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MISSION 

The Epson Tour is the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour and enters its 39th competitive season in 2019. With the support of its umbrella partner Epson, the Tour’s mission is to prepare the world’s best young women professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. Since Epson’s inaugural sponsorship year in 2022, the Epson Tour has grown from 16 tournaments and $1.7 million in prize money to $4 million in prize money awarded over the course of 24 tournaments.  

LPGA ALIGNMENT

The Epson Tour has been known as the “Road to the LPGA” since 1999, when it was originally given the designation as the LPGA’s official development tour. The LPGA acquired the Epson Tour in 2007, at which point it became the official qualifying tour of the LPGA. A total of 182 women have graduated from the Epson Tour to the LPGA since 1999.

• More than 600 Epson Tour alumnae have earned LPGA membership
• Through 2018, EpsonTour alumnae own a total of 428 LPGA victories
• Out of the ten players to receive their LPGA tour card in 2018, eight different countries were represented
• Since 2013, 10 majors have been won by former Epson Tour Players
• In 2016, 9 of the top 25 and 55 of the top 100 on the LPGA money list have ties to the Epson Tour
• Tour graduate Inbee Park (2006) won the 2016 Olympic gold medal in the return of golf to the Olympics in Rio
• Tour graduate Gerina Mendoza (2010) was the 2015 Solheim Cup hero for the United States and has over 36 career top 10 finishes
• Tour graduate Mo Martin (2011) won the 2014 RICOH Women’s British Open and has 12 career top 10 finishes on the LPGA
• Tour alum Karrie Webb is a member of the LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame and was a two-time LPGA Tour winner in 2011, at the HSBC Women’s Champions and the inaugural LPGA Founders Cup
• In 2016, at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, 96 of the 156 women in the field had ties to the Epson Tour
• Stacy Lewis, a Epson Tour alum, followed up her first career major win at the 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship and U.S. Solheim Cup Team selection with 4 wins and 16 top-10 finishes in 2012 en route to earning Player of the Year 
• Six of the 12 members of the 2011 U.S. Solheim Cup Team were alumnae of the Epson Tour (Ryann O’Toole, Vicky Hurst, Christie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Angela Stanford, Christina Kim) as well as team captain, Rosie Jones. Former Epson Tour member Laura Davies was selected to Europe’s squad which was captained by fellow alum Alison Nichols

The Epson Tour is the most established women’s developmental tour in the world, entering the 41 th  year of structured competition in 2022.

• In November 2011, the Tour signed a multi-year agreement with national title sponsor Epson, and will operate as the Epson Tour.
• In October of 2015, the Epson Tour announced that Epson has extended its title sponsorship of the Tour through the 2021 season and announced a purse subsidy program.
• Tour’s 2019 schedule includes 24 tournaments with over $4 million in purses
• The richest individual tournament purse of $300,000 will be handed out in Auburn, Alabama in 2019 

MEET THE COMMISSIONER

Mollie Marcoux Samaan is the ninth commissioner of the LPGA. Marcoux Samaan assumed the leadership role at the LPGA on May 25th, 2021. As a values-centered leader, she’s known for her skills in collaboration, managing through complexity and building a winning team culture. In every role, she’s had an outstanding record of performance in navigating change, forging lasting partnerships, and seeing – and seizing – new opportunities.

Read Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan's Full Bio

MEET THE CHIEF BUSINESS OFFICER

Jody Brothers was named Chief Business and Operating Officer of the Epson Tour, effective January 9, 2023. Brothers oversees the development of the Epson Tour's strategic plan, budget, sales, marketing, owned events, corporate sponsorships and tournament partner relationships, while also identifying new tournament opportunities. 

Read Jody Brothers Full Bio

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The Symetra Tour: Road To The LPGA

Since Symetra’s inaugural sponsorship year in 2012, the Symetra Tour has grown from 16 tournaments and $1.7 million in prize money to $4 million in prize money awarded over the course of 24 tournaments. The Symetra Tour is known as “the Road to the LPGA” and since 1999, it has been designated as the LPGA’s official developmental tour. The LPGA acquired the Symetra Tour in July 2007. 

Sports Destination Management:  The Symetra Tour has been very successful. Is that a reflection of the growth of women’s golf in general?

Mike Nichols: Yes, it is. It’s also a tournament that more cities can host. Not every community can host a PGA TOUR event or an LPGA Tour event; those are multi-million-dollar annual events. The Symetra Tour, though, does provide a great opportunity to see what a pro golf tournament is like. At the same time, it is a tour where the players are very accessible, and where you’re actually up close and able to see them.

SDM : What do you look for when you’re seeking out potential host communities?

Nichols: We’re a little different from many of the sports events out there. Because we’re a pro tournament, we need to find a community that has a corporate sponsor able to underwrite the purse of the event. We need to speak to chamber of commerce, country club, economic development officials – anyone who might be able to find someone to underwrite that event.

