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‘Minjee Lee shouldn’t be caddying for anyone’ – Par 3 contest reignites Women’s Masters debate

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The Par 3 contest at Augusta National is typically the calm before the storm, as partners, kids, and even celebrities join forces with the pros for an afternoon of entertainment.

This year’s contest was cut short by an actual storm, but there was still plenty going on at the event to get people talking, and none more so than the appearance of Minjee Lee, sister to Min Woo, who is making his debut at the tournament this week.

The World Number four in the world, Minjee and current holder of the Evian Championship last year, played a supporting role to her brother on Wednesday before getting her chance on one of the holes and sticking her approach close.

Following the contest, Minjee took to social media to share her delight at caddying for her brother at the event before some golf fans declared it was high time that the top women players had their chance to compete at Augusta National.

Twitter user @HgMac6 wrote: 

“Sorry that I don’t find this cute. Minjee Lee is #4 in the world.. much better than her brother. Minjee shouldn’t be caddying for anyone… the world’s best women PRO golfers should get to play at Augusta…. It should be like tennis .. men and women should play the same Majors.”

Prominent golf writer/tipster for Sporting Life Ben Coley also weighed in with a similar view, saying:

“This is lovely but also it makes for a pretty stark contrast: up-and-coming brother preparing to play Augusta; world-class sister has to make do with being a caddie in the par-3. Absolutely mad that there is still not a Women’s Masters for Minjee Lee to play in too.”

While when I wrote in 2018 ‘Why the LPGA deserves a major championship at Augusta National‘ for GolfWRX, my view was (and remains the same) that:

“The LPGA players deserve the same equal opportunity as the male players. There may never be the same general interest in the women’s game compared to the men. However, inclusivity is an area that has too often been lacking in the game of golf, and there is now more than enough quality and interest in the women’s game to justify Augusta National staging a women’s major championship.”

Augusta National deserves plenty of credit for the work it was done with the ANWA and the impact that has had.

Chairman Billy Payne said the event would have the “greatest impact on women’s golf.” The winner of the inaugural ANWA was Jennifer Kupcho, who last week won the first women’s major of the year, the Chevron Championship.

So what do you think? Is it time the LPGA pros got their chance to tackle Augusta National, or should things stay as they are?

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Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected].

19th Hole

3-time PGA Tour winner calls for LIV to buy Champions Tour to fix ‘joke’ purses

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While speaking on the Subpar podcast, former PGA Tour winner and current PGA Tour Champions player Chris DiMarco said he hopes LIV buys the Champions Tour.

“We’re kind of hoping that LIV buys the Champions Tour,” he said.

“Let’s play for a little real money out here. I mean this is kind of a joke when we’re getting $2 million. There were like seven guys last week from TPC (Sawgrass, at the $25 million PLAYERS Championship) that made more money than our purses.”

In 2024, the Champions Tour had a total of $67 million in prize money over the course of 24 events.

DiMarco also defended LIV players for taking the money and said he would take it also.

“They wanted to play for a lot of money, and they deserve it. They have had some great careers, why not go and get some money?”

DiMarco also offered insight on Graeme McDowell’s move to LIV.

“I saw Graeme McDowell at the Old Memorial Pro Member, and he goes, ‘Listen, I went up to Jay Monahan and said I love the tour but I am struggling to keep my card and these guys are offering me all this money and less golf. I’m sorry, I’m going.’ And I do not blame him one bit, and I said I would have too.”

DiMarco was ranked as high as 6th in the world in 2006.

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19th Hole

‘It won’t win you golf tournaments’ – Golf analyst rips Charley Hull’s course management

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Charley Hull came just short of her third LPGA Tour victory over the weekend at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship when she played her last two holes at 3 over to slip all the way to 10th on the leaderboard.

After the round, Hull was blasted by Sky Sports commentator and former LPGA Tour player Trish Johnson for her lack of golf course management.

While speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Johnson spoke harshly of Hull.

“I’m probably her harshest critic, because I know how good she is. She doesn’t win anywhere near enough for her talent, and she doesn’t get involved enough, in all honestly.

“The thing with Charley is that you’re never going to change her. I read something the other day that said how much she loves the game and it’s her love of the game [that costs her]. She’s never going to change and she’s just going to go for every pin.

“In theory that’s great, but it won’t win you golf tournaments, it just won’t because she’s not that much better than anybody else. If you put Charley against Nelly Korda, then I’m picking Nelly every single day of the week.”

Johnson also made a fascinating comparison between Hull and a famous male golfer, John Daly.

“Golf-wise that’s the way she plays the game and it’s a little bit like watching John Daly I suppose.”

“There’s something that John Daly had that made him a major winner and a winner, but Charley is kind of lacking that. Her talent is not in question, but maybe her application is. Maybe it’s just the case of her never changing and that will cost her golf tournaments, there’s no two ways about it. You cannot go for every pin because that’s the way you play and it being fun, as other players are better than that and you have to have course management.”

Hull is still only 27, and therefore has plenty of time to work on her flaws to achieve the success her talent should allow.

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Former agent lifts lid on being fired by ‘zombie’ Tiger Woods

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Discussing his new book “Rainmaker” with the Daily Mail, Tiger Woods’ former agent, Hughes Norton, recounted the events leading up to and after his split with the 15-time major champion.

Norton was abruptly fired by Woods in 1998 after his 1997 Masters win and monster deal with Nike.

In the book, Norton talks about the way Tiger views his relationships, calling him a “zombie.”

The solace I can take, which doesn’t provide much, is this: He was an equal opportunity zombie with relationships, his swing coaches, his lawyer, the guy negotiated the IMG representation deal, with caddies, When it’s over, it’s over.”

Norton added:

“It is the way he terminates relationships with everyone. Whether it’s girlfriends, whether it’s his former golf coaches. It’s ironic, really. In a way he’s so good at confrontation on the golf course. If he’s playing you, he will beat your brains out every single time.

“But when it comes to confronting things like me and other people that are in his life, he has no social skills whatsoever. It’s maddening, actually.”

After he was fired by Woods, Norton was let go by IMG, which he believes was due to Woods’ influence.

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