It’s no secret that the LPGA Tour is one of the most global organizations in sports, and Round 1 of this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship was a distinct illustration of just that.
The leaderboard after 18 holes was a veritable United Nations collection, with players from 11 different countries among the top 22 in the standings heading into Friday’s second round. Jenny Shin of the Republic of Korea leads the way at 7-under-par, a stroke better than Canada’s Brooke M. Henderson and two clear of the diverse trio of Karrie Webb (Australia), Moriya Jutanugarn (Thailand) and Charley Hull (England).
Of those players, Jutanugarn, France’s Karine Icher (-4) and Joanna Klatten (-3), Sandra Gal of Germany (-3) and Azahara Munoz of Spain (-3) are attempting to become the first golfers from their home country to win the esteemed LPGA major. It is a storied tournament with a history of international champions.
Since it began in 1955, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship has boasted champions from 10 different countries in addition to the United States, dating back to Canadian Sandra Post claiming the title in 1968. Hall of Famer Chako Higuchi followed with a win for Japan in 1977, while Sally Little of South Africa was the event’s 1980 winner.
England’s Laura Davies (1994, 1996), Republic of Korea’s Se Ri Pak (1998, 2002, 2006), Webb (2001), Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam (2003-05), Norway’s Suzann Pettersen (2007), Yani Tseng of Taiwan (2008, 2011) and China’s Shanshan Feng (2012) then put their countries on the proverbial map with triumphs at the tournament. With such a deep and varied player roster on Tour, there is always the potential for another country’s representative to break through and hoist the iconic trophy, and this year could see another nation added to the list.
There’s no doubt the state of women’s professional golf is strong and growing more prominent around the globe, and the LPGA has been a major reason for that expansion. In addition to the United States, the Tour will conduct events in 14 other countries by the time the 2015 season is all said and done, a fact that directly contributes to the association’s increasing presence as a major player in the worldwide sports spectrum.
Leaderboards at LPGA majors like the ones fans saw today in Harrison, N.Y., are just the latest hint of how competitive the 2016 Olympic Summer Games should be in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when the world’s best tee it up and battle for gold medals. It should be quite a show, and events like this week offer a great sneak peek of what is to come.
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