Author Resurrects Golf Legend's Life And Mysterious Death

Over at LPGA.com Sarah Kellam has filed a sensational read on The Murder of Marion Miley and author Beverly Bell. The story is true but Bell has fictionalized dialogue to bring this unbelievable story to life for a modern audience.

“I tried to write it non-fiction. I had gotten like a hundred pages in and it was the most boring thing that you've ever read,” Bell said. “I finally decided I had to have dialogue. The flexibility of using fiction and dialogue (made it) a lot easier. I don't know if you can say writing a book in three-and-a-half years is easy, but that's what I had to do because I had a full-time job and I was writing from about 4:30 to 6:30 every morning.

Miley was one of America’s great female amateurs who was murdered at Lexington Country Club in a sadistic plot.

You can check out the book here at Amazon.

Major(s) News & Notes December 9th, 2021

This week’s edition looks at how USGA Presidency history was made this week, twice.

Plus, year-end OWGR adds 10 to The Masters, Pine Needles may see Annika, a Congressional Blue short film to whet your appetite for upcoming majors, another jargon-filled doozy of a press release and some Reads.

If you’re not signed up for free or as a paid subscriber, you can do so here.

Rankin Winding Down Her 2022 Schedule, Golf Channel Producer Hutter Stepping Down

The LPGA will see two huge changes to their broadcast presentation in 2022, with Judy Rankin confirming plans to only do four events in 2022 before retiring. If there were a broadcast wing to the World Golf Hall of Fame she’d re-enter the Hall for her incredible tenure at ABC/ESPN/Golf Channel. While she’s often lauded for breaking gender barriers, golf fans just know her as a steady, smart and reliable broadcasting presence. She’s been ABC/ESPN’s lead on-course reporter and easily transitioned to lead analyst duties when needed, the primary role Rankin played covering the LPGA in recent years.

GolfDigest.com’s Kent Paisley on Rankin confirming the news while accepting the Commissioner’s Award at the Rolex Awards.

"I'm coming to the end of my time," said Rankin, who turns 77 next February. "I'm not going to do a Brett Favre and retire about four times. I am seriously slowing down. I don't know how much their will be after this, at some point I will see you next year."

Rankin received tributes from many of her broadcasting and golf colleagues prior to speaking.

You can see it all starting at the 1:09 mark in this broadcast of the awards.

More surprising was the tribute paid by emcee Tom Abbott to Golf Channel’s LPGA producer Beth Hutter, who he announced was finishing her run with this weekend’s CME Group Tour Championship to spend more time with her family. The Abbott tribute can be viewed at the 9:22 mark.

Hutter received much attention in 2021 as the first woman to lead a major championship production and more recently was the subject of coverage when Golf Channel featured an all-female broadcast team at October’s Shop-Rite event. Multiple stories noted the moment but did not mention any plans to step aside at year’s end to spend more time with family. I’ve asked Golf Channel for comment on what is a shame for viewers, as Hutter got the most out of shrinking resources and brought fresh perspectives to audiences that helped differentiate LPGA coverage.

The USGA highlighted Hutter’s groundbreaking role in this pieced helmed by Bailey Chamblee:

**Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols profiled Hutter and did not do much to dispel the sense that this was a surprise.

This was the on-air tribute Sunday:

This week's @CMEGroupLPGA marks the final event for @GolfChannel lead @LPGA producer Beth Hutter, who has helmed coverage for more than 15 years and spent 20+ years at the network.

A great tribute & "Thank You" from @terrygannon83 & @Jrprotalker on behalf of the entire GC team. pic.twitter.com/Y1b0W0agj8

— Golf Channel PR (@GolfChannelPR) November 20, 2021

LPGA Up To 34 Events, $90 Million In Prize Money And Plenty Of Time In SoCal

Doug Ferguson reports on the 2021 LPGA schedule featuring $90 million and surrounding the final playing of the Dinah in Rancho Mirage, four tournaments in greater southern California.

