CNBC for women’s golf is not surprising but a bit disappointing. They also will provide live stream on the golf channel app.

The pairings came out and three of my favorite players are paired together: Nelly Korda, Charley Hull, and Lottie Woad. That is an excellent decision by the competition committee. My only concern is that they will not be in the broadcast window on Thursday but I am hoping they will be since they are a “featured group.”

So the Scottish Open will be a nice primer for the women heading to the open next week. I don’t really have a favorite to win the Scottish Open. In the past it has not been a big star but usually a well-known name. For example in 2024 Lauren Coughlin won and in 2023 Celine Boutier won.

Final Tip – if you don’t or can’t watch the coverage the recaps on YouTube are always a great way to see the highlights.

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.

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!

Carla Bernat Escuder Wins 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur

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As I said in my preview of ANWA it could be a unknown (at least to the average golf fan) winning ANWA and that is exactly what happened. Carla Bernat Escuder of Spain wins with a score of 12 under par (204).

Who is Carla Bernat Escudar? Here are some facts:

(1) As mentioned above she is from Spain and her coach is Victor Garcia, the father of 2017 Masters winner Sergio Garcia. She has been coached by Garcia since she was 13 years old.

(2) She was not on my radar with a WAGR ranking of 29 and a DI College Rank of 24. She plays for Kansas State (transferred this year to K-State). I did know her name because her first two years of college golf was played at Tulane University.

(3) Really fun fact – Champions Gate Golf Course has their golf course dog “pick” (predict) the winner. The dog has not been accurate in previous years but this year (see Instagram post)

Congratulations to Cara Bernat Escudar!

Other Notable Players:

(1) Lottie Woad: Unfortunately for world #1, Lottie Woad, who was in first place at the start of the final round, she just did not have her game on the final day and finished solo third at 9 under par (207)

(2) Asterisk Talley – #1 Amateur in the world finished one back in second place with a final score of 11 under par (205). She played well but the highlight was when she holed her 2nd shot on #1 at August National for an opening eagle.

(3) Megha Ganne – The Stanford players from New Jersey who had a record setting first round at Champions Gate finished in seventh place with a score of 7 under par (209).

Women’s Golf – Top Five LPGA Player Moments in 2024

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If you are a fan of golf or like watching golf and you don’t watch the women play you are truly missing out on great entertainment.

Here are my top five for women’s golf in 2024

These players had big years and/or big events:

(1) Nelly Korda – The #1 player in the women’s world rankings had an incredible start to 2024. She won six out of her first seven starts on tour; five wins in a row and one won the first major of the year. And Korda, after not playing because of a “minor neck injury” comes back in November and wins the “The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.” Of note, no LPGA golfer has had six or more wins in a season since 2013 when Inbee Park had six wins.

So it is no surprise that Korda won player of the year in 2024.

(2) Lauren Caughlin – a journey woman on the LPGA tour had the year of her professional life in 2024. Caughlin is 31 years old and has been on tour since 2018. In July, winning the Canadian Women’s Open was her first tour win in 103rd starts on tour. One month later she won the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open.

Caughlin with her excellent play met a personal goal to qualify for The Solheim Cup that was contested in her home state of Virginia just an hour from her home. The pressure of playing for a home town crowd and as a rookie on the biggest stage in women’s golf could have been too much for some golfers but not Caughlin. She showed up to the Solheim and once again had the “week of her professional life” winning all three of her team matches and garnering a tie for her singles match. This is a stellar record for a “rookie” Solheim Cup member.

(3) Lydia Ko

Ko had pressure all year with the golf analysts constantly asking will this be the tournament that Ko wins and get’s the one point she needs to enter the LPGA Hall of Fame. The LPGA Hall of Fame has the most difficult criteria of all sports hall of fame (it’s not voted on, it’s all points); requiring 27 points.

Per the LPGA website the criteria is:

1. Must have won/been awarded at least one of the following – an LPGA major championship, the Vare Trophy or Rolex Player of the Year honors; and2. 

2.Must have accumulated a total of 27 points, which are awarded as follows – one point for each LPGA official tournament win, two points for each LPGA major tournament win and one point for each Vare Trophy or Rolex Player of the Year honor earned.3. 

