Opinion & Analysis

A few thoughts on what it takes to make it on the LPGA Tour

Published

7 years ago

Feb 12, 2019

Many young juniors aspire to play professionally. With all the coverage that the PGA and even Web.com Tours get, junior boys have a pretty good idea of what it takes to not only play on the PGA Tour but also thrive.

With less coverage of the LPGA Tour, junior girls have to dig a little deeper to figure out what it takes to make it to the LPGA and thrive on that tour. Using the stat categories on the LPGA Tour, and looking at the person at spot 100 for each of these categories, will give junior girls good insight to making it on tour.

Let’s start with how much money is earned by the 100th ranked player (Brianna Do, pictured in the featured image) for the 2018 season. You may think earning $113,220 is a pretty good living. For most jobs this is great, but being on the LPGA Tour you’ll have to consider all the expenses. Securing sponsors is a must to be able to actually thrive on the tour.

Next up, let’s learn what you have to shoot to earn that $113K. For the 2018 season, a 72.61 scoring average got you ranked 100th. This shows how “good these girls are.” Averaging just a hair over par for the season is very impressive when considering all the stress the players are under. Throughout the season not only do you need to keep it around par to just be ranked 100th, you also need to shoot under par in one third of your rounds.

So, just like setting goals you have to break down those goals to manageable action steps. The goal of averaging 72 and posting red number one out of three rounds can be broken down to the skills that get you there. The game, even on the women’s side is leaning towards the power game. And this is highlighted by the fact that by hitting it off the tee 250 yards on average lands you at number 100 for driving distance. Keep building up your speed and your smash factor.

While power is a plus, Mark Brodie’s research will lead you down the path of the importance of hitting the green in regulation. Also Scott Fawcett of DECADE can further enhance the importance of not only hitting the green, but when to be aggressive for flags. The LPGA player finding herself ranked 100th for GIR hits 65 percent, and if you’re curious the best player hit 78 percent GIR during 2018 season.

There are definitely more skills to focus on to be able to make your way to the tour and thrive on the tour. Hopefully this highlights a few areas to cast light on reality of how close older juniors or college players are as they pursue their dreams. Take it from someone who gave it a shot, put the work in and enjoy the journey.

Opinion & Analysis

AVL: My U.S. Amateur local qualifying experience

Published

19 hours ago

Jun 5, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

This past Monday, I played in the U.S. Amateur local qualifier at Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon. A full tee sheet from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., the top 11 scores would make it to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying.

I teed off at 10:48 a.m.. With the 7:30 am tee time, you can get a feel for the leaders’ pace, and they were off and running on the challenging setup at Rock Creek.

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Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.

With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.

Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!

Club Junkie

Building my 2026 gamer WITB: Ranking the contenders and new putter projects – Club Junkie Podcast

Published

2 days ago

Jun 4, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

The annual What’s In The Bag build is underway, and on this episode of Club Junkie, Brian breaks down the clubs currently leading the race for a spot in his 2026 gamer setup. From drivers and fairway woods to irons, wedges, and shafts, he ranks the equipment that’s performing best and explains what’s separating the front runners from the rest of the field.

Brian also heads into the workshop to discuss several putter projects currently on the bench. From head options and shaft choices to build ideas and testing plans, he shares what he’s working on and which putters could become serious contenders for the bag this season.

If you’re a gear junkie who loves equipment testing, club building, and the never-ending pursuit of the perfect setup, this episode is for you.

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Club Junkie

Tour Edge Exotics mini driver review + TaylorMade Spider ZT Max first look – Club Junkie

Published

1 week ago

May 28, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of Club Junkie, I put the new Tour Edge Exotics Mini Driver to the test and break down the performance, forgiveness, distance, and where it fits compared to a traditional driver or strong fairway wood. If you have been curious about adding a mini driver to the bag, this one is worth a look.

I also dive into the new TaylorMade Spider ZT Max putter that was recently spotted and discuss the growing zero torque putter trend. Plus, there is a closer look at the new Project X Titan Yellow shaft showing up on the PGA Tour and what makes it different from other profiles currently out there.