South Korean television network JTBC has become the title sponsor of three tournaments, all of them in California. It takes over for Kia at the March 24-27 tournament at Aviara north of San Diego, and then has back-to-back tournaments in late April in Los Angeles at Palos Verdes Estates and Wilshire Country Club.

The other SoCal stop will be at Saticoy CC in October. The MediHeal moves from Lake Merced to Ventura County for an October 6-9 playing.

Dress Code Not Helping At Saudi Laudies International

Remember ladies, you can eat at restaurants now according to Greg Norman so whatever discomfort you suffer adhering to the Saudi dress code is a small price to pay for the privilege of eating out.

Darren Walton of AAP reports world No. 5 Minjee Lee’s comments prior to this week’s Saudi Ladies International about coping with heat while adhering to the local dress code.

“We have to cover our legs so we don’t show too much skin so it just feels like we’re in like body suits in really hot heat.

“(Dress) below the knees for women. No sleeveless (tops), no shoulders showing.

“It’s just a respect thing but it does feel hot.”

Competing by the Red Sea in King Abdullah Economic City, Lee suspects the unique challenge will be as much psychological as physical.

“Mentally, because you’re always sweating and you never really cool down, that will be the main challenge,” the world No. 5 said.

“I just played nine holes and I was cooked. But 18 holes, I mean, it’s going to take, what, five hours to go around this golf course?

“So it will be testing all parts of your mental strength, I think.”

State Of The Game 116: So-Yeon Ryu

Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and yours truly enjoyed a wide-ranging conversation with 21-time international winner and two-time major winner So-Yeon Ryu. We cover a lot, including what this former Chevron (gulp) champion thinks of the event move to an unnamed course in Houston. Warning: very little rollback talk. Apologies to those drinking and listening.

The SOG 116 page is here for all your listening options.

"The constancy of The Dinah has been no small thing"

I’ve been mulling the complicated dynamics of The Dinah’s planned move to an unnamed course in Houston and the pressures of providing increased pay for players. Something has to give and the value of history is always underestimated until the damage has been done. But it’s worth remembering how many players helped build the oldest majors into what they are and how many of them did it for the trophy, not the purse value.

This is not to impugn today’s players since not one has said they were unsure about playing the women’s first major due to the purse, or that it should lose its major status if it were to not keep up with the efforts by the USGA, PGA of America/KPMG or R&A/AIG to offer more money. Such a stance would be better than seeing how quickly folks have been willing to toss aside the value of what was built over 50 years and use equal pay or the allure of a blue chip sponsor as the justification. You don’t need to have inhabited this planet long to know corporate sponsors come and go.

Thankfully, Bill Fields put some thoughts together on this complex topic in a must-read edition of his newsletter, The Albatross.

A teaser:

But beyond that basic equation, the demise of the ANA Inspiration and the formation of the Chevron Championship is also something else: an additional piece for the growth-or-preservation puzzle that always seems to be on golf’s kitchen table. Increasingly, tradition is the sliver of cardboard that goes missing.

R.I.P. The Dinah

As you might imagine, my soft spot for golf history makes the decision to ship 50 years of history off to Houston, Texas a pretty dreadful looking decision by all involved. I wrote about the impact of moving the LPGA’s first major for Quad subscribers here.

Larry Bohannan took on the topic for the Desert Sun.

While I totally get the purse growth and network TV narratives in the competitive world of women’s majors, it still stinks. For Immediate Release:

Chevron Joins LPGA Family as Title Sponsor of The Chevron Championship

Chevron to increase prize fund to $5 million

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Oct. 5, 2021 – The LPGA and IMG announced today Chevron U.S.A. Inc. is the new title sponsor of The Chevron Championship (formerly the ANA Inspiration) through a six-year partnership. 

“Chevron is proud to become the title sponsor of this great championship, which brings together some of the most talented athletes in the world,” said Michael Wirth, chairman and CEO of Chevron Corporation. “We look forward to partnering with the LPGA and IMG to further champion women in sports, the workplace and society.”  