3. One point for an Olympic gold medal

Per Golf Digest, “Ko is a 15-time winner, including two majors and three season-ending awards. She earned 70 percent of her 20 points in two years—2019 and 2021.”

Her quest for the LPGA Hall of Fame was a storybook ending when she won the Gold Medal at the Olympics; and giving her the point she needed to be in the LPGA Hall of Fame.

(4) Rose Zhang – Zhang was the most decorated player in women’s amateur golf; including winning back-to-back NCAA Individual National Championships and winning the August National Women’s Amateur in April 2023. Zhang held the position of the #1 female amateur golfer in the world for over two-and-a-half years (or 141 weeks at #1).

In May 2023, Zhang turns Pro and she wins her first LPGA tour event at the Cognizant Founders Cup (she is the player that stopped Nelly Korda’s win streak of five wins in a row). After that 2023 was rather quiet and she did not perform well at the Solheim Cup in Spain with two ties and a loss.

In early 2024 she seemed to still be missing that spark but the spark caught on fire at the Solheim Cup in the USA. Zhang won all four matches. And she is the only player in Solheim history to win all four matches and never have to play the final holes (17 and 18). There have only been eight players to have a 4-0-0 record at a Solheim Cup and only two other American’s have achieved this accomplishment (Dottie Pepper in 1998 and Morgan Pressel in 2011). Zhang also won 28 holes only lost 8; no player has been that dominant in the last 20 years.

It’s worth noting the scores for Zhang’s four matches: She won 3&2, 3&2, 5&4, and her singles match was 6&4 (ending her match against Carlota Ciganda on the 14th hole).

(4) Soleim Cup Players – The 2024 Solheim Cup was everything a golf fan wants in a competition – great play and a competition that goes down to the end; which is stressful but fun to watch. The USA won 15 1/2 points to Europe 12 1/2 points.

The points don’t tell the whole story but for those that don’t normally follow match play. The current holder of the Solheim Cup (Europe) only needed 14 to maintain possession and the USA needed 14 1/2 points to win (take possession) of the cup. The last meeting (2023 in Spain) of the teams was heart braking because the teams tied (14 points each) therefore Europe “won” because they won the cup in the previous meeting in 2021 in Ohio at Inverness.

Along with Rose Zhang, Khang (3-0-0), Coughlin (3-0-1) and Andrea Lee (2-0-1) were the other Americans to go undefeated (since they tied and did not lose one match). It is the second time the U.S. team had that many undefeated players at one Solheim Cup.

So do yourself a favor and watch the LPGA in 2025.

Chevron Championship – LPGA’s First Major of 2024

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Another week and another major – I love Spring!

It’s a good thing that the LPGA moved the first major of the year so there is no conflict with the Augusta National Women’s Amateur or The Masters. Most people over a certain age will remember the first major as the Dinah Shore or the Colgate Dinah Shore, then it became the ANA Inspiration (which was held in Palm Springs) but with the new sponsor came a new venue in Texas at The Club at Carlton Woods, the Woodlands, Houston.

Last year was the first year at the new location and Lilian Vu won in a playoff against Angel Yin. I don’t think Vu is likely to play well enough to defend her title because she has been dealing with back issues. Perhaps if Angel plays well she may have a chance but my money is on the LPGA’s number one player.

Yes, just as I picked the number one player in the world on the men’s side to win The Masters, I am picking the number one female player in the world, Nelly Korda to win the Chevron Championshiop. Korda, like Scheffler, has won multiple times on tour this season.

In fact, if she wins the Chevron that will be five (5) consecutive wins this season. The last player to win five in a row in the same season was Nancy Lopez back in 1975 in her rookie year. The only other LPGA player to win 5 consecutive tournaments is Annika Sorenstam but she did it in two seasons (end of one season and beginning of another season).

The other players I’ll be watching are:

(1) Lydia Ko – if she wins that will give her the final point she needs to be eligible for the LPGA Hall of Fame. The most difficult Hall of Fame to get eligibility for based on a point system.

(2) Brooke Henderson – I always cheer for the Canadian star to win.

(3) Rose Zhang – came on tour out of Standford with a bang by winning her first professional tournament but hasn’t done much this season so maybe the first major will be the spark to get the 2nd win.

