womens – Golf Master

Winners of The Ally Challenge and KPMG Women’s Irish Open Trust Graphite Design Tour AD GC Shafts

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 17:14:55 +0000

Carlsbad, CA – Pro’s Choice Golf Shafts, Inc. announced today that the winner of the PGA TOUR Champions The Ally Challenge, held at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan, was playing a Graphite Design Tour AD GC-6 X-Stiff flex wood shaft in his Titleist GTS-3 Driver. The champion claimed his victory after posting a 3-day score of 68, 65, 68 and winning the tournament by 3 strokes to claim his 13^th PGA TOUR Champions title.

Additionally, on the Ladies European Tour, the winner of the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, held at The K Club – Palmer South in Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland, was playing a Graphite Design Tour AD GC-5 Tour X-Stiff (TX) flex wood shaft in her Titleist GTS-2 Driver, and a Graphite Design Tour AD GC-6 Tour X-Stiff (TX) flex wood shaft in her Titleist GTS-2 #3 Fairway metal wood, and a Graphite Design Tour AD GC-7 Tour X-Stiff (TX) flex wood shaft in her Titleist GTS-2 #5 Fairway metal wood.

“Congratulations to the PGA TOUR Champions winner for his second straight win in a row. And to the LET winner for her second career win. We are ecstatic they both played Graphite Design Tour AD GC wood shafts”, stated Wayne Ageno, President, Pro’s Choice Golf Shafts, Inc.

Designed and manufactured at the Graphite Design Japan factory headquarters, the Tour AD GC “Game Changer” wood shafts are pearl white with bronze and orange accents and finished with a gloss clear coat. Much like the other high-performance Tour AD wood shafts, the Tour AD GC utilizes premium, aerospace-quality carbon-fiber materials and are available in 40g R2, R1, and S flex, 50g R2, R1, S and X flex, 60g SR, S, X, and TX flex, 70g S, X, and TX flex, and 80g X flex.

The Tour AD GC shaft profile is Stiff in the butt section, Firm in the center section, and has a Firm+ tip to promote Mid launch angles and Low/Mid to Mid ball spin rates.

The Tour AD GC shaft integrates a new material technology called AD SHIELD, which consists of strategically placed special plies of carbon fiber combined with the modern TORAYCA® M40X material technology in the handle section of the shaft, resulting in a stiff yet smooth-feeling kick point and an optimized shaft profile.

The Tour AD GC shaft also utilizes the ultra-high modulus TORAYCA® T1100G carbon-fiber material in the tip section of the shaft for unrivaled shaft stability and precise ball control without the loss of the exceptional feel that Graphite Design shafts are so well known for.

Are you ready to make a change to how your Driver or Fairway metal woods perform? Experience the Tour AD GC and see if the new innovations that the Tour AD GC has might just be the biggest Game Changer to your golf game.

About Pro’s Choice:

Pro’s Choice Golf Shafts is the exclusive distributor of Graphite Design golf shafts in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, the UAE, South Africa, South America, and Australia. Pro’s Choice Golf Shafts distributes all of the current Graphite Design shafts, including the new 2027 Graphite Design Tour AD EK wood shaft model, as well as the Anti-Gravity aG33-3, Tour AD FI, Tour AD GC, Tour AD VF, Tour AD CQ, Tour AD UB, Tour AD XC, Tour AD IZ, and Tour AD DI models of wood shafts, the Tour AD HY, IZ, DI and VF Hybrid shafts, and the Tour AD Iron and Raune Iron shafts. The company is located in Carlsbad, California, with a distribution warehouse located in Southern California.

About Graphite Design:

Located in Chichibu, Japan, Graphite Design Inc. has over 36 years of experience designing and manufacturing premium graphite-composite golf shafts. Numerous Graphite Design shafts are in play among the best professional players on all tours worldwide. Validating the company’s “Tour AD” logo, all of Graphite Design’s Tour-proven shafts specifically promote “Accuracy and Distance”. On Tour, Graphite Design shafts recorded 44 Global tournament victories in 2025 and have helped numerous golf professionals earn well over 580 tour victories and multi-millions of dollars in prize money since inception.

CONTACT:
Bill McPherson, Pro’s Choice Golf Shafts, b.mcpherson@proschoicegolfshafts.com, 619-454-

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Protoconcept Staffer Jodi Ewart Shadoff Delivers Precision Iron Performance at CPKC Women’s Open

admin — Sat, 12 Sep 2026 16:32:23 +0000

Shadoff ties for third in greens in regulation, hitting 57 of 72 greens for a 79.2% GIR rate

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. – PROTOCONCEPT GOLF ambassador Jodi Ewart Shadoff showcased exceptional accuracy and consistency with her irons throughout the 2026 CPKC Women’s Open, placing her among the tournament’s strongest approach players.