SDM :  That would be a high-visibility sponsorship, though.

Nichols:  Exactly; for us, it’s giving someone a way to put their name on the tour. And it’s about empowering the next generation of the LPGA so it’s a big deal. When we come to town, we’ll have the players that you’re going to be seeing on the LPGA Tour next year. Look at it this way: If you go to a Triple-A baseball game, you’re doing the family thing, but you’re also kind of hoping one of the players you’re watching play will be in the Majors one day. With the Symetra Tour, 10 to 15 of our players will be on the LPGA Tour.

SDM :  What’s the economic impact of the tour?

Nichols:  It’s half a million to one million dollars. That’s based on data that the CVBs and sports commissions have given back to us after our tournament is over.

SDM : So you obviously do a lot of work with the DMOs.

Nichols:  We’re based in Daytona Beach so we don’t have intel on which companies we should reach out to as the likely suspects for sponsorship. We don’t have any idea who the big bank or hospital is in a really competitive market.

SDM : What is the scale of event you put on?

Nichols:  When we roll into town, we have 10 to 15 staffers as well as officials and people with various other responsibilities relating to the tour. It’s a large undertaking. 

SDM : Are you looking to grow the number of events you’re putting on?

Nichols:  We’re always looking. At the moment, we have 24 events, which is really the sweet spot. We’d like to stay in the twenties. We’re always in growth mode, though, even if that means keeping the same number of events. We also enjoy establishing relationships with the different cities who want to host. If you’re bidding on a championship in a lot of other sports, only one city is going to win. With us, there are other events.

If communities are interested in hosting our events, there is information on our website, at the bottom of the home page, under the column that says Corporate. If someone clicks on that, my contact information is right there.  

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About Symetra Tour

The Symetra Tour is the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour and enters its 40th competitive season in 2020. With the support of its umbrella partner Symetra, the Tour’s mission is to prepare the world’s best young women professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. Since Symetra’s inaugural sponsorship year in 2012, the Symetra Tour has grown from 16 tournaments and $1.7M in prize money to $4M in prize money awarded over the course of 24 tournaments. With more than 600 alumnae moving on to the LPGA, former Symetra Tour players have won a total of 437 LPGA titles.

LPGA ALIGNMENT

The Symetra Tour is known as “the Road to the LPGA” and since 1999, it has been designated as the LPGA’s official developmental tour. The LPGA acquired the Symetra Tour in July 2007. A total of 147 women have graduated from the Symetra Tour to the LPGA since 1999.

• More than 600 Symetra Tour alumnae have earned LPGA membership
• Through 2018, Symetra Tour alumnae own a total of 428 LPGA victories
• Since 2013, 9 majors have been won by former Symetra Tour Players
• In 2016, 9 of the top 25 and 55 of the top 100 on the LPGA money list have ties to the Symetra Tour
• Tour graduate Inbee Park (2006) won the 2016 Olympic golf medal in the return of golf to the Olympics in Rio
• Tour graduate Gerina Piller (2010) was the 2015 Solheim Cup hero for the United States and has over 36 career top 10 finishes
• Tour graduate Mo Martin (2011) won the 2014 RICOH Women’s British Open and has 12 career top 10 finishes on the LPGA

ABOUT SYMETRA

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Symetra Tour

Symetra Tour will stage marquee event at French Lick Resort beginning in 2022

Perrine Delacour tees off in the 2019 Symetra Tour Four Winds Invitational.

Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire

The Symetra Tour took another step in paving the road to the LPGA Tour Saturday morning. Along with French Lick Resort, Symetra announced a three-year contract beginning in 2022 to create the French Lick Resort Stroke Play Championship at the Pete Dye Course. It's the largest tournament purse ($335,000) and winner's check ($50,250) in Symetra's 41-year history. "The Pete Dye Course has a tradition of hosting major championship golf," Chief Business Officer of LPGA Qualifying Tours Mike Nichols said in a press release Saturday. "By elevating the tournament experience for the Symetra Tour, French Lick Resort sets an example for our current and future partners of how we can ally to support these professional athletes chasing their dreams." Symetra, the developmental circuit of the LPGA, has annually expanded its average purse size since 2013 from $108,000 to $191,000 this year. The French Lick Resort Stroke Play Championship breaks the previous high tournament purse ($300,000) at the 2019 Zimmer Biomet Championship, pushing the expected purse size average over $200,000 in 2022. The French Lick Resort hosted Symetra in four of the past five years, but at a different course. The Donald Ross Classic, played at French Lick Resort's Donald Ross Course, ran from 2017 to 2019 and returned this week after taking a hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Saturday is the final round of the 2021 Donald Ross Classic. Patty Tavatanakit, 2021 ANA Inspiration champion, won the 2019 Donald Ross Classic.

