December 13 — Newly minted LPGA Tour pro Jessica Korda is officially a member of the women’s golf club, according to GolfChannel.com’s Randall Mell.
Korda, 17, turned professional immediately after finishing in second place in Sunday’s final round of LPGA qualifying school. The LPGA subsequently waived its rule that members must be at least 18 years old for Korda, who will turn the magic number in February. The one caveat was that she had to agree not to count any of potential earnings as official tour cash until she’s 18, Mell said.
Late dates. That may not be an issue, since the LPGA said Monday it would not divulge its 2011 schedule until January. The tour announced its late delivery in a news release that touted its historic global season in which players from 29 countries competed in 12 nations and 15 winners hailed from seven countries.
Global golf has been Michael Whan’s theme since he took over as commissioner earlier this year, so it’s no surprise there will likely be two fewer tourneys played on U.S. soil in 2011. With the LPGA struggling to gain support in the U.S., it only makes sense to go where the money is, and that’s in Asia.
By the way, if a January announcement of the tour’s lineup seems a tad late, it is. The 2010 schedule was available the preceding November.
Scheduling problems? A tour spokesperson declined to confirm the number of upcoming U.S. events or explain why officials were waiting until the new year to produce its schedule for the new year. With the schedule originally due out during the recent season-ending LPGA Tour Championship, one might surmise that commissioner Michael Whan was having problems finalizing sponsors and dates.
As for the waiver Korda received, the rule barring under-18 players from attaining tour membership has come under recent scrutiny. Golf watchers believed that 15-year-old phenom Alexis Thompson would challenge the age restriction and petition for membership. Instead, Thompson asked the tour for additional sponsor exemptions.
Korda and Thompson were teammates on the victorious 2010 Curtis Cup team that vanquished the women from Great Britain and Ireland at Essex County Club in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., last summer.
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. Check her out on the Waggle Room, Boston Golf Examiner, and National Golf Examiner websites. You may also follow Kay on Twitter.)
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