Playing PROTOCONCEPT GOLF forged irons, Shadoff recorded rounds of 70, 68, 67 and 69 at Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton, Alberta. Her precise approach play helped her finish tied for 17th at 6-under par.

“Jodi’s performance at the CPKC Women’s Open demonstrates the consistency and precision she brings to her iron play,” said Marcy Kamoda, CEO of PROTOCONCEPT GOLF. “Hitting nearly 80% of the greens under tournament conditions is an impressive accomplishment and a strong reflection of her confidence in the equipment.”

Shadoff joined PROTOCONCEPT GOLF as a global ambassador for the 2026 season after working closely with Director of Tour Operations Steve Loerzel. Her current setup includes C03TC forged irons, a C05TP long iron and RR forged wedges.

“I have not hit a set of irons with such exceptional feel and responsiveness in nearly a decade,” said Shadoff. “These clubs have significantly enhanced my ball striking and overall performance.”

PROTOCONCEPT GOLF Equipment in Jodi Ewart Shadoff’s Bag

C03TC Forged Irons: Developed through advanced 3D CAD engineering, the C03TC features optimized center-of-gravity placement for precise control, consistent trajectory and the soft, responsive feel of handcrafted Japanese forging.

C05TP Forged Iron: A redesigned power pocket combines launch, distance and stability, delivering reliable accuracy from longer distances and challenging lies.

RR Forged Wedges: Engineered with multiple sole and bounce configurations, the RR Forged Wedge provides versatility, precise distance control and dependable performance from a variety of turf and sand conditions.

About PROTOCONCEPT GOLF:

Golf manufacturers design and develop golf equipment specifically for golf professionals. These highly specialized golf clubs and concepts are offered as a prototype exclusively for the golf professional and never for the amateur golfer. This was the genesis for PROTOCONCEPT GOLF.

The “PROTO” in PROTOCONCEPT is an abbreviation for “PROTOTYPE.” NOW, amateurs of all levels can play and enjoy the same equipment or prototypes that were once only available for golf professionals.

PROTOCONCEPT GOLF, launched in 2019, is a high-profile luxury Japanese golf club manufacturer that has transitioned its resources and management to North America. Smiling Ducks Inc. will manage the highly sought-after brand.

PROTOCONCEPT GOLF forged irons and wedges have received the coveted Golf Digest “Hot List” award every year since the company’s inception. The PROTOCONCEPT GOLF professional staff include Ryuji Imada, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Ryan Cornfield, Tain Lee, Haeji Kang, Ssu-Chia Cheng, Dan McCarthy, Arron Wilson, and Arjun Atwal.

Their handcrafted line of forged golf clubs can be purchased at an exclusive PROTOCONCEPT GOLF dealer. PROTOCONCEPT Golf – Store Locator

For more information, visit www.protoconceptgolf.com

MEDIA CONTACT:

Vanessa Marie Price

Read the Greens GOLF Media, Inc.

(714) 544-6515 or readthegreens@aol.com

lVanessaMarie@readthegreensgolfmedia.net

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Who is the highest paid women’s golfer and what is the gap to the PGA Tour?

admin — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:54:48 +0000

In 2026, one of the sport’s most significant debates ceases to end and is starker than ever.

Following the CME Group Tour Championship at the end of 2025, Jeeno Thitikul led the LPGA Tour money list, having earned $7,578,330 across the season.

While this is a sum the majority of humans can’t imagine having, Thitikul’s year-long earnings would have been good for 20th place in the PGA Tour money list of 2025.

This was a fraction of Scottie Scheffler‘s monstrous bank balance of $27,659,500 across 20 events. Although rewarding Thitikul with an enormous $4 million cheque for winning last year’s season-ending finale is a vast upscale investment in the women’s game, there is still a significant disparity between the two spheres.

2025 was another year of dominance for Scheffler, who won seven times, including the PGA Championship and The Open. He was handsomely rewarded in the PGA Tour’s grossly inflated financial climate. Even despite a slight down year on course, where he won only three times (low for his standards!), he scooped the $10 million purse at the Tour Championship.

Scottie Scheffler | Source: Getty Images

Scheffler’s excellence is becoming more regular, but each of his last two full seasons could be compared to Nelly Korda’s 2024 season. Her third win at the Annika at the end of that season capped off a seven-trophy haul that included a PGA Championship win.