As part of the sponsorship, Chevron will increase the prize fund for the 2022 Championship by over 60% to $5 million. In addition, the historic major will feature a special Player Advisory Board to help ensure that The Chevron Championship supports and attracts the leading LPGA Tour players and they are at the heart of our future plans and advancements for the Championship. 

Mollie Marcoux Samaan, LPGA Commissioner, commented: “We could not be more excited to announce our partnership with Chevron. Welcoming another leading global company to our portfolio of sponsors that believes in the power of the LPGA to inspire women leaders, to showcase human performance at the highest level and to highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion in all facets of life, is truly game-changing for us. We are so grateful for Chevron’s extraordinary commitment to the LPGA and to the overall player experience and look forward to a long and successful relationship.”

The 2022 Chevron Championship will take place at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, March 31-April 3, 2022. As part of the new era, The Chevron Championship will move to a later date in the spring and will relocate to a new home, which will most likely be in the greater Houston area starting with the 2023 edition. The new host club will be confirmed in the coming months. Moving the date later in the spring also allowed the LPGA to secure a long-term commitment from NBC Sports to air the Championship on network TV. Further, moving to a major area like Houston will foster tremendous fan engagement, participation and excitement within the community and among Chevron employees. Chevron, the LPGA and IMG are dedicated to celebrating the important role the City of Rancho Mirage and the Club has played in the tournament’s history with the 2022 event. They will also make sure to bring the many years of tradition and memories built at Mission Hills to the new venue. 

Marcoux Samaan added: “We do not make the move lightly. Since David Foster and Dinah Shore created this competition in 1972, it has held a special place in the hearts of our players and fans around the world. No matter where it is held, Dinah and her influence, along with the history built at Mission Hills, will be an integral part of The Chevron Championship. We thank ANA and Mission Hills for their tremendous support and look forward to celebrating the many years of tradition as we continue to add to its footprint in the history of women’s sports.”

Lydia Ko, a Player Director on the LPGA Board of Directors and the 2016 Chevron Championship winner, said: “Having a global company like Chevron to support women’s golf is really exciting for everyone involved with the LPGA. Their aspirations for growing this major together with the LPGA and IMG are amazing for the future of our Tour. We have all made some lovely memories at Mission Hills over the years which we will enjoy celebrating in 2022 and take with us to The Chevron Championship’s new home, where I know we will make many more.” 

ANA, who supported the tournament for seven editions, will continue as a partner in 2022. 

Ed McEnroe, SVP Golf Events at IMG said: “We are delighted to welcome Chevron as title sponsor of this historic major, securing the future of the event. Their vision and enthusiasm for working together will not only enhance the stature of The Chevron Championship, but will also make a significant impact that extends far beyond the tournament itself. We want to thank ANA. They have been a wonderful partner over the past seven years and their support during this pandemic has really gone above and beyond given how seriously the airline industry has been impacted these past 18 months. We look forward to building on this great Championship’s legacy having celebrated its 50th edition only six months ago.”

About Chevron
Chevron is one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies. We believe affordable, reliable and ever-cleaner energy is essential to achieving a more prosperous and sustainable world. Chevron produces crude oil and natural gas; manufactures transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and additives; and develops technologies that enhance our business and the industry. To advance a lower carbon future, we are focused on lowering the carbon intensity in our operations and growing our lower carbon businesses. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.

About the LPGA 
The LPGA is the world’s leading professional golf organization for women, with a goal to change the face of golf by making the sport more accessible and inclusive. 

Created in 1950 by 13 Founders, the Association celebrates a diverse and storied history. The LPGA Tour competes across the globe, reaching television audiences in more than 220 countries. The Symetra Tour, the LPGA’s official qualifying tour, consistently produces a pipeline of talent ready for the world stage. The LPGA also holds a joint-venture collaboration with the Ladies European Tour (LET), increasing playing opportunities for female golfers in Europe. Across the three Tours, the LPGA represents players in more than 60 countries.

