I guess hell just froze over. Stay tuned for a big announcement today from Augusta, GA. Augusta National Golf Club, home of The Masters, has been a venue the LPGA Tour has wanted to compete at for decades. They’ve wanted a “Ladies Masters” tournament of some sort, but those wishes have fallen on deaf ears. My inside sources have informed me that The Masters Tournament committee has frog-jumped the LPGA Ladies Masters idea and gone right to admitting female competitors in the Masters Tournament starting in 2018.
Don’t expect to see female competitors for half the field in 2018 though. In fact, I’d only expect to see perhaps five or less. My source has told me qualifying for females or males will be basically the same except for the additions to allow the female USGA Amateur champion in, along with the five (if there are in fact five) LPGA Tour major champions from the previous year.
I can’t wait to hear what Martha Burke has to say. Twitter and the social sphere will surely be exploding as the news gets out.
What are your thoughts? Is this the right move or not? And will the ladies be playing the member tees or the Masters tees? There are only two sets of tees there, and personally I think the Masters tees would destroy any female golfer’s chances because the course is so long now.
PGA Tour
BMW Championship – 3rd FedEx Cup Playoff Event
Dates: Sept. 12-15
Venue: Conway Farms Golf Club, Lake Forest, Ill.
Golf Channel Airtimes (Eastern):
Thursday 3-6 p.m. (Live) / 10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. (Replay)
Friday 3-6 p.m. (Live) / 10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. (Replay)
Saturday 1-3 p.m. (Live) / 10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. (NBC Replay)
Sunday Noon-1:30 p.m. (Live) / 11 p.m.-2 a.m. (NBC Replay)
NBC Airtimes (Eastern)
Saturday 3-6 p.m. (Live)
Sunday 1:30-6 p.m. (Live)Evian Championship
LPGA Tour
Evian Championship
Dates: Sept. 12-15
Venue: Route du Golf. The Evian Resort Golf Club, Evian-les-Bains, France
Golf Channel Airtimes (Eastern):
Thursday 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Live) / 8:30-10:30 p.m. (Replay)
Friday 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Live) / 8:30-10:30 p.m. (Replay)
Saturday 6:30-11:30 a.m. (Live) / 8:30-10:30 p.m. (Replay)
Sunday 8:30 a.m.-Noon (Tape Delay) / 9-11 p.m. (Replay)
NBC Airtimes (Eastern)
Sunday Noon-1:30 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Web.com Tour – 3rd Playoff Event
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship
Dates: Sept. 12-15
Venue: The Ohio State University Golf Club, Scarlet Course, Columbus, Ohio
Golf Channel Airtimes (Eastern):
Thursday 6:30-8:30 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Friday 6:30-8:30 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Saturday 6:30-8:30 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Sunday 7-9 p.m. (Tape Delay) / 5-7 a.m. (Replay)
European Tour
KLM Open
Dates: Sept. 12-15
Venue: Kennemer Golf & Country Club, Zandvoort, Netherlands
Golf Channel Airtimes (Eastern):
Thursday 12:30-2:30 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Friday 12:30-2:30 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Sunday 2-6 a.m. (Tape Delay)
Monday 2:30-5 a.m. (Tape Delay)
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is in West Virginia at the Old White TPC Course for the Greenbrier Classic. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Gary Woodland and K.J. Choi are among some of the big names in the field. John Daly is also in action. Will he make the cut?
Greenbrier Classic TV Schedule
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Thu, 7/5:
GOLF 3p – 7p ET
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Fri, 7/6:
GOLF 3p – 7p ET
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Sat, 7/7:
CBS 3p – 6p ET
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Sun, 7/8:
CBS 3p – 6p ET
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Champions Tour
The seniors are at Pebble Beach for the Nature Valley First Tee Open.
Notables in the field this week include Ben Crenshaw, Fred Funk, Jay Haas, Peter Jacobsen, Corey Pavin and Fuzzy Zoeller.
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Fri, 7/6:
GOLF 6:30p – 8:30p ET
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Sat, 7/7:
GOLF 6:30p – 9:30p ET
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Sun, 7/8:
GOLF 7p – 9:30p ET
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LPGA Tour – U.S. Women’s Open
The U.S. Women’s Open is this week in Kohler, Wisconsin at Blackwolf Run’s Championship Course. This should be some very entertaining golf to watch.
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Thu, 7/5:
ESPN2 4p – 8p ET
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Fri, 7/6:
ESPN2 4p – 8p ET
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Sat, 7/7:
NBC 3p – 6p ET
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Sun, 7/8:
NBC 3p – 6p ET
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2012 LPGA Tour Schedule
The 2012 LPGA Tour schedule is set. There are some new events and more prize money for 2012, which is good news. This year there are five new events, four in the USA and the now famous (or infamous) “5th Major.”
I’ve set up a static page here on Hooked On Golf Blog which has the LPGA Tour Schedule for quick reference. Click on the link in the previous sentence, or you can find it by going to the “Tours” menu on any HOG blog page and selecting “LPGA Tour Schedule” in the drop down menu.
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This morning LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan announced that the Evian will be the LPGA’s 5th major championship. Below is a video interview from Golf Channel’s Morning Drive where Whan announces the change, and explains the why and how.
What do you think? I’m not a big follower of the LPGA, but I think it taints the records a bit and is perhaps a desperation move. I know this is done in the name of “progress” but it seems to me like adding the “major” title to this is more of an effort to bring in money and support outside of the USA, exactly where the LPGA needs to look. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that though. Business is business.
http://youtu.be/pMgJfSof6yE
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