Her on-course earnings for that year? $4,391,930. Korda won’t have sniffed at that, but she and Scheffler rose to similar levels of superstardom in that 12 months, and there is a cavern between what their performances were worth in currency.

What is also remarkable, as an example, is that Rory McIlroy won $4.5 million at the PGA Tour’s flagship event, the 2025 Players Championship, alone, which means he won more at this event than Korda won in the entirety of 2024.

The PGA Tour has long offered big prize money. The organisation also has one of the sport’s most generous pension schemes. However, when LIV Golf was born in 2022, the circuit’s financial reserves were opened like Pandora’s Box, making $4 million in winner purses and $20 million in total prize funds the rule instead of the exception.

Scheffler’s dollar total for last year and previous seasons must account for the squeeze placed on the tour by the new Saudi-funded league and its compulsion to compete. But with more new money being pumped into golf, the LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour are yet to taste the pie in the same way the men’s tour has.

Nelly Korda | Source: Getty Images

Below, we run down the top 20 of the LPGA money list and the top 10 of the PGA Tour money list. We’ll also compare the nearest equivalent on the PGA Tour to the LPGA Tour leader, giving a sense of the gap between the two.

ALSO: What clubs does Nelly Korda use?

ALSO: Who is Nelly Korda’s boyfriend?

Last updated: July 29

LPGA money list 2026 (events played)

1. Nelly Korda – $6,220,214 (15)

2. Haeran Ryu – $4,521,414 (15)

3. Ruoning Yin – $2,553,624 (17)

4. Miyu Yamashita – $2,486,457 (18)

5. Jeeno Thitikul – $2,390,611 (16)

6. Hyo Joo Kim – $2,208,441 (15)

7. Ina Yoon – $2,147,964 (16)

8. Brooke Henderson – $2,125,937 (16)

9. Sei Young Kim – $2,011,447 (16)

10. Charley Hull – $1,830,311 (14)

11. Gaby Lopez – $1,803,311 (14)

12. Jin Hee Im – $1,702,741 (19)

13. Hannah Green – $1,696,560 (14)

14. Lottie Woad – $1,503,489 (18)

15. Allisen Corpuz – $1,468,754 (17)

16. Akie Iwai – $1,436,494 (22)

17. Esther Henseleit – $1,414,797 (17)

18. Patty Tavatanakit – $1,385,516 (14)

19. Auston Kim – $1,252,206 (15)

20. Lauren Coughlin – $1,206,751 (16)

PGA Tour money leaders 2026 (events played)

1. Scottie Scheffler – $30,937,525 (20)

2. Cameron Young – $15,068,482 (20)

3. Matt Fitzpatrick – $14,679,817 (21)

4. Wyndham Clark – $14,644,936 (23)

5. Rory McIlroy – $11,573,749 (14)

6. Viktor Hovland – $11,495,826 (19)

7. Chris Gotterup – $10,446,028 (23)

8. Si Woo Kim – $10,271,694 (24)

9. Ryan Gerard – $10,004,898 (26)

10. Collin Morikawa – $9,994,628 (17)

–

22. Hideki Matsuyama – $6,088,207, the closest equivalent on the PGA Tour to LPGA Tour leader Nelly Korda.

The gap continues to grow between the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour, with LIV’s emergence accelerating the trend. Nine players on the PGA Tour breached the $10 million mark in 2026 after the Tour Championship, with Scottie Scheffler reaching a staggering $30 million in prize money after his win at East Lake.

That’s nearly five times Korda’s winning in 2026. Both World Number One’s, but a chasm between them in their earnings.

NOW READ: From Annabel to Annika: The greatest comebacks in women’s golf history

Enjoy this LPGA Tour money leaders piece? What do you make of the LPGA money list? Are you shocked by the LPGA money list disparity to the PGA Tour? Tell us on X!

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This U.S. Women’s Open is special for a much bigger reason

admin — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:08:10 +0000

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — There’s a statue at Riviera Country Club that lords over the entire place. From high on its perch, just outside the clubhouse on a hill, a dark brown bust of Ben Hogan overlooks the 18th green. The course is nicknamed Hogan’s Alley, for his three different wins here in the 1940s, and at the base of that statue are the names of other winners at Riv. In a few months, here in the club’s centennial year, that statue will finally add a woman’s name to the plaque. This is the first women’s tournament played at Riviera Country Club.

“I say it all the time,” Morgan Pressel said Wednesday morning, along the 1st fairway. “I say it literally every chance I get. I believe very strongly about how important venues are.”

