The Vast Differences Between The PGA and LPGA Tours Are Evident

In March of this year, a University of Oregon female collegiate basketball player became famous after posting a video to Instagram of the “weight room” for the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, which was made up only of a single rack of dumbbells. The public backlash was immediate, with the NCAA vice president of women’s basketball stating that the organization was “actively working to improve existing resources.” While that was an egregious example, the disparity in amenities for men’s events versus women’s exists at the professional level — even in professional golf. While the ladies’ game has made significant strides in recent years, two-time LPGA winner Marina Alex stated this week that there is still room for improvement in tournament facilities at LPGA Tour stops. “I’d want them to do a day-in-life piece and have one of the guys. They make a lot of money. They rent homes, have chefs, and everything else like that.” “I’d like to toss them in at one of our lesser-known events,” Alex explained. “I do not want to throw our events under the bus, but a few may require some TLC, and I’d want to offer them for a week, so I could see what they did.” For example, when the DIO Implant LA Open was held at Wilshire Country Club in April, a player complained about not being able to park his club trailer or fitness trailer on the host course because there was no parking. “I’d want to see someone come for a week – you can’t get your clubs re-gripped, you can’t get any new equipment, and you can’t go workout. That would be great. I’d want to see how it turns out.” “The Majors — the gap is gradually being closed, and it should be,” Alex said, referring to the LPGA’s substantial rise in purse sizes this season. “It’s unquestionably improving.”

Why Was This LPGA Player’s Second Triumph More Gratifying Than Her First?

At the Palos Verdes Championship in May, Marina Alex achieved her second career LPGA Tour victory with a clutch shot down the stretch, going one under on her final three holes to defeat World No. 1 Jin Young Ko. Alex’s victory was lovely because she had just returned to competition after a four-year hiatus. Her back problem developed on the heels of her stepping away from the game for seven months to recover a herniated disc. “I didn’t think I would win again,” Alex stated during her post-round press conference. “It’s fantastic that it happened. I wasn’t sure if it would happen.” “It’s a validation,” Alex said. “People would be lying if they didn’t claim that it isn’t validation since everyone can say to themselves, are you just a one-hit-wonder? Did you win that one time only to discover you’re not capable of winning again?” According to Alex, it’s a question players frequently ask themselves, and regaining the winner’s circle is gratifying. “There’s a little bit of self-doubt,” Alex said. “Yes, you’ve won before, but will you be able to do it again and again? There’s always that battle: Am I that good or not as good? “I feel there is a lot of uncertainty in there. So when I won the second time, it felt like it put a lot of people’s personal doubt to rest,” he added.