The Pete Dye Course expands its hosting duties for the LPGA with the French Like Resort Stroke Play Championship. It's also the home of the Senior LPGA Championship, which started in 2017. The French Lick Resort Stroke Play Championship will become the new "flagship event" as part of the contract, receiving the most Rolex Women's World Golf Ranking points of any Symetra tournament. The event will also live-stream during the third and fourth rounds. It's the first time a Symetra tournament will live-stream since the 2017 Symetra Tour Championship.

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There’s a three-way tie for the lead after the first round of the season-ending Symetra Tour Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla., but this is a week that runs much deeper than who’s atop the leaderboard.

Come Sunday’s finish, there will be 10 players celebrating victories.

That’s how many LPGA tour cards will be won off the top of the season-long Volvik Race for the Card money list.

Daniela Iacobelli opened with a 7-under-par 65 to grab a share of the lead at LPGA International’s Jones Course. She knows what magic can happen with a strong finish. Iacobelli jumped from 22 nd on the tour’s money list to fifth when she won the Tour Championship in 2012. She starts this week 16 th on the money list.

Full-field scores from the Symetra Tour Championship

Current Symetra Tour money list

Finishing up with a birdie Thursday, Iacobelli relished good memories.

“I felt nerves over the putt on No. 18, because you’re staring out at the LPGA sign, and I could remember the exact putt I had when I won in 2012,” Iacobelli said. “It was a little reminiscent, but still a fresh start.”

Iacobelli is tied for the lead with Kendra Dalton and Laura Wearn.

The battle for the 10 tour cards opened a bit with news that Mind Muangkhumsakul wouldn’t be teeing it up this week. She holds down the 10 th spot on the money list but missed her tee time for Wednesday’s pro-am and was withdrawn from the event, per tour rules. Muangkhumsakul has a $10,176 lead on Min Seo Kwak on the money list, and Kwak made a strong start Thursday. Kwak opened with a 66 and is tied for fourth.

Former LPGA pro shares detailed breakdown of expenses for a year on Symetra Tour

Earlier this week, professional golfer Hannah Gregg opened up on the harsh financial demands of a player on the Symetra Tour.

Gregg, a second-year professional and rookie on the developmental Symetra Tour, spoke to Golf Monthly about the difficulty of making ends meet even for the best players on feeder tours, with their future in the game constantly up in the air.

• Related:  How much does it cost to chase the dream of playing pro golf?

Included in Gregg’s takeaways was that her annual expenses cost on average $50k and that the WAPT (Women’s All Pro Tour) is the highest paying development tour, with the average winner of high-paying events earning $5-7k for a victory. With expenses for a cheap tournament generally coming in at $1.5-2k, players need to average finishing in the top-3 of each event to make a profit.

As Gregg points out in the interview: “expecting to average top-three for an entire season is not feasible. Even the best players on tour miss cuts and have bad stretches.” and that progression leads to more expenses, “when you do play well and start winning, you generally start moving up to the next level where travel and accommodation are even more expensive. Suddenly, you need to figure out how to pay a caddie.”

• Related:  Golf clubs of the top 50 LPGA pros (WITB)

Former LPGA professional Anya Alvarez has since praised Gregg for speaking up on the topic and subsequently produced a very interesting breakdown of her expenses for a year of playing on the Symetra Tour.

It’s worth noting that the figures are from almost 9 years ago, and as she wrote on Twitter to accompany the breakdown, Alvarez said,  “I drove to 90% of events, stayed with host families, and often didn’t have a caddie. LPGA expenses were much more.”  

It’s also worth noting that per SymetraTour.com , the highest earner on the Symetra Tour in 2013 earned $47,283 in prize money.

@anya__alvarez

Going back to Gregg’s recent interview, the Symetra pro revealed that the harsh financial demands end up making it unattainable for many talented players to continue in the sport:

“Lots of girls stop playing because they can’t afford Q-School, which is the most expensive event of the year.” she says. “if you don’t play in that, then you have no Tour status and are left with very few events to play in. You get phased out and others just lap you.”

In another eye-opening tweet from Alvarez, who is the founder of  MajorLeagueGirls.com , a website that promotes women’s sports, she stated that “players who are talented beyond measure and had some success were forced to quit playing because they financially couldn’t do it anymore”, resulting in “the talent on tour being diluted.”

100%. I know many players who had very wealthy families who bankrolled them for years despite zero progress or never being able to keep card, while other players who talented beyond measure & had some success were forced to quit playing bc they financially couldn’t do it anymore — Anya Alvarez ????? (@anya__alvarez) November 17, 2021

How can things change? In Gregg’s original interview, she shared her opinion that it begins with building up women’s sports and acknowledging that there is a quality product there – something that anyone who watches the LPGA will undoubtedly attest to.

Gregg told Golf Monthly :

“When it comes to making purses bigger and getting donations from sponsors, everyone has an excuse.

