Sophia Popov’s win at the 2020 AIG Women’s Open is still as fresh in her mind as the Fort Myers, Florida breeze. What seems like a distant memory though is her connection to the host city of this week’s Drive On Championship. Just three miles up the road from Crown Colony Golf & Country Club is Cypress Lake Country Club, where Popov finished runner-up to now fellow LPGA Tour member Madelene Sagstrom at the 2016 Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial on the Epson Tour.
Fast forward six years and the two find themselves in the same 120-player field, both LPGA Tour winners and Popov a major champion.
“The experience that I had on the Epson Tour, and I had a few years out there, was extremely valuable. I think learning how to travel by yourself, going from tournament to tournament, being able to play under pressure while doing your own thing and trying to find your routine that you like to do is so important before you come out on the LPGA,” said Popov. “When I got my LPGA Tour card in 2015 straight out of college, obviously had some health issues I was battling but it was tough to immediately know what you are doing and be comfortable. Being on the Epson Tour for at least a year is something I think that helps players develop and find themselves.”
Now, Popov also calls the greater Fort Myers region home, as she and her husband Maximilian Mehles have a place in Naples. She practices out of Naples National Golf Club and spends time with her grandma, who is also based in the area. It all adds up to a week full of memories, family and living out her dream as a LPGA Tour professional.
“I get to spend quite a bit of time with her. Coming home and seeing her every day is really nice,” Popov said. “Then I get to go home and cook every night. I put a lot of emphasis on my healthy diet, which is really, really important to me, because if I don't eat as clean as I can, then I get very tired at times and fatigued.
“When you're in your own kitchen, you know where everything is and that it is fully stocked. I think that is my favorite part [of a hometown event].”
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