Rogers native and fifth-year University of Arkansas golfer Brooke Matthews announced Friday she had made the decision to turn pro and forego her final spring with the Razorbacks.
Matthews, coming off two of the strongest seasons by a Razorback golfer, qualified for her LPGA Tour card last month with a 7-under score and a tie for 30th at the LPGA Q-Series in Dothan, Ala.
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I know most pro athletes are grateful for the sacrifices made by their parents along the way. I'm no different. But it took me some time to grasp what my parents have actually done for me.
You see, golf wasn't a big deal in China. I'm from a city called Shenzhen which is about an hour from Hong Kong. By age nine or ten, I knew I wanted to play golf for the rest of my life. My parents saw my potential and wanted to do whatever they could to support that dream. So, by the time I was 13, we moved to the other side of the world, to Orlando, Florida, where golf became our family's focus.
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The fan bulged out her eyes, raised her eyebrows and, though she knew she had to stay quiet near the tee, piped out, “Sheeeeesh.” Game was not only recognizing game, but game was also saluting game, too.
“Whoa, that has a different sound,” Yuka Saso, 2021 U.S. Women’s Open champ, said as she watched the tee shot of Bryson DeChambeau, 2020 U.S. Men’s Open champ. She clapped. “Nice shot.”
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Lauren Stephenson is one of several successful golfers on the LPGA Tour to come out of the University of Alabama. At just 24 years old, Stephenson is ready for her breakout season and to become a household name in women’s golf. I had the chance to speak with Lauren earlier this year on a myriad of topics. Read on below to read about Lauren’s career in golf, her approach to practice, her thoughts on the slow play debate, and the astonishing number of hole in ones she has had in her career.
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Emma Talley is one of many up and coming players on the LPGA Tour. A former U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, Talley has the makings of being a superstar in women’s golf. I had the chance to speak with Emma earlier this summer on a myriad of topics. Read on below to read about Emma’s career in golf, her magical U.S. Women’s Amateur win, her thoughts on the slow play debate, and what she does when she isn’t playing.
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With only four events left in the 2021 Symetra Tour season, the top-10 in the Race for the Card is taking form. Lilia Vu was named the first Member this year to officially clinch a LPGA Tour Card for the 2022 season. Following her is six-time Symetra Tour Champion, Ruixin Liu.
This season was one to remember for Liu as she kicked off the year with her first playoff as a professional. Globally known amateur, Rose Zhang, put up a good fight at the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic, but ultimately Liu took home the champion title in Arizona. From there, Liu followed suit with another playoff only two events later and claimed her second win this season at the Casino del Sol Golf Classic.
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Stacy Lewis is returning to her hometown in Ohio for the Solheim Cup, just not as a player.
U.S. captain Pat Hurst filled out her team Monday with four picks, two of them Solheim Cup rookies who have never won on the LPGA Tour.
The 36-year-old Lewis was picked to be an assistant captain and couldn’t have been more thrilled. Lewis was born in Toledo and played a role in getting the biennial matches against Europe to be held at Inverness Club.
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After a drama-filled week at Carnoustie, nothing changed when it came to Team USA’s list of automatic qualifiers for the 2021 Solheim Cup.
Megan Khang held onto the seventh and final spot off the U.S. Solheim Cup points list. And Lizette Salas, who finished in a share of second at the AIG Women’s British Open, maintained her position to qualify off the Rolex Rankings at No. 14 along with rookie Jennifer Kupcho (No. 28).
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Stacy Lewis first fell in love with Scotland when she went 5-0 over the Old Course at St. Andrews at the 2008 Curtis Cup. She’d go back to the Home of Golf as a professional in 2013 and win the AIG Women’s British Open at St. Andrews, then win for the first time as a mom at the 2020 Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club.
Lewis loves the creativity that links golf demands as well as the toughness. She has long been tough.
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With two events left before teams are finalized for the 2021 Solheim Cup, only two players – Nelly Korda and Danielle Kang – have mathematically locked up their positions on Team USA. Still, it would seem that Danielle Kang, Ally Ewing, Austin Ernst, Lexi Thompson and Jessica Korda are fairly secure on the points list.
The top seven players automatically qualify and right now, Megan Khang occupies that final spot. With 238.5 points, Khang holds a 33.5 point lead over Brittany Altomare.