I always hear ‘well the women aren’t fun to watch’ but I’ve never understood that. The men weren’t popular to watch compared to the scale they are now. It takes years of marketing and people engaging with women’s sports for them to have a chance to succeed and grow. 

If people really want to help, we should start building up women’s sports and acknowledging that there is a quality product there. Help us raise money when you can, spread the word and find players that you like to watch and then follow their careers.

All of us love knowing that people out there are enjoying our journey and it makes even the struggles that much more enjoyable.”

Plenty of food for thought.

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• Symetra pro opens up on the harsh financial realities of life on Tour
• Why Nelly Korda has hired a new swing coach despite season of dominance

How much each player won at the 2021 CME Group Tour Championship

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Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected] .

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‘it’s in the works’ – sequel to happy gilmore is reportedly on the way.

In what will come as a pleasant surprise for many Adam Sandler fans, “Happy Gilmore 2” is reportedly in the works.

The original, “Happy Gilmore” is a hilarious movie about a former hockey player who becomes a professional golfer to get his elderly grandmother’s house back from the IRS.

While appearing on the  The Ken Carman Show , Christopher McDonald, who’s better known as “Shooter McGavin” from the movie, said the sequel is in the works.

“I saw Adam about two weeks ago and he said, McDonald, you’re gonna love this. I said, ‘What is it?’ He said, ‘How about that?’ and he hands me the first draft of Happy Gilmore 2.”

“He showed me that and I thought, ‘Wow, that would be awesome’. It’s in the works. Fans demand it. I was very, very pleased when I saw that.”

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Why Kevin Streelman sought USGA approval to use this equipment tool as he leads Valspar after round one

The first round of this week’s Valspar Championship proved to be quite difficult and the first-round leader for the event was a bit surprising.

Kevin Streelman, who missed the cut in four of his past five events, including three in a row, made seven birdies and was bogey-free on his way to a 64 (-7).

“I knew today was going to be solid and then it’s going to be hold-onto-your-shorts here for the next few days,” Streelman said in his post-round press conference. “So trying to just keep a good attitude and have some fun.”

Interestingly, Streelman tried out a new ball marker this week that he had to seek USGA approval for prior to teeing it up.

“It’s kind of cool little new ball marker I’m using that is legal that can kind of give you some visual cues that I think is pretty helpful. I was using that today, which I think kind of helped, as well.”

The marker has a line on it that gave Streelman a visual cue prior to hitting the putt.

Through ten holes in round two, the 45-year-old is at -6 and holds a share of the lead.

The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club

Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg is known for his love of golf but received a shock recently when he was initially denied entry to Sydney’s Elanora Country Club.

The reason? His socks. As first reported by the Australian Daily Telegraph , Wahlberg turned up to the club wearing black socks, which is against the Australian club’s all-white sock policy.

Speaking to the publication, the club’s general manager Cathy Neagle confirmed the reason for the denial, saying:  “We have dress standards. They do include white socks.”

Taking to Instagram, Wahlberg mimiked an Australian accent to poke fun at the decision saying:  “Socks not allowed on every golf course in Australia, believe it or not. Some courses require you to wear white socks. These are gym socks, man! What?!”

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Mark Wahlberg (@markwahlberg)

However, all’s well that ends well, as Wahlberg was happy to change into white socks to play at the club. 

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LPGA Symetra Tour – ProAm at Copper Rock Golf Course

by Nicole Carpenter | Apr 26, 2021 | Golf | 0 comments

The Women’s Leadership Institute was chosen as the official charity sponsor of the LPGA Symetra Tour’s Copper Rock Championship for 2021, 2022 and 2023. We are really excited for this partnership because golf is the language of business. The 2021 tournament was held in St. George, Utah at the Copper Rock Golf Course April 19-24. 

To kick the week off, WLI sponsors and tournament sponsors were able to play in a Pro-Am with an LPGA player and not only enjoy the beautiful Copper Rock golf course on a beautiful day, but also get to know down-to-earth athletes committed to their sport. It really was an opportunity of a life-time.

The Symetra Tour is the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour and enters its 39th competitive season. With the support of its umbrella partner Symetra, the Tour’s mission is to prepare the world’s best young women professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. Since Symetra’s inaugural sponsorship year in 2012, the Symetra Tour has grown from 16 tournaments and $1.7 million in prize money to $4 million in prize money awarded over the course of 24 tournaments.

Copper Rock is an 18-hole Championship Course. Set against a copper rock desert landscape with breathtaking mountain vistas, the Copper Rock Golf Course extends an open invitation to an unforgettable experience. Offering 18 holes of challenging play, Copper Rock is an adventurous rolling 6,823 yard layout with native sage, desert dunes, and copper mountains. Grab your clubs and discover for yourself what makes Copper Rock stimulating and worthwhile.

