By ASSOCIATED PRESS
The LPGA Tour has lost nine veteran players under the age of 40, including four major champions, who have decided to retire from full competition.
Lexi Thompson, whose playing career is marked as much by the majors that got away as the one major she won, announced in late May this would be her final year playing a full season. What that means remains a mystery, even to the 29-year-old Thompson.
“I may tee it up a few times next year,” she said, specifically citing the Chevron Championship, her lone major victory 10 years ago when it was the Kraft Nabisco and held in the California desert. “A matter of when and what tournaments, I don’t know. I am just going to take time for myself and take it day by day.”
Two-time major winner Brittany Lincicome announced she was done, making her farewell last week at Pelican Golf Club. She said she likely would play at the Chevron, one of the smaller fields and the major she won twice as the Kraft Nabisco.
Major champions So Yeon Ryu (34) retired after the first major of the year at the Chevron, and I.K. Kim (38) said she was retiring this year after the Women’s British Open at St. Andrews.
Ally Ewing, 32, finished her eighth and final year on the LPGA. She announced two months ago she would retire and leaves on a high note. A three-time LPGA winner and four-time Solheim Cup player, she leaves at No. 18 in the women’s world ranking.
“I always wanted to run through the finish line of my career, so seeing a really good season gives me even more peace about my decision,” Ewing said in September when she disclosed her plans after a winning Solheim Cup.
The surprise was Marina Alex, 34, who kept her decision to a small group of family and friends who cheered her on the 18th at the CME Group Tour Championship, and by then word had spread. She won two times in her 11 seasons on the LPGA, and played in one Solheim Cup.
“The path that is next will show itself over time,” Alex said. “Right now, I’m just really ready to rest my brain and mostly like my heart. This is a hard job emotionally and I’m finally ready to hang that up and not live and die by the golf course. I’m really looking forward to that.”
Three others retired to spend more time with children — Mariajo Uribe (34) at the Olympics, Gerina Mendoza (39) and Amy Olson (32).
The ballot
The PGA Tour waited until the final tournament to send out its award ballot, and there were no surprises. Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele are the leading nominees for the Jack Nicklaus Award as player of the year, with Rory McIlroy the third candidate.
Scheffler won eight times this year, including his Olympic gold medal and a Masters green jacket. He won The Players Championship and the FedEx Cup, along with four signature events.
It would seem like a shoo-in except for Schauffele winning two majors. The award is voted on by the players. Since the award began in 1990, the 10 times a PGA Tour member won two majors in a year he won the Jack Nicklaus Award (Tiger Woods did that four times).
Nick Faldo wasn’t a PGA Tour member when he won two majors in 1990. The PGA Tour award went to Wayne Levi.
On the ballot for PGA Tour rookie of the year are Nick Dunlap, Max Greyserman, Matthieu Pavon of France and Jake Knapp. All but Greyserman won this year. Dunlap was an amateur when he won The American Express, and he won again at the Barracuda Championship (held opposite the British Open).
Players have until Dec. 4 to submit their ballots.
Field sizes
With so much attention on the smaller field sizes next year on the PGA Tour, one field is increasing.
With the combination of 2024 winners and the top 50 in the FedEx Cup, 64 players are eligible for The Sentry to start the year at Kapalua on Maui. The field for more than two decades typically was in the low 30s, but that was before the tour added the top 50 in the FedEx Cup.
There were 59 players a year ago.
Still to be determined is how many players go to Kapalua. Rory McIlroy already has said he would start his year in Dubai, as he did this year. Matthieu Pavon, Tommy Fleetwood and Aaron Rai are scheduled for the Team Cup matches in Abu Dhabi for prospective Ryder Cup players. That starts Jan. 10, just five days after The Sentry ends.
Then again, Fleetwood played The Sentry last year and then teed it up in Dubai the following week.
Of the 59-man field last year, 24 players failed to make it back.
LPGA Awards
Nelly Korda wrapped up LPGA player of the year a few weeks before the end of the season. The CME Group Tour Championship decided two more.
Ayaka Furue, who captured her first major this year at the Evian Championship, became the first player from Japan to win the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average. She was in a tight race with Hae Ran Ryu until Furue closed with a 68 to finish at 13-under 275, while Han shot 69 and was seven shots worse.
Furue had an 69.988 average, while Ryu finished at 70.
“I feel the winning (of) the Vare Trophy is (a) difficult thing to achieve and I think (I’m) very happy to have this trophy in my hands right now,” Furue said. “And then I’m so honored to be the first Japanese player to win this trophy.”
Jeeno Thitikul (69.33) and Korda (69.56) had lower averages but did not play enough rounds to qualify for the award.
Mao Saigo gave Japan another award. She clinched rookie of the year in the season finale.
USGA leadership
The USGA has nominated Kevin Hammer, who played college golf at Florida and works in wealth management for Merrill Lynch, to be its next president.
Fred Perpall still has one year left on his three-year term.
The USGA executive committee will vote on the slate of candidates, which includes executive committee members, at the the annual meeting March 1 in Pinehurst, North Carolina, where the organization has a secondary office.
Hammer was raised in south Florida, played golf for the Florida Gators and spent two years (2020-21) as president of the Florida State Golf Association. He currently is chair of the USGA’s championship committee.
Hammer would be the 68th president of the USGA, which was founded in 1895.
Divots
Justin Thomas is celebrating the birth of his first child. His wife delivered Molly Grace Thomas on Nov. 18. … Daniel Berger with his runner-up finish at the RSM Classic became the 84th player to go over $25 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour. Of course, Scottie Scheffler earned just over $29 million this year alone. … Doug Ghim won “Birdies Fore Love,” a competition sponsored by RSM for who made the most birdies during the FedEx Cup Fall. RSM presented Ghim $300,000 to donate to the children or family-focused charities . … Three winners in the FedEx Cup Fall — Maverick McNealy (RSM Classic), Nico Echavarria (Zozo Championship) and Kevin Yu (Sanderson Farms Championship) were part of the “Next 10” list who get into $20 million signature events at Pebble Beach and Riviera. Winning also allows them to start at The Sentry, another signature event.
Stat of the week
Fifteen players were outside the top 100 in the world ranking when they won on the PGA Tour this year.
Final word
“I have found over the years that when you play really well, it doesn’t matter a whole lot what the tour policy board decides. Things will work out pretty well in your favor.” — Chris Kirk.