How to Watch the Chevron Championship

The Golf Channel will show the championship early (10 am – 2 pm and late 6 pm to 8 pm) on Thursday and Friday. And the weekend telecast will be on NBC from Noon to 6 pm.

Both Peacock and ESPN+ will offer steaming of the championship so if you have subscriptions there is an opportunity to see more of the event live.

Below are the dates, times, and options:

Thursday, April 18: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; 6-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel/Peacock)
Friday, April 19: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; 6-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel/Peacock)
Saturday, April 20: 2-3 p.m. ET (Peacock); 3-6 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
Sunday, April 21: 2-3 p.m. ET (Peacock); 3-6 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)

Augusta National Women’s Amateur 2024 – Players to Watch

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The Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA) has quickly become one of my favorite events to watch. There are a number of reasons, first and foremost the final round is at Augusta National, second and just as important to me is that it is a great showcase for the best female amateurs in the world; and as a fan of women’s golf it’s fun to see the players that are up and coming.

The first two days are played at Champions Retreat (72 players) and the final day at Augusta National (for the 30 players and ties that make the cut). You can watch all the action on Golf Channel, Peacock and NBC (final round Saturday Noon to 3:30 pm est). You can also watch the live stream on the ANWAgolf.com website. Here is a list of Air Times.

If you follow college golf you will know many of the players. The school with the most players invited is Stanford University (with five current players and four former Stanford students). You can read about all of them on the Stanford University Website. Including Rachel Heck (who just recently said she was not turning pro after college).

A few players I’ll be marking as “favorites” to follow on the ANWA website include:

  • Ingrid Linblad – the #1 female player in the world rankings. She is from Sweden, plays for LSU (I try not to think about that since I went to Tulane and LSU is an arch rival). Linblad’s record at AWNA is T3 (2021) and T2 (2022); and she shockingly missed the cut last year so it will be interesting to see how she fares this year.
  • Megan Schofill (world ranking 7) – She is the 2023 (current) U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion. She plays for Auburn. She defeated Latana Stone in the U.S. Woman’s Amateur; Stone is also playing this year in the ANWA.
  • Anna Davis (world ranking 17) – famous for winning ANWA in 2022 while wearing a Bucket Hat but she normally wears a visor. Maybe she will bring back the bucket hat for Augusta. I suppose it depends if she is superstitious. She plays her college golf at Auburn University.
  • Anna Morgan (world ranking 23) – I live in Greenville, SC. so I have to cheer for a Furman student. I played Furman last year and the women’s golf team was on the course and it was impressive to watch.
  • Hannah Darling (world ranking 19) – She plays her college golf for the Gamecocks and again, I now follow that team since I live in South Carolina. She is a great player and from Scotland! And her Gamecock teammate, Louise Rydqvist (from Sweden) is also playing ANWA.
  • Jansen Castle (world ranking 109)- is from Columbia South Carolina (yes, I have a theme going with my favorites).
  • Anabelle Pancake (world ranking 79) – Attends Clemson University. Hometown is Zionsville Indiana and was the runner up in the 2023 Women’s Amateur (not the US but the one run by the R&A).
  • Rachel Kuehn (world ranking 15) – Plays for Wake Forest. From Ashville NC. She got a lot of press because her mother, Brenda Corrie Kuehn, was a well known golfer. In fact, Rachel won the winning point for the 2022 Curtis Cup team, and her mother had the winning point in the 1998 Curtis Cup.
  • Emilia Migliaccio (world ranking 44) – A former Wake Forest golfer and now works for Golf Channel but has played in all four ANWA events. She was 2nd in 2021. I really would love to see her take the trophy now that she is an “amateur” like the rest of us. In other words, has a job and plays for the love of the game.
  • Gianna Clemente (world ranking 32) – She is only 16 but is the 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship and Girls’ Junior PGA Champion. Maybe she will be like Anna Davis and win the ANWA at 16.

It is also fun to see former Drive, Chip, and Putt alumni in the event (nine in total) including Latana Stone (world ranking 30), won DCP twice for her age group (12-13) and won the 2022 U.S. Girls Junior. Runner up at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur and is now at LSU. And there is Kelly Xu won DCP (girls 7-9) in 2014 and now plays for Stanford University and her world raking is 93 .

