Opinion & Analysis

The future of women in golf is bright as Annika Sörenstam, Michelle Wie recognized at US Women’s Open

Published

3 years ago

Jul 11, 2023

Annika Sörenstam and Michelle Wie both played at the historical venue, Pebble Beach this past week at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open. The fact that these ladies made it to Pebble Beach this season is astonishing. It marks the substantial growth in women’s golf as well as the impact that Annika and Michelle have made on the game.

As the two ladies relished in their careers both marking their retirement from the tournament, Annika 55 years old, and Michelle, 33 years old, walked the fairways of Pebble as past U.S. Women’s Open Champions. LPGA chairman, Mike Whan presented each a beautiful bouquet of flowers on their 36th hole of the tournament and recognized their outstanding careers and the historical mark they have left on the LPGA Tour. Annika and Michelle left the tournament as devoted mothers who are more committed than ever to growing the game for women. They stand tall and recognize what efforts can be made to improve the LPGA on its journey for more light and overall recognition in sports.

Annika championed the US Women’s Open three times, and Michelle Wie was crowned U.S. Women’s Open winner once. The outright love for the game that these two have and their infectious demeanor as athletes is what young girls look up to. Both women leave Pebble as the LPGA’s front runners for encouraging young girls across the globe to chase their dreams and shoot for the stars. All in all, what makes these two sensational is their outright essence and belief for women in golf.

As they say farewell to the U.S. Women’s Open tournament, motherhood and family are what bonds the two — their husbands caddied, and their children showed great support as they consoled them after their 36th hole at Pebble. Golf is such an amazing game for families and witnessing this moment highlights the unity that the game provides for our kids and within our communities worldwide. The future of women in golf is very bright!

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Donna Fiscelli

Donna Fiscelli is from Dearborn, MI. Donna played Division 1 golf at Oakland University in Rochester, MI, where she led her team to a runner-up conference championship. She continues to follow her dream to play and teach. Donna was the Assistant Golf Professional at the Dearborn Country Club from 2015-2019 and Division 1 Women’s Golf Graduate Assistant at the University of Detroit Mercy from 2015-2018 while receiving her MBA. She left Detroit to teach winters in Boca Raton, FL, at the Kellie Stenzel Golf Academy at the Waldorf Astoria Boca Raton Resort and Club. She has recently accepted a new summer position as the first woman instructor at Philadelphia Country Club in Gladwyne, PA. Donna has a bachelor's degree in art with a very creative eye and hand. She acquired her skillset from playing, teaching, coaching, and drawing/painting. Donna is happy to work with players at all levels. She is currently an LPGA T&CP apprentice. Please reach out to Donna to schedule a lesson at [email protected]

2 Comments

Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Jul 12, 2023 at 5:01 pm

Women in sports! LOL

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F

Jul 11, 2023 at 12:13 pm

It’s so not. The only reason why it seemed like it was more is because it was at Pebble Beach.
And that’s what the LPGA and women’s golf are doing – going to more of these famous, traditionally men’s venues to draw more attention and increase attendance at the women’s events. Roll eyes here.
If Wie wanted to help the game she should have kept playing. Now nobody will care. The new young generation have some seriously talented players and they’ll be just fine. It’s just that they’re all ASIAN lmao and that’s what the US are worried about lol

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Opinion & Analysis

AVL: My U.S. Amateur local qualifying experience

Published

6 days 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

1 week 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

2 weeks 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.