LPGA Hall of Famer Kathy Whitworth, whose 88 victories are the most by any player on a single professional tour, died on Saturday at the age of 83.
Per ESPN, Whitworth's longtime partner Bettye Odle said she died suddenly on Saturday night while celebrating the holidays with family and friends. A cause of death has not been provided.
"Kathy left this worth the way she lived her life—loving, laugh and creating memories," Odle said in a statement.
Whitworth's illustrious career spanned over two decades, as she won the first of her 88 titles in July 1962 in the Kelly Girl Open and she recorded her final victory in 1985 at the United Virginia Bank Classic. She won six majors during her career, and she became the first woman to earn $1 million on the LPGA Tour.
When she won the Lady Michelob in 1982, she surpassed Mickey Wright's record of 82 LPGA wins. That number still stands as the PGA Tour record, shared by Tiger Woods and Sam Snead.
The one major that escaped Whitworth during her career was the U.S. Women's Open.
"I would have swapped being the first to make a million for winning the Open, but it was a consolation which took some of the sting out of not winning," she said in 1981.
Whitworth earned LPGA player of the year seven times from 1966 to 1973. She was named AP Female Athlete of the Year twice in 1965 and 1967, and in 1982, she was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Upon her retirement, Whitworth continued on in the sport by conducting junior clinics. Despite her enormous amount of success, she remained humble through it all.
"I don't think about the legacy of 88 tournaments," she said. "I did it because I wanted to win, not to set a record or a goal that no one else could surpass. I'm not some great oddity. I was just fortunate to be so successful. What I did in being a better player does not make me a better person. When I'm asked how I would like to be remembered, I feel that if people remember me at all, it will be good enough."
Over 90 golf carts were destroyed in a fire at Randolph Golf Course in Tucson, Arizona, per Vic Verbalaitis of the Arizona Republic.
The Tucson Fire Department was dispatched to the area at about 2:30 a.m. local time early Tuesday morning. The department also captured images of the incident:
The solar panels covering the storage area were also destroyed, but no person was injured in the fire. The department is still investigating the cause of the fire.
The public, city-run course has been open since 1925 and previously hosted the LPGA Welch's/Fry's Championship.
Brooke Henderson held on.
Despite shooting an even-par 71 Sunday, her first round above 68 at the tournament, Henderson held off the charging Sophia Schubert and won the Evian Championship in Evian-Les-Bains, France, by a single stroke.
Schubert, who shot a 68 on the day, made things interesting. So did a group of five golfers at -15 for the tournament, including Japan's Mao Sago, who stormed back into contention with a 64. But Henderson was not to be denied.
It was Henderson's second major title, following up her triumph at the Women's PGA Championship in 2018 when she was only 18 years old.
She battled Sunday, though. Henderson came into the day with a two-stroke lead but saw it evaporate quickly after a bogey on the No. 1 and a double-bogey on the sixth. After she stabilized on No. 7 with a birdie and three straight pars, Henderson again bogeyed No. 11.
But three birdies down the stretch on the Nos. 14, 15 and 18 ended up being just enough for the win.
"It was definitely an interesting day," she told reporters after her victory. "I stayed as patient as I could. The saying is that majors are won on the back nine so I reminded myself of that. I just kept saying I was still in it and I made some clutch putts down the stretch."
It was oh-so-close to a playoff, however, after Schubert narrowly missed a birdie putt on the 18th:
"I have a great caddie and she helped me stay calm this week. I was just able to go out and play," said Schubert, who shot under-par in all four rounds at the Evian. "I peeked at the leaderboard on 14 and saw I was leading, but I avoided the scores after that. It was a good stroke on the putt at 18, it just missed. I'm looking forward to taking this momentum forward."
The margins between a victory and second place were razor thin at this year's Evian. Henderson's strong finish ensured they fell in her favor.
While the PGA Tour is competing against LIV Golf, the Ladies Professional Golf Association would at least consider doing business with the Saudi Arabia-backed league, LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan said Saturday.
"It's my responsibility to evaluate every opportunity," Marcoux Samaan told Cathy Harris of the London Times (h/t Beth Ann Nichols of Golfweek). "I would engage in a conversation if it would achieve our aim of promoting women's golf, but there needs to be input from players and sponsors. There's a lot of factors to consider before we do business with LIV Golf."
Marcoux Samaan's comments come after LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman told the Palm Beach Post (h/t Golfweek) that he was "100 percent confident" about starting a women's golf league.
"We have discussed it internally, the opportunity is there," Norman said. "Aramco is already the largest sponsor of women's golf in the world. Aramco, a Saudi company."
Aramco, a Saudi oil company, sponsors six events on the Ladies European Tour with prize money totaling $6 million.