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LPGA Symetra Tour

The LPGA Symetra Tour is the official tour of the LPGA. It allows professional women golfers to prepare for a successful career on the LPGA. The tour has grown from 16 tournaments to 24 tournaments over the years and continues to be extremely popular among golf enthusiasts.

The tour normally starts in March and goes on till October with 20 events. This year, however, the tour had to reschedule its events because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The LPGA Symetra Tour is now being held from July till October 2020 with 16 events.

This tour comes to Daytona Beach this year between September 26 and October 5, 2020, with the Symetra Classic. This event will see players from around the world compete in the 12th stop for the 15th event.  A host of success events have been planned for the Symetra Classic week:

5K Run and Walk for Success – September 26th A family-friendly event, the 5K Run and Walk for Success invites runners, both casual and competitive, to participate at the beautiful course of the LPGA International. This event is an official event in the Boys and Girls "Success Events" Series. All proceeds of this event will go to the local Volusia and Flagler Clubs. You can participate individually, or as a corporate team competing against local businesses.

Registration: 7:30 am Race Start: 8:30 am Cost: $35 early registration. $40 race day

Deal for Success – September 27th The Deal for Success Texas Hold'em will be presented by Southern Stone Communications. The event, happening at the Daytona Beach Racing and Card Club will donate all the proceeds to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Volusia and Flagler. The tournament winners will get a host of prizes like Trips to Vegas, cash prizes, diamonds, and raffle prizes.

Registration: 3:00 pm Cards in the Air: 5:00 pm Add on 4,000 chips before the game begins: $50 Unlimited re-buy through the first break: $25

Symetra Tour, Road to the LPGA, Morning PRO AM – September 30th This event gives you a wonderful opportunity to play alongside and get to know a future LPGA star. You will also get to attend a VIP event at Daytona International Speedway Presented by Alfa Romeo of Daytona on September 29th. Every participant will get:

• An amateur playing position with a Symetra Tour Professional
• A $200 PRO AM shopping experience
• Two invitations to the Road to the LPGA: Final Lap VIP Event
• Two 4-day VIP hospitality tickets
• All-inclusive food and beverages

Registration: Investment of $2,000 per team (3 Amateur playing spots)

Swing for Success – October 5th This charity golf event has been a not-to-miss event for two decades now. Attracting close to 300 participants, local restaurants, and countless benefactors every year, the Swing for Success is a charity golf event in the Volusia/Flagler area. 

Registration for Golf Packages:

Platinum: $2,950 Gold: $2,250 Silver: $1,700 Bronze: $1,450

Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort is the premier resort for experiencing the Symetra LPGA Tour in Daytona Beach. Book your stay with us and enjoy the festivities and different events that will be held between September 26th to October 5th.

Spring Break Savings

Make a splash this Spring Break at Hilton Daytona Beach! Save up to 25% off your stay when you book 2 days or more.

Epson Tour: Chacon first title, 26th Moresco

B riana Chacon, competing in only her third event on the Epson Tour after earning her card at the Qualifying School, emerged victorious at the Atlantic Beach Classic, finishing with 206 (67 70 69, -7) strokes, ahead of Jessica Porvasnik and Kim Kaufman, who tied for second with 207 (-6).

On the Atlantic Beach Country Club course in Florida, where the tournament took place, Benedetta Moresco finished in 26th place with 214 (74 70 70, +1), while her sister Angelica missed the cut (tied for 77th with 147 – 70 77, +5).

Epson Tour, results

Occupying fourth place with 208 (-5) were Karen Chung, Lauren Stephenson—who led after the first two rounds—and Colombian MariaJo Uribe. Tied for seventh with 209 (-4) were Amanda Doherty, Kendra Dalton, Cydney Clanton, and Japanese player Yurika Tanida.

22-year-old Briana Chacon from Whittier, California, who had missed the cut in her first two events of the season, earned a prize of $45,000 from a total purse of $300,000. The Epson Tour, formerly known as the LPGA Futures Tour and previously named the Duramed Futures Tour from 2006 to 2010, and the Symetra Tour from 2012 to 2021 due to sponsorship reasons, is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour.

It provides a platform for professional women golfers and qualified amateurs to hone their skills. History: The tour was established in Florida in 1981 under the name "Tampa Bay Mini Tour" before officially becoming the Futures Golf Tour in 1983.

In 1999, it attained national tour status as the "official developmental tour" of the LPGA Tour. Notably, Grace Park, Marilyn Lovander, and Audra Burks were the first players to earn automatic LPGA Tour exempt status by finishing in the top three on the Futures Golf Tour Money List.

In a move to facilitate younger talent, the minimum age for participation was lowered to 17 before the start of the 2006 season. The LPGA officially acquired the Futures Tour on July 18, 2007, consolidating women's professional golf under one governing body, having previously operated as a licensee of the LPGA.