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In the first in a new series on Morning Read, hosts Amy Rogers (Golf Channel, LPGA) and Adam Stanley will break down each week of the LPGA Tour schedule and discuss the biggest topics in women's golf.
In this new episode, they recap the ISPS Handa World Invitational presented by Modest! Golf Management and the return of the GOAT, Annika Sorenstam, who won the U.S. Senior Women’s Open by eight shots. Plus, they preview the women’s Olympic golf competition – and give their picks for gold – and have an insightful conversation with 2016 Olympian, Gerina Piller.
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At times on Saturday, there was awkward tension for Emma Talley with her boyfriend Patrick Smith, the caddie for Jennifer Kupcho. For the couple, competing in the same grouping with Talley as the 36-hole leader was unchartered territory.
Nonetheless, Talley maintained on moving day to shoot even par and share the 54-hole lead in the ISPS Handa World Invitational presented by Modest! Golf Management at -13 overall.
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Emma Talley can’t remember the last time she was the solo leader after 36 holes in an LPGA Tournament and on Friday she carded a 7-under 65 to lead by three shots heading into the weekend at the ISPS Handa World Invitational.
“This is the first time in a long time that I've been in this position,” said Talley after her round. “I feel really relaxed. There's a lot of golf left, so just going to stay patient and keep doing our thing.”
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It didn’t take long for Stacy Lewis’ influence to pay off for Maria Fassi. It was Fassi who asked the former No. 1 and fellow Razorback to partner with her at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational. Fassi soaked up every second of the experience and came into this week’s Amundi Evian Championship on the highest note of the season.
On Saturday, Fassi matched her career-low round of 65 with eight birdies to move into the top 20 at 6 under for the tournament. Her best finish in a major is a tie for 12th at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open, her professional debut.
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Gaby Lopez, one of just two Mexican golfers ever to win on the LPGA Tour, has been thinking about the Tokyo Olympics for some time now.
“That’s my ultimate goal, being able to peak at that week,” Lopez told Golf Channel earlier this year. “That’s what my schedule is going to be played around, being rested, being prepared, in time to play well that week.”
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Lauren Stephenson continues to back up one solid outing with another.
In each of her five top-15 finishes this year, including the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational team event, Stephenson has recorded consecutive rounds in the 60s. Such is the case at the Amundi Evian Championship, where Stephenson has started 66-69 to sit at -7 overall through 36 holes in the fourth major of the LPGA Tour season.
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The smile is always big and inviting but nothing like this. On Friday morning, just as Jeongeun Lee6 was putting the finishing touches on a record-setting round at the Amundi Evian Championship, another LPGA Tour star, Gaby Lopez, was realizing her lifelong dream by carrying the flag of Mexico ahead of her home country’s delegation of athletes into the Olympic stadium in Tokyo.
“It’s a dream come true for sure,” Lopez told LPGA.com before boarding her flight for the Games. “Being able to carry the flag for my country and seeing how many great athletes have done that in the past, athletes like Roger Federer and so many others, to add my name to that list is just incredible.”
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While the rest of the LPGA chased Jeongeun Lee6’s historic run at the Amundi Evian Championship in France, Gaby Lopez enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime walk in Tokyo.
Lopez carried the flag for the Mexican delegation during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games. She told Golf Channel back in January that the president of the Mexican Olympic Committee first approached her about the possibility after she won the 2020 Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.
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“Nothing felt more humbling to Stacy Lewis than having a U.S. Women's Open champion ask for her autograph.
Yuka Saso, the 20-year-old who tied Inbee Park as youngest player to win the U.S. Open (19 years, 11 months, 17 days), played with Lewis on Thursday and Friday at the Marathon LPGA Classic in Ohio.
“Gosh, what a talent. Just fun energy and a really likable kid,” said Lewis when asked about the young major champion.”
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The Monday qualifier for this week’s Travelers Championship was a stacked field. Spencer Levin and Zack Sucher were competing for spots in this week’s event. Rising stars with phenomenal potential such as Justin Suh and 2019 U.S. Amateur runner-up John Augenstein also were in the field. However, all of the above failed to create the storyline Monday at Ellington Ridge Country Club in Ellington, Connecticut.
Instead it was Stephen Stallings Jr. who stole the spotlight. He carded the lowest round of his professional career after firing a bogey-free 63 (-9). It was a “stress-free” round for Stallings Jr. He noted that his wedge game was exceptional, and he bested the nearest qualifier by two shots.
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