Of course, there are players that have been in the limelight for years; notably Amari Avery who was featured in the movie “The Short Game” a 2013 documentary about 7-8 year old golfers. Her dad gave her the nickname “Tigress.” (yes after Tiger Woods). She is now at the University of Southern California and her world raking is 20.

I could actually list a number of other players but you can check out all the players bios at ANWA website.

Bottom line is that the Augusta Women’s Amateur is “must watch TV” if you are a golf fan.

Favorite Golf Podcasts

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Yes, I am a golf junkie and besides playing golf, watching golf on TV (and recently YouTube) and reading golf articles; I also listen to Golf Podcasts.

My favorites right now are (in no particular order):

  1. Above Par (Kathy Hart Wood) – focused on the mental game. Tip: Start listening with episode one.
  2. Tee Time (Tori Totlis) – the content is tailored for women golfers but many topics are good for all golfers.
  3. Hack It Out Golf (Saturday Morning Stat) – Focused on helping golfers get better. Saturday Morning Stat episodes with a focus on one stat from Lou Stagner (Arccos) is my favorite.
  4. College Golf Talk – from Golf Channel with Steve Burkowski (my favorite college expert on Golf Channel).

A bit more about each Podcast

Above Par: Kathy Hart Wood is a certified life coach and a top 50 LPGA Golf Teacher (2017-2022); and she has played golf most of her life. Her website gives you access to her coaching program but you get so much free advice from her podcast, Above Par which you can access from her website or your favorite podcast app.

Kathy talks fast and her podcasts are 15 to 20 mins long. She gives useful tips, tools, strategies. For example, I used to feel bad for friends getting upset when they were playing bad. In her podcast “How to Deal with Negative Golfers” Kathy explains its not your responsibility to make them feel better and it will only hurt your game by wasting your energy on trying to change them. And if that person is your partner, she gives a strategy to say at the beginning of the round “Let’s agree not to be negative. Let’s agree not to apologize for missed shots there’s no upside to it and we are all going to have our share of missed shots.”

Tee Time: The podcast is hosted by Tori Totlis an Arizona golfer who created a program (website) called Complete Confidence Golf and has a passion for helping women get into and enjoy the game of golf. The blog page of her website has links to all her podcasts (or you can search for Tee Time on whatever app you use to listen to your favorite podcasts).

Tee Time podcasts run about an hour because Tori goes in-depth on the topic she is discussing. Tori has had Lou Stagner and other experts on her podcast. I also enjoy when she has other golfers on the show; particularly golfers that have played in USGA Amateur events.

Hack It Out Golf – This podcast has three guys talking about how to improve your game. I like the episodes that are released on Saturday called “Saturday Morning Stat” and are about 10-15 mins. long with Lou Stagner from Arccos focusing on a single golf stat. Lou Stagner has a newsletter and you can signup at his website. He is also very active on Twitter or you can search for Hack It Out Golf on your favorite podcast app.

I plan to write a blog post about Golf Stats because learning stats from Lou Stanger has helped me put my game in perspective!

Here is one interesting statistic from Lou Stagner – Tiger Woods only made 80% of greens from a 110 yards out. Or he missed the green 20% of the time from 110 yards. The stats he shares are all about setting expectations for amateur golfers. If Tiger only hits greens 80% then why do we, as amateurs, get upset when we miss a green.

College Golf Talk – If you enjoy watching college golf on Golf Channel then you may enjoy this podcast hosted by Steve Burkowski and Brentley Romine from the Golf Channel. Full disclosure I do not listen to this podcast every week (like I do my other favorites) but I’ll listen before big events like the NCAAs or The Augusta Women’s Amateur.

I’ve been following college golf for a few years and love the fact that you can watch a college golfer and then see them transition to the professional ranks. In 2018, I remember watching the NCAA Division 1 golf on Golf Channel and Jennifer Kupcho won the individual title. In 2019, I cheered for Jennifer Kupcho to win the first Augusta National Women’s Amateur; which she won. Then I became vested in watching her on the LPGA and seeing Kupcho win her first LPGA Major (The Chevron, formally ANA, formally DIana Shore) in 2022 was exciting. Unfortunately as I’m writing this blog post, Kupcho (as the defending champion of the Chevron) missed the cut.