Duramed, a pharmaceutical company, served as the tour's title sponsor from 2006 until the conclusion of the 2010 season. The tour was briefly referred to as the "LPGA Futures Tour" in 2011. Subsequently, in 2012, Symetra, an insurance provider based in the United States, became the title sponsor, prompting a name change to the "Symetra Tour." In January 2022, Epson America Inc.

signed a five-year title sponsorship agreement with the LPGA, leading to the tour being renamed the "Epson Tour."

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What is the LPGA Tour cut rule, and how is the cut line determined?

Most LPGA Tour events have a cut after two rounds, or 36 holes, down to a field for the final two rounds. As of the 2023 season, the cut rule is down to the top 65 players and ties, with those players getting to finish out the tournament by finishing inside the 36-hole cut line.

As of the 2023 season, the rule had been changed to the top 65 players and ties in an effort to reduce the number of weekend players so the LPGA Tour could more easily finish tournament rounds without them having to spill into the next day or have a two-tee start.

All players who make the 36-hole cut are paid according to the LPGA Tour purse distribution guidance.

Unlike on the DP World Tour, in the event that 78 or more players make the 36-hole cut, there is not a secondary cut after 54 holes to reduce the field for the final round. The prize-money payout, however, is modified in the event more than 70 players make the cut, lowering the distribution for some players.

However, not every LPGA Tour event has a 36-hole cut line. Some events are not subject to the LPGA Tour cut rule. Players who complete four rounds in these events earn credit for a cut made on the LPGA Tour.

LPGA Tour events without a cut

• Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
• Honda LPGA Thailand
• HSBC Women's World Championship
• Blue Bay LPGA
• Buick LPGA Shanghai
• BMW Ladies Championship
• Maybank Championship
• Toto Japan Classic
• CME Group Tour Championship

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Ryan Ballengee is the founder, owner and operator of Golf News Net.

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Korda wins 4th straight LPGA Tour start, beating Maguire in T-Mobile Match Play

Nelly Korda celebrates after winning the LPGA T-Mobile Match Play golf tournament Sunday, April 7, 2024, in North Las Vegas, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Nelly Korda kisses the trophy as she poses for photographers after winning the LPGA T-Mobile Match Play golf tournament Sunday, April 7, 2024, in North Las Vegas, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Nelly Korda hits off the first fairway during the final round of the LPGA T-Mobile Match Play golf tournament Sunday, April 7, 2024, in North Las Vegas, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Nelly Korda hits out of a bunker at the fourth green during the final round of the LPGA T-Mobile Match Play golf tournament Sunday, April 7, 2024, in North Las Vegas, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Leona Maguire hits off the second tee during the final round of the LPGA T-Mobile Match Play golf tournament Sunday, April 7, 2024, in North Las Vegas, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Nelly Korda putts on the fourth green during the final round of the LPGA T-Mobile Match Play golf tournament Sunday, April 7, 2024, in North Las Vegas, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher)

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NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. (AP) — Nelly Korda is on a roll not seen on the LPGA Tour in 16 years.

She won four of the first seven holes, largely making the rest of the final Sunday in the T-Mobile Match Play a formality in beating Leona Maguire 4 and 3 at Shadow Creek.

Lorena Ochoa in 2008 was the last player to win four consecutive starts. Korda, the world’s top-ranked player, will try to tie the record of five — set by Nancy Lopez in 1978 and matched by Annika Sorenstam in 2004-05 — in two weeks at the season’s first major, The Chevron Championship outside Houston.

Because Korda took seven weeks off after winning in January in her hometown of Bradenton, Florida, this victory was her third straight in a scheduled event. Four players share the record of four in a row, with Mickey Wright doing it twice.

Korda also became the first American since Kathy Whitworth in 1969 to win four of her first five starts in a season.

“I can’t even wrap my head around it,” Korda said “Such a whirlwind of the last three weeks. I just feel like I was just in go-mode constantly.”

This was the first head-to-head match-play singles event between Korda and Maguire, but they have experience against each other in similar settings at the Solheim Cup. The Irish player is 3-1 while representing Europe in team match-play events against Korda.

Korda birdied Nos. 5-7 for a 4-up lead. She was 5 up after 12, saw Maguire take 13 and 14 with pars, and ended the match with a par win on the par-4 15th.

“It’s always nice to get a lead, kind of like a cushion,” Korda said. “But it’s Leona. She’s such a fiery competitor. I knew when I lost those two holes in a row, 13 and 14, that I really needed to put my foot down to finish the match off.”

Korda earned $300,000 for her 12th career victory.

“You know you’re going to have to make birdies if you want to beat her,” Maguire said. “Unfortunately, I didn’t make enough today. Hats off to her. She is an incredible player and she is playing some great golf right now. All I could do is play my own game, and that wasn’t good enough today.”

This tournament was entirely match play the first three years and played in late May when temperatures often are in the high 90s. Many of the top players opted not to compete.

