Midseason review — Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational — Must-click women’s golf links
By Addie Parker
The IX: Golf Thursday with Addie Parker, July 20, 2023
Happy Golf Thursday, friends! I spent that last two Thursdays across the Atlantic, where I attended a family friend’s wedding in Spain and then jetted off to Paris for a few days but I’m back and ready to recap the things I missed while I was away. From the U.S. Open at Pebble, to Linn Grant capturing her first LPGA win, to Solheim Cup business — we have a lot of ground to cover.
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With 17 events down and 18 to go, we are at that point in the season where we can take a step back and reflect on all that has happened thus far. So let’s dive right in, starting with this week’s biggest news: Team USA announced the first three players who have clinched their spots for the 2023 Solheim Cup.
Thanks to incredible tournament play and a bunch of mathematics Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu, and Allisen Corpuz have officially punched their tickets to Finca Cortesin in Andalusia, Spain. Korda and Vu locked in their spots following their performances at the U.S. Women’s Open, with 422.50 and 416.50 points, respectively. Sitting at third in the rankings with 348.50 points, Corpuz secured her first Solheim Cup berth following her win at Pebble Beach and her runner-up performance at the Dana Open.
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Those points may seem arbitrary and a bit intimidating, but it’s really easier than you think. To put it in layman’s terms, points are awarded to the top 20 participants at each Ranking Event, the tournaments that take place during the Qualifying Period as designated by the LPGA. Points are doubled at the five major championships (The Chevron Championship, U.S. Women’s Open, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Amundi Evian Championship, AIG Women’s Open). In the Solheim Cup year, all points values will increase by 50%. To see the full breakdown click here.
After her win at the Dana Open, Linn Grant sits in second place in the Team Europe Solheim Cup point standings, behind fellow Swede Maja Stark.
Last spring, I had the pleasure of chatting with Allisen Corpuz for a LPGA.com story. The piece never got published, but it was still pretty cool to talk to her about her rookie season and what life was like growing up in Hawaii. Corpuz is one of the kindest people and it’s always exciting to watch good things happen to good people.
Winning at Pebble makes Corpuz the first woman U.S. Open champion at the iconic venue. She also became the first American player to win the U.S. Open since Brittany Lang in 2016. Corpuz became the season’s fifth Rolex First-Time Winner of the 2023 season, joining Lilia Vu (Honda LPGA Thailand), Ruoning Yin (DIO Implant LA Open), Grace Kim (LOTTE Championship) and Rose Zhang (Mizuho Americas Open).
She also got a cool shoutout from fellow Hawaiian native and former President Barack Obama.
The 2023 season has proven to be quite historic already. Here are a few highlights:
- Players are competing for nearly $100 million in total prize money, a record-breaking
amount and up approximately $30 million compared to 2019 ($70 million) - Of the active LPGA Tour players, 36 different countries are represented, including 31 Tour rookies this season representing 16 different countries (including the U.S.)
- The return of the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown at TPC Harding Park where Team Thailand (represented by Ariya Jutangaurn, Moriya Jutanugarn, Patty Tavatanakit, and Atthaya Thitikul) took home the crowns over Australia
- Ariya Jutanugarn earned the inaugural MVP Award
What’s to come in the second of the season:
- The last two majors of the year
- The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France
- The AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey, England
- The Grant Thornton Invitational’s 32-player field will be comprised of 16 LPGA Tour and 16 PGA TOUR professionals competing for a $4 million purse – with additional format details in development
- The 2023 season features two season-long races:
- The Race to the CME Globe will give the top 60 players following the ANNIKA driven by
Gainbridge LPGA at Pelican entry into the CME Group Tour Championship and the opportunity to play for a $7 million purse and $2 million winner’s check, the largest first-place prize in the history of women’s golf - The Aon Risk Reward Challenge, a competition on both the PGA and LPGA Tours, will feature the world’s best golfers as they navigate risk across the season’s most strategically challenging holes; the player from each Tour at the top of the Aon leaderboard at the end of the regular season will receive $1 million
- The Race to the CME Globe will give the top 60 players following the ANNIKA driven by
This eventful season is gaining even more momentum and with summer’s end taunting us — we have the final two major championships, the Solheim Cup, Q-School, and so much more to look forward to. But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. It’s always best to seize the moment, and in this current moment in time, the tour is in Midland, Michigan this week for the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational. Get all the juicy details in our links down below!
This week in women’s golf
If you have links you wish to share for Golf Thursday, sources for golf news, or want to talk about anything at all, you can email me at addieparker25@gmail.com ! Discussion of any kind is always welcome…I mean it…MESSAGE ME!
