Ko endures 1st season without winning on the LPGA Tour
die late last year (she once Open will have similar qualwent through seven caddies ifiers at the Joburg Open on as a rookie) and she left CalDec. 7-10 (three spots) and NAPLES, FLA. » Lydia Ko laway for PXG. the Singapore Open on Jan. blasted out from in front “I think she has handled 18-21 (four spots). of the steep edge of a bunit extremely well,” said Judy ——— ker and raised her arms Rankin, a Hall of Famer LPGA Q SERIES: The playfully when it dropped and television analyst. “But LPGA Tour is revamping for par. She ended the first I can’t imagine that she the final stage of its Qround of the CME Group doesn’t lay her head on the school that essentially will Tour Championship one pillow at night and think: direct more players to the shot out of the lead, and she ‘ What happened? Where Symetra Tour and deterlooked like the Ko of old. did I go? Was that not real?’ mine priority strictly on the
Her comments immediPart of it is just growing scores from the final stage. ately after the round spoke up. Part of it is in golf, and It will be called Q Series, to what kind of year it was. maybe all the way through and the final stage will be
“It would be good to finlife, I’m not sure you come two 72-hole tournaments ish the season with a top to that point where you’ve with a cumulative score. 10. I would be pretty happy grown up just enough to The field will be 108 playwith that,” Ko said. knowers.thingscangowrong.
Top 10? And then they begin to.” I think it was important to in the “Open Qualifying Seommissioner Mike This from someone who Ko had three runner-up finish on the higher note, ries” to earn a spot at CarWhan said the best playreached No. 1 in the world finishes this year, losing which I feel like that’s what noustie next summer. The ers in college or coming at age 17, who won her the final-round lead to Lexi happened.” leading three players at the from other nations, such as first LPGA Tour event as Thompson in Indianapolis. She tied for 16th in NaAustralian Open not alSouth Korea, can still get a 15-year- old amateur and She failed to register a top ples and soon was on her ready eligible will qualify an LPGA Tour card by winwon every year since then. 10 in the traditional maway to South Korea for for the British Open. ning a tournament or finThat streak ended in one of jors until tying for third in three weeks of fun (mainly A year ago, Ogilvy was ishing equal to top 40 on the most surprising develEvian, the major reduced to concerts) and no golf. poised to win the tournathe money list from touropments of the year on the 54 holes. ——— ment until a tee shot into naments with no cuts. LPGA Tour. Ko never thought it was BRITISH OPEN QUALthe trees on the 16th led The LPGA will still have
Ko failed to win a single that bad. IFYING: Geoff Ogilvy has to double bogey. He tied two stages of Q-school. This tournament. She finished “Obviously, winning a been playing the Austrafor fourth and missed the year, he said, about 80 play13th on the LPGA money championship is a huge lian Open every year since British Open spot because ers from the two stages will list, after earning more deal, but sometimes it’s he was low amateur in 1995, Aaron Baddeley had the play in the final stage. That than $2 million each of the overrated when you haven’t with the exception of 2000, higher ranking. The previwon’t be the case next year. last three seasons. won,” Ko said. “You’re when he was going through ous year, Ogilvy again was Whan said the final stage
She paid a steep price for still playing well, but just Q-school on the PGA Tour. in good shape until he hit will consist of Nos. 101-150 making so many changes haven’t won. I feel like it’s Lately, it has brought him into the water on the 17th. on the LPGA money list and all at once. Ko left coach Dabeen that kind of year. I nothing but heartache. He missed the spot in the Nos. 11-30 on the Symetra vid Leadbetter for Gary Gilthink everybody has litAlong with being his naBritish Open by two shots. Tour money list. He said christ, she sacked her cad- tle ups and downs. To me, tional open, this is the first Meanwhile, the British the top five players from the college golf rankings published by Golfweek will get into the final stage, and perhaps some 10 players who are among the top 75 in the world ranking.
The rest of the field will be filled from players who advance from the second stage. Those who don’t will have a Symetra Tour card.
“The superstars of the time will still get through,” Whan said. “But generally speaking, most players will get to Stage II, play a year on the Symetra Tour and play their way onto the LPGA.”
Meanwhile, he said, the average purse on the Symetra Tour next year will be about $140,000. That’s up from an average of $90,000 a few years ago. ———
RIDLEY CHOICES: One month into the job as Augusta National chairman, Fred Ridley has a couple of roles to fill.
Ridley wanted to wait to appoint his successor as chairman of the competition committees because the club also lost Rob Chapman, the chief executive of Inman Mills in South Carolina, who died in August at age 66. Chapman, a popular member among the players, was head of the Cup and Tee Markers committee.