The format changed this year to three days of stroke play, with the top eight advancing to match play on the weekend. The event also moved back to early April, when temperatures are much more moderate, which helped attract its strongest field.

It’s a field that Maguire dominated during stroke play, ending the first three rounds at 6-under par, three strokes better than anyone else.

“It almost felt like two separate tournaments this week, the stroke-play event and the match-play event,” Maguire said. “To lead the stroke play around this golf course by three at the end of the three days was something I can take a lot of positives from and be very proud of.”

Korda had to fight just to get into the match play. She shot 73 each of the first two rounds, but then came through with a 69 on Wednesday to advance to the weekend.

Then she didn’t let the opportunity go to waste at one of the more demanding courses on the tour.

“It’s absolutely breathtaking, such an amazing, amazing golf course,” Korda said. “It is brutal, though. It has tested every part of my game. I think golf courses like that are so much fun play. They’re so frustrating where you’re just like you walk off the hole and you’re just so frustrated there are a couple swear words going through your head.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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Greg norman is haunting augusta national. here's what patrons thought of him at the masters, share this article.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Greg Norman dressed for golf.

On Friday, at the second round of the 88 th Masters , Norman wore a white golf shirt with the LIV logo, black slacks, his signature straw hat, or as one patron put it, “the Crocodile Dundee deal,” and golf shoes with Softspikes. All that was missing was a glove, a yardage book, and, of course, an invitation as a past champion, something he never managed to achieve despite several near misses.

Instead, the CEO of LIV Golf was out walking in the gallery of Bryson DeChambeau, the 2020 U.S. Open champion, or as another patron described him, “the captain of the Crushers,” and lending his support. He was joined by two younger women and a heavyset man in all black, who may have been providing security.

For those in the gallery, it was like seeing a ghost. Norman, 69, who first played in the Masters in 1981 and last attempted to win a Green Jacket in 2009, showed up this week with a ticket he bought on the open market, according to his son, Greg Jr., in a social media post. Norman said he was here to support the 13 golfers he’d paid handsomely to defect to the upstart LIV Golf backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

Yes. All this is true. My dad paid for a ticket on the secondary market to attend the Masters as a patron. He was denied one directly after going through the proper professional channels. He had to be there anyway to support the LIV players. It was an amazing experience;… pic.twitter.com/Yt5Uk9r7nG — Greg Norman Jr (@GregJrNorman) April 11, 2024

Friday afternoon, Fred Couples offered to assist Norman next time around.

13 @livgolf_league players in the field for @themasters and none of them could get @sharkgregnorman a ticket? Greg had to buy one? Next year if you need one Shark let me know. — fredcouplesgolf (@fredcouplesgolf) April 12, 2024

On Thursday, Norman stole away to watch Rory McIlroy, who is decidedly not in his camp, play a few holes.

On Friday, I was out watching DeChambeau, the first-round leader, on the second hole when I did a double take as I walked by the Shark. A patron nearby said to his friend that he wished he had a camera. “I loved him growing up, pre-Tiger, he was it,” he said. And now? “He’s with that LIV Tour. Not my thing,” he said.

As Norman watched DeChambeau putt at the third hole from behind the ropes off of the fourth tee with a young woman wearing his Shark logo on her cap, a patron wondered, “Is that his wife or daughter?” The correct answer was neither.

Greg Norman, CEO of the LIV Golf, walks down the fourth hole during the second round of the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Norman has become persona non grata within much of the golf world. One patron – at least – felt his pain: “They should give him a pass,” he said. “Don’t treat him like some pariah.”

Nick Piastowski of Golf.com picked up the scent of Norman at the practice putting green and had followed him from the get-go. At one point, Norman tapped Piastowski on the back and called him, “my reporter friend,” and allowed Piastowski to ask a few questions. What did he learn? Norman said this was the first time he’d ever eaten a green-wrapped Masters sandwich. The kind? Ham and cheese.

Norman clapped hands with 2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland on his way to the fifth tee. Yet another patron recognized Norman, pointing him out to his friend but his wife said she was far more impressed with seeing country singer Kenny Chesney and NFL QB Josh Allen. Another understanding patron admitted to his friend that “if you put a check that big in front of me, I’d sell my soul to the Saudis too.” His friend shook his head in agreement. “So much stinking money. How do you say no?”

That’s something Norman has counted on as he’s picked off six past Masters champions. He shook hands with a few fathers and sons who approached him but mostly kept to himself. Somewhere near the crossing from the fifth hole to the sixth tee, Norman disappeared, like a ghost, still haunting the Masters and the world of professional golf.

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2024 Masters: Five takeaways from Round 1 at Augusta National

Rory McIlroy during the first round of the 2024 Masters Tournament. (David Cannon/Getty Images)

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AUGUSTA, Ga. – The first round of the 88th Masters Tournament is finally in the books, with nine groupings having returned first thing Friday to complete Round 1.

