As we look ahead to 2023, there’s plenty to wish for inside the ropes on the LPGA. With major championship venues like Pebble Beach and Baltusrol on the horizon, and the first-ever Solheim Cup set in Spain, the stages are ripe for epic drama.
Watching Lexi Thompson, Nelly Korda and Annika Sorenstam compete alongside the men at the last two silly season events of 2022 got the excitement levels revved up for a mix-team format. Sorenstam’s continued presence in the game also serves as a reminder that the LPGA is in need of its next dominant superstar.
And with that, here’s what we’re wishing for in 2023:
Lydia Ko wins a major and qualifies for LPGA Hall of Fame
Lydia Ko tees off on the ninth hole during the second round of 2022 CME Group Tour Championship at the Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida. (Photo: Chris Tilley/Special to the Daily News)
It’s honestly hard to believe that Lydia Ko only owns two major titles, and that the last one came in 2016. Now only two points shy of qualifying for the LPGA Hall of Fame, winning her third major title would put her over the line. Four of the five major championship venues will be new to Ko in 2023. She won the 2015 Evian and the 2016 Chevron Championship.
Top male players commit to new mixed-team event
Tiger Woods and Kelli Kuehne, pictured at the 1996 JCPenney Classic
OK, so maybe asking for Tiger Woods to compete is a stretch. But a report that the QBE Shootout will adopt a new mixed-team event format in 2023 is reason enough to think big. John Daly and Laura Davies won the final staging of the JCPenney Classic at Innisbrook in 1999, the most recent mixed-team event that was sponsored by the LPGA and PGA Tour.
For the QBE to really shine, top male players need to commit, which could be tough given that its traditional dates are so close to Christmas and the PNC Championship. Let’s hope that the for-the-good-of-the-game spirit prevails.
Lexi Thompson finally wins a U.S. Women's Open – at Pebble Beach
Alexis Thompson hits out of a trap on 16 during practice rounds for the US Women’s Open in Southern Pines, North Carolina on Monday, June 25, 2007. (Photo by Chris Seward/Raleigh News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Enough of the heartbreak! It’s time for Lexi Thompson to enjoy a new signature moment in her career. And what better place to do it than the first U.S. Women’s Open ever held at Pebble Beach?
Thompson has competed in every U.S. Women’s Open since her debut in 2007, a remarkable stretch. The 27-year-old has competed in 16 Women’s Opens, finishing tied for second in 2019 and that crushing third at Olympic in 2021.
Time to flip the script.
Sunday showdown in Spain
Suzann Pettersen of Europe celebrates after holing a putt on the 18th green to win the Solheim cup against the US at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
Given the number of new faces we might see on both sides in 2023 at Finca Cortesin in Andalucia, Spain, it’s possible that the Americans might actually go into the Solheim Cup as, dare we say it, underdogs.
Presently, there are seven European players in the top 30 of the Rolex Rankings and six Americans. Team Europe has won four of the last six contests. Add in the advantage of home soil, a feisty Suzann Pettersen at the helm and the new dynamite, best-friend pairing of Sweden’s Linn Grant and Maja Stark, and this could be the best Europe has ever looked on paper.
Vamos!
Someone dominates the season
Jin Young Ko and Nelly Korda at the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club on November 21, 2021 in Naples, Florida. (Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
It’s time for a superstar to emerge on the LPGA. First-time winners are always fun, but to grain traction with new fans, the league needs a face. It’s also critical that this person goes above-and-beyond in terms of promoting the tour and her brand.
Could a healthy Nelly Korda, who PGA Tour players raved about at the silly season events, be that face? Or will Jin Young Ko heal from the wrist injury and return to that Annika-like consistency?
Could Lydia Ko put together another five-win season as she did in 2015? How will Atthaya Thitikul follow-up that sensational rookie year? At the midway point of 2022, Minjee Lee looked like she might be the next breakout star.
There are options. Someone needs to step up and take this tour to the next level.