Do you have a favorite golf podcast? Let me now in the comments so I can check it out!

Women of the Golf Channel (2023 Edition)

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In 2012 I created a post titled Women of Golf Channel and it was my most popular post. The information became outdated so I did a Women of Golf Channel (2018 Edition). It’s time for another update.

In 2020, Golf Channel announced they were moving from Orlando, Florida to NBC Sports headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut which had a huge impact on their employees. A lot of familiar faces on the Golf Channel were gone including; Chantel McCabe (now with ESPN), Lisa Corwell (was very vocal about discrimination at Golf Channel and has a book coming out May 2023 called TroubleMaker), Bailey Mosier (TV personality and married to Brandel Chamblee so occasionally appears on Golf Channel), and Lauren Thompson (works for NBC sports NEXT – the technology division that includes GolfPass).

You would think that Golf Channel would list it’s TV personalities in the about section of their website but that would be to easy. If you want to find them go to NBC Sportsgroup Press Box for a list.

Here are the current women of the Golf Channel

Anna Jackson (formally Whiteley) – joined in 2019 as a co-host of Morning Drive (replacing Cara Banks-Robinson who was promoted to Golf Central. She came from England. Morning Drive was cancelled when Golf Channel moved to Connecticut but Anna remained and now co-hosts shows like Golf Central and Golf Today.

Cara Robinson – joined in 2015 as a co-host to Morning Drive (replacing Holly Saunders). In my opinion, she has become the “Kelly Tilghman” of Golf Channel and does the “Live from” broadcasts from all the important championships.

Paige Mackenzie – joined full-time in 2015 but has been doing on-air appearances since 2012. Her title on her bio page is “Analyst, LPGA Tour” but her role is much bigger with appearances on Golf Today as the analyst discussing PGA tour betting odds, analyst at PGA Tour Waste Management and LPGA tour events.

Morgan Pressel – joined in 2021 and officially took over Judy Rankin’s roll in the booth for LPGA tournaments when Rankin retired in 2022. Her first work was as an on-course analyst for LPGA events while she was still actively playing on the LPGA. Her first on-air TV work was at the 2015 USGA US Women’s Open.

Karen Stupples – joined in 2013 and is an on-air course reporter for the LPGA. She has occasionally been in the booth and I thought she may get to replace Judy Rankin but Pressel won the job. As a side note, she and her partner, Jerry Foltz (former LPGA on-course reporter) are a couple that became “social media” popular during the pandemic because of their amusing twitter feeds. Foltz has left the Golf Channel to join LIV as a golf analyst.

Kay Cockerill – joined in 1995 (since the start of Golf Channel). Her role now is mostly as an on-course reporter for LPGA events. She also does some women’s college events and NCAA golf championships that air on Golf Channel.

Kira Dixon – joined Golf Channel PGA tour coverage in 2021. Prior to her role interviewing players on-air, she was on the digital platform Golf Pass as a lifestyle reporter. She also did digital work for the USGA.

Amy Rogers – She fills-in for Anna Jackson on Golf Central and also is seen on LPGA coverage doing interviews. Amy is listed as a “contributor” on her Golf Channel profile. She is also listed as a contribution on the LPGA Network.

Henni Koyack – Not sure if she is an NBC employee but in 2023 she joined the Golf Channel Podcast “Beyond the Fairway.” Occasionally she appears on PGA Tour coverage on NBC/Golf Channel doing player interviews or special content segments. She also worked for the PGA Tour GolfTV and is most recognized for her exclusive interviews with Tiger Woods. She is from England and a former LET golfer.

Blair O’Neal – I don’t know if she is an employee of Golf Channel but she is the co-host of School of Golf so most people associate her with the Golf Channel. In 2010, she won the Big Break which was a wildly popular Golf Channel show.

As a side note, some people think that Dottie Pepper and Amanda Balionis-Renner work for the Golf Channel but they do not. Both women work for CBS Sports. They get to work The Masters and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-AM so if I had my choice of jobs of all the women highlighted in this post, I’d want Pepper or Renner’s job.