Bryson DeChambeau (65) and 2022 Masters champion Scottie Scheffler (66), who has won two of his last three starts on the PGA TOUR, completed their first rounds Thursday, and they had separated from the field, but perhaps not for long.

Max Homa birdied the 16th and 17th holes Friday and bogeyed 18 to sign for a 5-under 67. In four previous Masters starts he had never broken 70 and twice missed the cut.

Here are five things to know about Round 1 at the Masters:

1. Scottie Scheffler is on baby watch

Scheffler is coming off victories at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and THE PLAYERS Championship, where he became the first to successfully defend his title. He fought to the end at the Texas Children’s Houston Open before finishing second by a shot.

He’s also about to become a dad for the first time.

Scheffler’s wife Meredith is resting at home, and the world No. 1 said that while they do not expect the baby to come this week, he would leave the tournament if she goes into labor .

Scottie Scheffler’s comments after Round 1 of Masters

“I wouldn't say I'm very concerned,” Scheffler said after going bogey-free in strong winds Thursday. “We haven't seen any of the early signs. But pregnancy is weird. It can happen at any time. (We have) open lines of communication and she can get ahold of me if she needs to.

“I'm ready to go at a moment's notice,” he added.

2. Max Homa seriously outperformed his record here

Homa has long been vocal about his underwhelming record in the majors, and nowhere has he struggled more than at Augusta National. In four previous starts he had failed to break 70 even once, missed the cut twice, and boasted a career best of T43 last year.

And yet there was Homa, playing alongside Tiger Woods (73) and Jason Day (75), making birdies on 16 and 17 in the resumption of his first round to reach 6-under par, tied with the world No. 1 Scheffler. A finishing bogey gave Homa a 5 under 67, two off the lead, but he given what he’d accomplished here over his career, he wasn’t complaining.

After getting off to a slow start this season, Homa has turned it around at a good time. He would be the third client of sports psychologist Julie Elion’s Center for Athletic Performance Enhancement (CAPE) to win on the PGA TOUR in the last three weeks (Akshay Bhatia, Stephan Jaeger).

3. Rory McIlroy’s 71 was better than it looked

McIlroy was not overly impressed with his first round, and that’s understandable given that he bogeyed the par-5 second hole, played the par 5s in even par, and was six behind DeChambeau.

“Yeah, it was OK,” McIlroy said. “I held it together well. It was a little scrappy.”

That said, it was McIlroy’s best opening round at the Masters since he shot a 3-under 69 in 2018. Those slow starts have been hard to overcome, although he shot a final-round 64 to finish second in 2022, and rallied with three scores in the 60s to tie for fifth place in 2020.

One theory is that the tournament has come to mean perhaps too much to him , a notion that McIlroy does not deny. It’s the only major he needs to complete the career Grand Slam.

His slow starts here have seen him average 73.8 strokes in Round 1 over the last five Masters, when he has failed to break par. He’s also shot second rounds of 77 (last year, missing the cut), 73 and 74 the last three years, so keep an eye on what he does Friday.

4. A healthy Will Zalatoris is contending again

A lot has happened since 2021, when Zalatoris finished second at the Masters to Hideki Matsuyama, but that’s probably an understatement.

The winner of the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship, Zalatoris has struggled with back issues ever since , missing out on some of the biggest tournaments in golf. Last year he withdrew from the Masters minutes before his opening-round tee time. Soon he was going in for surgery, a microdiscectomy on his back that shelved him for the rest of the PGA TOUR season.

“It just puts things into perspective,” Zalatoris said. “A year ago I could feel the disc slipping and I was kind of hiding it from everybody, including members of my team.

“It's hard not to be grateful being here,” he added, “but I'm even more grateful now.”

5. Tiger Woods is on pace to set another record

Given that he’s gotten in just one competitive round this season, an opening 72 before he withdrew with the flu at The Genesis Invitational, five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods could have been excused for not having anything close to his best in the difficult first round at the Masters.

Instead, despite strong gusts of roughly 20 mph on Thursday, the 48-year-old Woods fought the course to a draw , going 1-under though 13 holes. He returned Friday and made three pars and two bogeys for an opening-round 73 . He stood tied for 35th place and will try to make the cut for a 24th consecutive time. That would break him out of a tie with Fred Couples and Gary Player for most all-time.

“The wind was all over the place,” he said of the conditions Thursday.

As for how he’s feeling, he said: “It’s there. The body is OK.”

Friday saw him walking with his hands in his pockets and otherwise looking cold, but the weather will warm up for his second round. Woods has said his surgically repaired body feels best in the heat.

Cameron Morfit is a Staff Writer for the PGA TOUR. He has covered rodeo, arm-wrestling, and snowmobile hill climb in addition to a lot of golf. Follow Cameron Morfit on Twitter .