For the final 10 days of 2022, we’re offering up a snapshot of the top 10 stories from each of Golfweek’s most popular sections, including travel, the PGA and LPGA tours, instruction and amateur golf.
Our esteemed LPGA beat writer Beth Ann Nichols has already given us her perspective on the biggest stories of the year earlier this month.
But to close out the year, we’ve been looking through the numbers and tallying up which stories drew your attention, and we’re now sharing the findings with you. Here’s what we’ve already counted down.
And now here’s a look at the top 10 LPGA stories, as clicked on by you (we should note, the top LPGA post of the year by far was this gallery of Michelle Wie West, but this list doesn’t include photo galleries or money lists):
10
Lydia Ko, instructor Sean Foley part ways after successful two-year run
Lydia Ko parted ways with instructor Sean Foley. The former world No. 1 took to Instagram to make the announcement, noting that they decided to go their own ways as a coach and player for “logistical reasons,” but that Foley will always remain a close friend and mentor.
“When I first met Sean, I was in a place where I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself and in my game,” Ko wrote. “Over the past two years he has helped me evolve as a better player and person. Our time together was full of so much learning, laughter.”
9
Bobbi Stricker advances in Q-School with father Steve Stricker on bag
Former Wisconsin player Bobbi Stricker, daughter of Steve Stricker, was one of 106 players to advance to Stage II of LPGA Qualifying. Bobbi closed with a 69 on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course to finish in a tie for seventh at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California.
Steve Stricker, a 12-time winner on the PGA Tour and the winning captain for the U.S. squad at the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, caddied for Bobbi, who didn’t begin playing competitive golf until after high school. Emily Lauterbach, a Wisconsin senior, also advanced to Stage II with a share of 25th.
8
This former PGA Tour winner-turned-instructor is making quite an impact on the women's game
After competing on the PGA Tour for 13 years, Grant Waite, the 1993 Kemper Open champion, switched gears to teaching. His roster of Tour clients included Charles Howell, Aaron Baddeley, Trevor Immelman and Mike Weir.
The Kiwi then stopped coaching to join the PGA Tour Champions, that is until two surgeries to repair a torn rotator cuff resumed his teaching career. In addition to several PGA Tour hopefuls, Waite’s current roster of LPGA clients represents a wide variety of players in various stages of their careers.
7
Lexi Thompson hit with slow-play fine after gut-wrenching loss at KPMG Women's PGA
A brutal Sunday at the KPMG Women’s PGA didn’t end for Lexi Thompson when the last putt dropped.
Coming off the last hole at Congressional Country Club, Thompson and Hye-Jin Choi were informed by LPGA officials that they’d been fined for slow play. Thompson’s father, Scott, confirmed to Golfweek that the fine was $2,000.
6
Former Solheim Cup player who missed her LPGA card by a single stroke now at a crossroads
There was a tweet in the aftermath of LPGA Q-Series that put a spotlight on the razor-thin lines of this beautifully maddening game. The tweet came from 40-year-old Kristy McPherson, who missed out on a full card by one lousy stroke at the 144-hole marathon.
McPherson wrote: “I’m sad. Disappointed. A little mad. Gutted Heartbroken, but not broken. Hopeful. Congratulations to the girls that made it at Q-Series! Praying for the girls below that line because I know the disappointment and heartbreak they feel. After 8 rounds I hit it 571 times. That was one too many.”
5
CME Group CEO 'exceptionally disappointed' with LPGA leadership heading into record payday
Former U.S. presidents, secretaries of state and business tycoons have presented at CME’s conference during the CME Group Tour Championship, and for Tuesday night’s dinner, the firm typically invites a select number of players to attend. This year, when CME CEO Terry Duffy asked for the houselights to be turned on so that he could applaud the players in the room, the only people standing were those serving the tables.
Not a single player showed up.
“It’s an embarrassment to a company of my size and an embarrassment to me personally,” said Duffy, two days after the event.
Duffy’s beef isn’t with the players, though — it’s with who’s at the helm.
4
Q&A: Morgan Pressel on making U.S. Women's Open history at Pine Needles, her switch to TV work and Lexi Thompson's putting
Morgan Pressel is back this year in a different role as lead analyst for Golf Channel/NBC, having shifted gears away from a competitive career.
Golfweek recently caught up with the 34-year-old, who won twice on the LPGA, to talk about Pine Needles, her switch to TV and who she likes for the 77th staging of the biggest championship in women’s golf.
3
Michelle Wie West prepares to step away from LPGA after U.S. Women's Open, leaves tour with no regrets
Michelle Wie West is proud to have blazed her own trail. No one in the history of the game has had a path quite like hers. A history maker, a prodigy, a creative marvel, Wie West commanded a presence in the game with her unique skillset, towering physical presence and daring exploits against the men. As a teen, she was as inspirational as she was controversial, a player many believed would become the Tiger Woods of the LPGA.
And now, as she prepares to fully transition away from the LPGA, Wie West’s legacy in the game is yet unfinished. The 32-year-old mom told Golfweek that she plans to compete in next week’s U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles and will then step away from the tour, with only next year’s Women’s Open at Pebble Beach remaining on her competitive golf calendar.
2
Lexi Thompson competes with new outlook at majors after the loss of her beloved Mimi
Lexi Thompson’s beloved grandmother, Dorothy Fischi – her biggest fan – died on May 23 of natural causes, the week before the U.S. Women’s Open, at the age of 92. When Thompson talks about how her mental approach to the game has changed over the course of this year, she’s talking about Mimi.
1
Want a better contest? Here's what Presidents Cup teams could look like if LPGA stars were added
There’s an awful lot of talk about growing the game. Slogans are created and commercials are made. And yet, for all those good wishes, there seems to be a rather obvious way to move the needle in a way that would benefit the game as a whole – add women to the Presidents Cup.
Not just for the good of the game. Do it for the good of the event, which has never been more lopsided. The International team has won only one time since the inaugural event in 1994.
Here’s Beth Ann Nichols’ take on why this would be a smart move.