Additionally, the LPGA Foundation has empowered and supported girls and women since 1991, most notably through LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, the only national program of its kind, which annually engages with nearly 100,000 girls. The LPGA Amateur Golf Association and LPGA Women’s Network provide virtual and in-person connections to female golfers around the world, while LPGA Professionals are educators, business leaders and gamechangers dedicated to growing the game of golf for everyone.

Follow the LPGA on its U.S. television home, Golf Channel, online at www.LPGA.com and on its mobile apps. Join the social conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About IMG 
IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media. The company manages some of the world’s greatest athletes and fashion icons; owns and operates hundreds of live events annually; and is a leading independent producer and distributor of sports and entertainment media. IMG also specializes in licensing, sports training and league development. IMG is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global entertainment, sports and content company.

Girl On Fire: Leona Maguire

You know she’s big when Leona Maguire gets a song, Sam Harrop’s twist on Alicia Keys’ Girl On Fire. And from the sound of things in Beth Ann Nichols’ roundup of Solheim Cup notes and other loose ends, she was genuinely fired-up for Sunday’s singles match against Jennifer Kupcho.

In fact, Solheim rookie Leona Maguire was the undisputed Woman of the Match, earning 4 ½ points, including an absolute beatdown against Jennifer Kupcho, 5 and 4, to score Europe’s first singles point. She was the only player in the event to play all five matches.

“I heard that Kupcho made some comments last night in the team room and that fueled a little bit of fire,” said Maguire, who wouldn’t divulge what she’d heard.

The 26-year-old Duke graduate spent 135 weeks as the top amateur in the world and was a stalwart in every kind of amateur team competition imaginable. Now the whole of golf knows of her gutsy talent.

“She’s the one we’re going to have to fear,” said Hurst, “for a long time.”

Harrop’s latest…

"The neatest moments in golf are when you’re not thinking about money at all, and for both fan and player the world becomes ball, hole, club in hand."

Strong stuff from Golf.com’s Michael Bamberger on the flat Tour Championship vs. the Solheim Cup:

You can’t have professional golf without prize money. Golf without prize money is amateur golf. But the neatest moments in golf are when you’re not thinking about money at all, and for both fan and player the world becomes ball, hole, club in hand.

That’s why, in no particular order, the four men’s Grand Slam events are so enduring, as are the four women’s majors (sorry, Evian), the three senior majors for men, plus the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup and (some years more than others) the Presidents Cup. In Toledo on Sunday, the earth was shaking when Jennifer Kupcho do her thing and then Mel Reid did hers. As pure sport-as-theater, it was hard — you could say impossible — not to be more drawn to that.

Quadrilateral: Solheim Cup Takeaways

Inverness is a major venue and the Solheim Cup felt big thanks to the players, course and having Judy Rankin back. That all masked another low-budget effort from NBC/Golf Channel and the odd call to not show final day on the big network.

In the latest Quadrilateral, I cover the course and the brouhaha that is festering as I type due to fans badgering Nelly Korda online. Amazing how these Amer…oh wait, it’s Europeans? Anyway, a super three days of Solheim golf at a course deserving of more majors. And The Quadrilateral covers majors so subscribe!

Carnasty, It Was Not: Nordqvist Wins Women’s Open

My Quadrilateral wrap of the 2021 AIG Women’s Open from Carnoustie.

Mother Nature did not deliver but the course still produced an interesting finish and worthy champion in Anna Nordqvist.

Granted, it was hard to tell from a listless NBC broadcast interrupted at all the wrong moments by breaks (where have we heard that before?). That plus other elements from Sunday’s final round are noted in the latest installment.

Purse Wars! AIG Women's Open Becomes Richest In Golf

We’ve had the road wars, the rabbit wars, World Wars and now the R&A one-upping the USGA’s record U.S. Women’s Open purse of $5.5 million.