The Saudi government has been accused of numerous human rights abuses, including the assassination of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Critics have also accused the government of sportswashing, using the new league to improve its reputation around the world.
A number of top players on the PGA Tour have already joined the LIV Golf Invitational Series. The breakaway circuit has offered some players more than $100 million to move on from the PGA Tour, and the league's purse sizes, with the winner of each event receiving $4 million, have also been enticing.
As for the women's game, 20-time LPGA Tour winner Cristie Kerr said last month that "almost the entire tour" would make the jump to LIV Golf if it were in a similar situation to the men's game.
Ayaka Furue turned some heads at the 2021 Evian Championship with a fantastic performance, and she's doing it again in this year's iteration of the major. The 22-year-old posted an eight-under 63 on Thursday in Evian-Les-Bains, France, to lead the field after Round 1.
Furue hit 15 of 18 greens of regulation and averaged just 1.39 putts per hole. She made nine birdies and just one bogey on the day, including a five-under 30 on the front nine. Impressively, Furue birdied three of the five par-three holes.
A seven-time winner in her native LPGA Tour of Japan, Furue finished fourth at 15 under in the Evian Championship last year. She finished three shots shy of eventual champion Minjee Lee.
Furue will have to work some more magic for the remainder of this tournament, especially given the strength and proximity of the title contenders.
Eighteen players are four under or better, and nine of them are within three strokes of the leader.
They include seven-time LPGA Tour winner world No. 3 Nelly Korda and 11-time winner Brooke Henderson, who are tied for second at seven under.
Korda posted a bogey-free round despite having to shoot her ball out of a lake at one point:
Meanwhile, Henderson ended a great day in style with an eagle on the par-five ninth.
Cheyenne Knight, who is well on her way to making her fourth straight major cut, sits solo fourth at six under.
A scary group resides at five under, though, and it's led by world No. 1 Jin Young Ko and two-time major winner and world No. 4 Lydia Ko.
The game's top player delivered one of the shots of the day on the par-four sixth.
Low scores were the norm Thursday, with 63 players shooting a one-under 70 or better. We'll see if that trend continues Friday during second-round action.
In Gee Chun has won the Women's PGA Championship, shooting a three-over 75 on Sunday to finish five under for the tournament.
The story, however, will be Lexi Thompson's untimely collapse.
Thompson finished with bogeys on four of the final seven holes at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, giving away a two-stroke lead on the back nine.
Chun and Thompson played hot potato with the lead over the final round.
Chun went into Saturday with a six-stroke advantage, but promptly shot three over in the third round and struggled massively on the front nine Sunday with four bogeys.
That allowed Thompson to move above her, taking a two-stroke advantage heading into the back nine. But her advantage was short-lived, as her own bogey woes allowed Chun to retake her lead and win her third major title.
"It just means a lot because I didn't have any wins for three-and-a-half years, so I really appreciate it," Chun said after her win. "My sponsors always believed in me. My family and my coach, my caddy, and my fans in Korea, they never gave up on me, no matter how I did. So thanks very much. I really enjoyed the course, so thanks to the greenkeepers!"
It was a little over a year ago that Thompson blew a four-stroke lead on the back nine at the U.S. Women's Open. Yuka Saso would go on to win that tournament in a playoff over Nasa Hataoka.
Sunday's collapse—while not as comprehensive—was reminiscent of Thompson's final round at that tournament. She finished in a tie with Minjee Lee for second place at four under and remains stuck on one major win in her career. She last won on the LPGA Tour in 2019.
Chun, meanwhile, will take the win after struggling massively over the weekend. She was dominant Thursday, shooting a 64, and looked well on her way to a comfortable title Friday after shooting a 69.
It's rare that a player shoots three over on the final day of a major and still wins. But Chun's excellent start to the tournament—paired with a few timely birdies on Nos. 11 and 16 and just one bogey on the back nine—proved to be the difference.
And now, she has her third major title, adding to her 2015 U.S. Women's Open and 2016 Evian Championship triumphs.
Minjee Lee coasted to the U.S. Women's Open title Sunday after finishing the tournament 13 under and setting the major's 72-hole scoring record to earn a cool $1.8 million.
Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina, served as the home for this year's competition, which featured Lee and Mina Harigae tied for first after 36 holes.
However, the 26-year-old Australian entered Sunday with a three-shot advantage over Harigae after shooting a four-under 67 on moving day.
She kept her distance in the final round on a day where low scores were hard to come by. Only three golfers shot under par, with Jeongeun Lee6 leading the way at two under. Lee and Hye-Jin Choi each shot one under Sunday.
Harigae hung onto second after shooting a one-over 72 to finish nine under for the tournament. Choi took third at seven under.
World No. 1 Jin Young Ko finished fourth at six under. Ingrid Lindblad was the low amateur at one under. She was one of just 13 golfers to finish under par on the day.