LPGA News
Five things to know about the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational
Featured Teams for the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational
How to watch the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational
Linn Grant wins first LPGA title at Dana Open and moves into Top-25 in Rolex Rankings
Summer stretch rolls on with fun, team competition
Maybank Championship 2023 attracts world’s best golfers
Players and the media this week
Jane Park and Paula Creamer Press Conference
Matilda Castren and Kelly Tan Press Conference
Paige Crawford and Madison Barnett Talking About Representation in Golf
Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational Field Breakdown
Views from the 18th Hole at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational
LET News
Five things to know about the La Sella Open and how to watch it!
Rookie Report after Aramco Series in London
Epson Tour News
UGA’s Jenny Bae wins the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship
Player Profile: Katherine Hollern’s journey from the lacrosse field to the golf course
Field Breakdown: Twin Bridges Championship
NCAA/Amateur News
Mia Hammond, a Monday qualifier made the cut in her first LPGA start at the Dana Open
Spikemark Golf to manage NCAA college golf scoring and rankings beginning in 2023-24, however it is said that Golfstat will continue to do live scoring amid NCAA’s decision to change providers
Other News
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Five at The IX: Celine Borge, Polly Mack talk Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational on Thursday
This is the fourth playing of the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, after being contested in 2019, 2021 and 2022; the event was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first official team event added to the LPGA Tour, though there have been several unofficial team competitions since the Tour was founded in 1950.
THE MODERATOR: Here again with Polly Mack and Celine Borge after the second round at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational. Six birdies on the card today, no bogeys. Who was the one big scorer out there today, or was it an even match?
POLLY MACK: We both played three birdies, so that’s half, but I would say Celine was definitely the more consistent out there today, making a lot of pars, especially when I messed it up a little bit. It was very great out there. Very flawless, yeah.
THE MODERATOR: Nice. Celine, you made a lot of pars apparently. Tell me how this course works with your game. What do you like about this course?
CELINE BORGE: I just try to focus on every shot and do my best. Yeah, just hit it close to the pin because I know I have a playing partner that can hit it close too.
THE MODERATOR: Nice. Were you having a closest to the pin competition at all? That hasn’t crossed your mind at all? That’s too bad. That would have been funny. What parts of the course are maybe tricky or challenging out there?
POLLY MACK: I would say the second nine can get a little tricky here and there, especially when the wind picks up. The open par-3s, like 18 and I think it’s 13.
But, yeah, all over it’s like a really nice, beautiful course. Good sites. Yeah, lots of fun.
THE MODERATOR: Would either of you say that today was easier than yesterday? I know alternate shot versus four-ball tends to be a little lower scoring.
CELINE BORGE: I felt it was a little trickier with the wind today. It didn’t blow anything yesterday. But, yeah, it’s an easier format because then you can have two chances.
POLLY MACK: Yeah.
THE MODERATOR: So going back to foursomes tomorrow, what’s going to be the strategy again?
CELINE BORGE: The same as yesterday.
POLLY MACK: Yeah, I think we did pretty well yesterday. Very consistent, and I think we’ll keep that up and just help each other out. Yeah, just consistency is key.
THE MODERATOR: I know yesterday, Polly, you said that you guys hadn’t spoken yet about what your with strategy would be like today. When you did speak last night, what were some of the things you said to each other to prepare for today?
POLLY MACK: We were just making sure each other is comfortable with everything, if we wanted someone to go first on the tee box or so because of strategy, which we sometimes did.
But, yeah, all over I feel like it’s basically focusing on the own game today and then tomorrow will be more together again, yeah.
THE MODERATOR: Have you been learning where not to hit the ball out here and just learning anything specifically about the course or the grass that sticks out?
POLLY MACK: I would say the rough can get pretty tricky, so you don’t really want to be in the rough on some shots, especially when the pin is tucked in the front or behind a bunker.
CELINE BORGE: Maybe or a tree is in the way.
POLLY MACK: Then what’s that par-3 over there? Four? Four is kind of tricky because the whole left side is kind of hard. It runs towards the water, so the right side is better to hit on.
THE MODERATOR: Being rookies, I know you haven’t played in this event before, but team “Mackleborge” will be celebrated tomorrow. Walk-up songs, everything. How much are you looking forward to that environment? What sort of dances will you be doing coming down 18 hearing your song blasting?
POLLY MACK: I’m very much looking forward to the song, and I think it’s a very nice song to get us hyped for 18, but I don’t know if you’ll get a dance out of us (laughing).
THE MODERATOR: Oh, no. What is the song again? I know it’s a Macklemore song, a tribute to your name. Which song is it?
POLLY MACK: “Can’t Hold Us.”
THE MODERATOR: I hope we see some dance moves, but if not, that’s okay. Thanks, ladies.
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