For Immediate Release, and do note how the R&A never mentions the surpassing of the U.S. Women’s Open…

THE 2021 AIG WOMEN’S OPEN SETS A NEW BENCHMARK FOR WOMEN’S GOLF WITH RECORD PRIZE FUND

18 August 2021, Carnoustie, Scotland: The AIG Women’s Open has set a new benchmark for prize money in women’s golf with the announcement that the prize fund for this year’s championship will increase by $1.3 million to $5.8 million with the winner earning $870,000.

With the support of title sponsor AIG, the largest prize fund in women’s major championship golf will increase by a further $1 million to no less than $6.8 million in 2022. This will more than double the prize fund from 2018 before AIG’s partnership with The R&A commenced.

The AIG Women’s Open takes place from 19-22 August at Carnoustie and will be played in 2022 at Muirfield, another of Scotland’s world-renowned links courses.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “We are absolutely committed to elevating the AIG Women’s Open and enhancing its status as one of golf’s premier championships. With our partners at AIG, we are taking action to make change happen and sending out a strong signal that more needs to be done by everyone involved to grow women’s golf. It needs greater investment and support from golf bodies, sponsors, the media and fans to help us grow the game’s commercial success and generate the income and revenues necessary to make prize fund growth viable and sustainable.

“We have set a new benchmark for prize money in women’s major championship golf this week and, thanks to AIG, will build on it still further next year. We hope this will inspire other events to follow our lead and help us to take a collective leap forward for the women’s game.”

Peter Zaffino, President and Chief Executive Officer of AIG, said, “AIG is proud to be the title sponsor of the AIG Women’s Open, which is one of the most prestigious and celebrated golf championships in the world. We are committed to serving as allies to women in golf, in business and in the communities where we live and work. Striving for pay equity and highlighting the achievements of successful women are critical components to this commitment and part of AIG’s core values. We are very pleased with today’s announcement as it represents an important step forward in raising the profile of women’s golf and the status of the AIG Women’s Open. We thank The R&A for their excellent partnership and I am confident that together we will continue to lead the way in achieving meaningful progress.”

In 2019, in AIG’s first year as title sponsor of the championship the prize fund was increased by $1.25 million to $4.5 million, an increase of almost 40% on the previous year.

Women's Open: Carnoustie Will Be Tougher This Time Around

Matt Cooper previews the AIG Women’s Open and its return to Carnoustie after ten years.

This time around, it seems the players should expect a much tougher test.

Five years before that, Carnoustie made its debut on the Women’s Open rota and once again the tee boxes were in the wrong place. The final hole, as we all know, is a brute, with the Barry Burn threatening both the drive and the approach. Those too fearful of the water risk dragging the ball into rough on the left (or, worse, out of bounds), taking the green out of the equation for the second shot.

It’s unquestionably one of the toughest examinations in world golf and yet the field didn’t face it. The tee was moved up, the drive became straightforward, and the burn was more or less irrelevant for both the first and second bunt.

It was a little like plotting a route for the Tour de France that ignored both the Alps and the Pyrenees, instead just faffing about on the flat.

Lydia Ko already confirmed, reports The Scotsman’s Martin Dempster.

“Seventeen is a beast. Eighteen is also a beast,” declared the two-time major winner, expressing a view, of course, shared by most people, even though Paul Lawrie birdied both of them in the play-off in his 1999 Open win.

"We're going to lose fans because we are taking so long to play"

Stacy Lewis was talking about the LPGA Tour but she certainly could have been referring to the men’s game as well.

Returning to Scotland for the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open, one of the fastest players in the game discussed the issue in this piece by Beth Ann Nichols.

The key quote:

“I just think it needs to be a courtesy thing,” said Lewis, “because we need to realize as a tour, we’re going to lose people watching us and we’re going to lose fans because we are taking so long to play and I think that’s what really needs to be hammered home to people is we need to do it more from that side than anything.”