SINGAPORE – Winning a golf tournament requires self-belief, patient shot selection and mental strength. It is an arduous task across four days and 72 holes to outlast about 100 others vying for the coveted trophy.
American Lilia Vu waited four years for her first LPGA Tour victory after earning her card in 2019. Others, like Grace Kim, are more fortunate. Less than a month after starting her rookie Tour campaign, the Australian was already in the winner’s circle.
Both women were part of a group of 12 first-time LPGA winners in 2023, one more than the previous record of 11 in 1995 and 2022.
“Honestly, anyone out on Tour now can win. The strength in depth has really gone up greatly. It’s not just your typical 10 people who can win in rotation. Literally anyone can win and change their career,” world No. 73 Kim, said ahead of the ongoing HSBC Women’s World Championship.
It is the same unpredictability at the Majors. Only nine women won golf’s biggest events between 2000 and 2004, when there were only four Majors a year, but that number rose to 17 in 19 Majors from 2020 to 2023.
Swedish great Annika Sorenstam, 53, believes the growth of women’s golf makes it difficult for someone to replicate her achievements. Between 1997 and 2005, she captured 62 LPGA titles.
She told The Straits Times: “The women’s game has become very global. The schedule takes them everywhere. You have three tournaments in Asia, then back to the US and Canada, and more tournaments in Asia in the fall.
“I don’t think the scoring average has changed much, but now the depth is there. You have more players, different tours and better pathways. There’s a great appetite for new players coming in.”
Her compatriot Linn Grant, who triumphed at the Dana Open in 2023, agreed, saying: “The game has spread way more, a lot more amateurs and juniors stay in the game and turn pro. It’s definitely a big difference from the women’s golf from like 20 years ago. Anyone who has a good week can win.”
American Allisen Corpuz, 25, broke through in 2023 with her first LPGA victory, at the US Women’s Open. She cited the attention to detail modern golfers put into honing their craft beyond the course, eating the right food for nutrition and fitness regimens for injury prevention and recovery.
“Year after year, the gap between the worst and best gets a little smaller every year,” she noted.
Kim, 23, added: “It’s such a meticulous sport that everything’s just got to be so detailed. Your preparation, your practice. If you hit one bad shot, it could cost you your career. Golf is such a tough sport.”
World No. 1 Vu won four times in 2023 and said the current standard on Tour is exceptional.
“All the girls here take their job really seriously. We view ourselves as a business. Sometimes while I am playing I just think, ‘wow we’re so good’. Like, we’ll all casually hit five-irons to like 10 feet,” she said.
South Korean veteran Shin Ji-yai is 35 and her last LPGA win came in 2013, but the former world No. 1’s self belief remains unwavering. She said: “Every player is different now. They have their own styles and drive to win. But as long as I keep working hard, I believe I can still win again.”