It has been a bit of a crusade for Pressel, the idea that some of the biggest events in women’s golf have long struggled to access the courses where men have made golf history. It’s why Pressel signed off from her week of analysis on the 2021 USWO broadcast on NBC in such a giddy mood. She had just watched Yuka Saso chase down Lexi Thompson at Olympic Club, which had hosted five U.S. Opens, but never the women’s.

“To add our own history to the already storied history at Olympic Club — it was a really special week … I remember when Pebble Beach was announced [as 2023 host]. I was like ‘Ohmygoodness. We get to play Pebble Beach.’”

Pressel would have loved to compete at Riv during her days atop the pro game. But she played during an era where the biggest event in women’s golf was played at less-heralded courses. The reason why would never be clear, but instead of playing Pebble Beach, in Northern California, the USWO went to nearby Cordevalle. Instead of the game’s best taking on Merion, where the most famous photo of competitive golf was snapped — yes, more Hogan — the ladies played 70 miles west in Lancaster. Instead of taking on big and burly Shinnecock in 2013, they went farther out on Long Island to Sebonack. And instead of making that weird distinction forever and ever, the USGA made a pivot.

“Eight or nine years ago, our strategies changed,” John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championship officer, said Wednesday. “We put at the top of our pyramid going to America’s greatest venues. When we say that, we mean it, and we start with the golf course, and [Riviera] is one of America’s greatest venues.”

The implementation has been somewhat sporadic, as Lancaster hosted again in 2024 and Erin Hills last summer, but the USGA’s run of bringing the women to the game’s most iconic haunts starts in earnest this week.

From Riviera, the ladies will head to Inverness Club, a Donald Ross classic in Toledo that has hosted six men’s majors, zero women’s. Then it’s off to Oakmont, where last summer J.J. Spaun made one of the most memorable putts in USGA history. Then it’s Pinehurst in 2029, the week directly following the men’s U.S. Open there — and, no, the timing is not by chance. Oh, you tuned in to watch Rory and the boys rip around the waste areas? Nelly and the girls will do the same in just a couple days.

The USGA has announced 17 of the next 22 USWO sites, a number of which will host the women for the first time after decades of hosting the men. We’re talking Oakland Hills, Merion, Shinnecock.

“If we’re going to talk about equality and equity, we have to talk about the playing fields,” Pressel continued. “When you talk about golf specifically, there are historic venues that withstand the test of time. They’re far more famous than any single player and any era. Every era they have their moments and their history and their fame.”

At Riv, it goes back to that statue on the hill. Hogan’s 18-month run through the 1947 LA Open, the 1948 LA Open and then the 1948 U.S. Open. But in modern years it’s much more than Hogan or majors — it’s been the Genesis Invitational, annually one of the top events on the PGA Tour, where Dustin Johnson seemed to perfect the sport in 2017, and where Hideki Matsuyama shot a winning 63 in 2024, and where Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm all won as well.

The women are experiencing all their peers have been able to throughout the decades — using the same locker room, the same workout facility, scheming their way around the devilish 10th in similar and different ways than the men ever would. Some of them have been quizzing their PGA Tour friends about how to work their way around the course. They’ll snap photos from Riviera’s epic 1st tee, where a 16-year-old Tiger Woods hit his first shot in a professional event. And at the end of their week they’ll summit that mountain of stairs behind the 18th hole, where each of those winners were celebrated en route to sign their scorecards. Yuka Saso carried her clubs up that hill Monday afternoon, almost out of breath, but still having enough to shout, “I just climbed Mount Everest!”

That’s what the women’s game has finally been allowed to do, slowly but surely change its elevation. Royal Troon, in Scotland, hosted its first Women’s Open in 2020. Muirfield, on the other side of the old country, made its debut in 2022. Both clubs existed for more than a century without female members, let alone host women’s majors. It still took the Old Course in St. Andrews until 2007, during Pressel’s second year as a pro, to host the Women’s Open. It’s done so three times now and has delivered three legendary winners: Lorena Ochoa, Stacy Lewis and Lydia Ko.

Pressel calls it all an “arms race” between golf’s governing bodies — both the recent history and future lineup. The PGA of America has Congressional, Hazeltine and Bethpage Black on tap. In 2027, the R&A will bring the women to Royal St. George’s for the first time … after already hosting 15 men’s Opens — with victories from Vardon to Hagen to Norman.

Pressel believes in the connection between winner and venue. She thinks about the feeling NBA players get winning at Madison Square Garden. She thinks about that time she flew to see Taylor Swift play at Wembley Stadium. She thinks about her friend, Paula Creamer, not just winning a U.S. Open, but winning an Open at Oakmont.

“Everybody wants to either be the competitor there, or be the person there watching it,” she said. “It all just elevates women’s golf the more they can be on that playing field.”

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