Here's a look at the top-10 scoreboard, this year's U.S. Open payouts and some notes and highlights from Lee's day.
Payouts
1: Minjee Lee (-13): $1,800,000
2: Mina Harigae (-9): $1,080,000
3: Hye-Jin Choi (-7): $685,043
4: Jin Young Ko (-6): $480,225
5: Lydia Ko (-5): $399,982
T6: Anna Nordqvist (-4): $337,198
T6: Bronte Law (-4): $337,198
T8: Nelly Korda (-2): $261,194.66
T8: Megan Khang (-2): $261,194.66
T8: Leona Maguire (-2): $261,194.66
Payout Source: Golf Digest
Sunday Notes and Highlights
Lee is now a two-time major champion after winning the Amundi Evian Championship last July. She's also an eight-time LPGA Tour winner and two-time victor this year after taking down the Cognizant Founders Cup in May.
Lee got there thanks to making some clutch putts.
This eagle try on No. 1 following an excellent approach shot didn't fall in, but it led to an easy birdie.
Lee earned another birdie after a fantastic putt on the second:
It wasn't an easy day for Lee, who had to navigate through some pine needles just to make bogey on the seventh.
Lee needed to make a lengthy putt on the ninth just to make par:
Then she navigated a tremendous shot from the dead bush to help make par on the 10th:
A par save was as good as a birdie on the 11th after Harigae bogeyed, which helped Lee increase her lead to five.
She added birdies on the 12th and 15th to maintain her distance.
From there, it was an easy ride to the finish for Lee, who authored an incredible four days of golf en route to a well-deserved major title.
Danielle Kang said Friday that she is playing in the U.S. Women's Open with a tumor on her spine.
According to GolfChannel.com's Amy Rogers, Kang said: "My goal is to play this week. I didn't want to miss it. I'm really happy that I'm here. It's been a difficult road, but I'm pretty stoked that I'm able to hit certain shots, and I feel like my game is a little bit there."
Kang added that she plans to undergo additional tests to determine if the tumor is malignant or benign.
The 29-year-old San Francisco native shot a first-round 71 and second-round 74 at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina, putting her at three over for the tournament.
As of early Friday evening, Kang was just at the projected cut line of three-over par.
Per Rogers, Kang hadn't planned to address her health during the tournament, but she did so after her brother, Alex, posted on Instagram that Kang was the "only person I know to be playing with a tumor in her spine."
Kang called being pain-free her "No. 1 priority" and noted that she isn't sure when she will be back on the LPGA Tour, noting that it could be in a week or months down the line.
Since turning pro in 2011, Kang has won six LPGA tournaments, including the 2017 Women's PGA Championship, which is her only major title to date.
She also finished fourth at the 2018 U.S. Women's Open and sixth at the 2019 ANA Inspiration.
Kang's most recent victory came in January when she beat Brooke Henderson by three strokes in the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
Notably, Kang won the 2020 LPGA Vare Trophy, which is given annually to the golfer with the lowest scoring average on tour.
Additionally, Kang represented Team USA in the Solheim Cup in 2017, 2019 and 2021, winning in 2017 and losing narrowly in both 2019 and 2021.
Michelle Wie West is partnering with LA Golf to provide additional support for LPGA players, per Charlotte Gibson of ESPN.
The 32-year-old, who announced last week she will step away from competition, is in an investor in LA Golf and sits on the board of the of the golf equipment company.
"We're looking into not so much as just throwing money, but what meaningful support can we provide women athletes that will make them feel like they're taken care of," Wie West said. "And all of this—it adds up, and hopefully this will help to elongate their career. They can play with less injuries. They can play with less stress and have mental health support, all of that."
The new initiative was formed after discussions between Wie West and LA Golf CEO Reed Dickens over the past year.
"I gave her the authority and the green light and the legislative paper to do what she thinks needs to be done based on her experience," Dickens said.
Wie West plans to provide support for golfers in areas such as healthcare and maternity leave, but she also noted travel conditions as a place that could see significant improvement for LPGA members.
The golf star, who is married to Golden State Warriors executive Jonnie West, explained the travel differences between male and female athletes:
My eyes were really opened when I traveled with my husband with the Warriors and saw how they travel. Everything is done for them, and it's the same on the PGA Tour, as well.
Meanwhile, I remember hoping and praying that my golf bags would show up on the carousel at the airport. And I was fortunate to travel with a team during my playing years, but I know there are plenty of girls who don't even have that luxury.
The initiative will help the golfer's goal of creating a "meaningful impact" off the course.
Wie West is best known for qualifying for an LPGA event at just 12 years old and winning the U.S. Women's Open in 2014. She gave birth to her daughter Makenna in June 2020.
