Women's Sports

From Rio in 2016 to Tokyo in 2021: For PV Sindhu, it’s All About Change

June 10, 2021 by Tara S

Sindhu’s second trip to the Olympic Games is going to be a vastly different to the one she embarked on as a starry-eyed youngster.

To say that the world is a different place in 2021 than it was in 2016, would be an understatement. The past year has turned our daily lives upside down and it is going to be no different for athletes heading to the Olympic Games, a year later than they had hoped and trained for.

And so it will be for Indian badminton star PV Sindhu. At 25 (26, by the time the Games begin) Sindhu is going to be spearheading India’s quest to complete a hat-trick of Games with at least a medal in the sport that has flourished since the turn of the century. Silver medallist at Rio 2016, and the reigning World Champion (albeit that feels like from a different era), Sindhu will be — make no mistake — an athlete that countless fans pin their hopes on once again.

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Philippine Saso Steals Show With Playoff Win at Olympic

June 8, 2021 by Tara S

76th U.S. Women’s Open Home

What Happened

The Olympic Club struck again. Just as in the five U.S. Opens contested on the club’s Lake Course, the first U.S. Women’s Open Championship played over this iconic Bay Area layout wasn’t kind to the favored final-round frontrunner.

Olympic’s list of past victims includes Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Jim Furyk and Payne Stewart, and Lexi Thompson can now be added to the remarkable list of players who have come up short in championship bids here.

Thompson, the 54-hole leader, was five strokes ahead of her closest pursuers on a beautiful early June Sunday with 10 holes remaining, only to play the final eight in 5 over par, including consecutive bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18 that left the 26-year-old Floridian with a final-round 75, one agonizing stroke shy of the playoff between Yuka Saso and Nasa Hataoka at 4-under 280.

It took three holes to decide the outcome. Saso converted a 12-foot birdie putt on the first sudden-death playoff hole (No. 9) after both players made back-to-back pars in the two-hole aggregate playoff. At 19 years, 11 months, 17 days old, Saso joined World Golf Hall of Fame member and seven-time major winner Inbee Park as the youngest champion in U.S. Women’s Open history – to the day. She also becomes the first player from the Philippines to engrave her name on the Harton S. Semple Trophy. Princess Mary Superal (2014 U.S. Girls’ Junior) is the only other player from the Philippines to claim a USGA title.

“I don’t know what’s happening in the Philippines right now, but I’m just thankful that there’s so many people in the Philippines cheering for me,” said Saso, a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour of Japan. “I don’t know how to thank them. They gave me so much energy. I want to say thank you to everyone.”

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AGSA Softball Camp

June 8, 2021 by Tara S

The American Gold Sports Alliance is hosting our first Summer Softball Camp July 12th-15th! Learn new skills and drills while having fun with current and former collegiate softball players! Softball camps are camps created with one purpose: Making you a better softball player. With a player-to-coach ratio of 5 to 1, there’s always someone to help you. Never played softball before? Not a problem! Been playing for years? That’s great too! No matter the skill level your athlete be challenged every day through drills, scrimmage games, and training sessions focused on your position. Campers will learn from the best coaches, work with teammates that are just as passionate about the game as they are, and have fun while doing it! Our coaches are all USA Softball Certified and are excited to work with your athlete!

Learn More: https://agsa.org/softball-camp-july-2021/

DATE: July 12th-15th

TIME: 9:00am-1:00pm

LOCATION: Ackerman Park, Field #5, Glen Ellyn, IL

PRICE: $29 per day or $99 for all four days

AGE: 6-10 years

SKILL LEVEL: Beginner-Novice

Learn More: https://agsa.org/softball-camp-july-2021/#AmericanGoldSports #AGSAGold #Softball

Driving Equity Grant Program Expands Women’s Golf Coverage

June 3, 2021 by Tara S

By Julia Pine, USGA

76th U.S. Women’s Open Home

The USGA has launched the Driving Equity Grant Program to invite media outlets to expand their coverage of women’s golf by offering financial support to help alleviate any associated costs.

Ahead of the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open last December, the USGA launched “Women Worth Watching” as a long-term commitment to use its championships and platforms to celebrate female athletes and role models while promoting equality and diversity in sports. After driving awareness to the disparity in women’s sports coverage in Year One, the Driving Equity Grant Program is the organization’s next actionable solution to shrink the equality gap in golf.

“Today, women’s sports, including golf, are stuck in a recurring cycle where media outlets don’t always receive significant return on investment when they cover events that lack household names. Simultaneously, it is nearly impossible for a sport to build household names without consistent and rich storytelling from the media,” said Craig Annis, the USGA’s chief brand officer. “As the governing body of golf, we feel a deep responsibility to be a leader in breaking that cycle in our sport, and we believe the Driving Equity Grant Program is an important next step in that progress. This is not a problem that will be solved overnight; however, if the entire industry works together and shines a brighter light on women in the game, we have an opportunity to change the future of golf.”

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Athlete of the Month Kaitlyn Papp to Play in Round 1 of the U.S. Women’s Open at Olympic Club

June 2, 2021 by Tara S

The U.S. Women’s Open kicks off on Thursday at Olympic Club in San Francisco, California. Here are the first-round tee times (all times ET):

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Women’s Golf Places Three on WGCA All-America Teams

June 1, 2021 by Tara S

Kaitlyn Papp and Agathe Laisne collected second-team honors while Sara Kouskova received honorable mentions.

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Women’s Golf placed three student-athletes on the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-America teams, which were unveiled this week. Agathe Laisne and Kaitlyn Papp earned second-team accolades, while Sara Kouskova received honorable mention. It was the first career honor for Kouskova, the second for Laisne and fourth for Papp from the WGCA.

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Amy Bockerstette Becomes First Person with Down Syndrome to Compete in Collegiate Championship

May 12, 2021 by Tara S

By: Joel Baell

Amy Bockerstette became the first person with Down syndrome to compete in a national collegiate athletic championship.

Bockerstette, 22, teed off Monday at the National Junior College Athletic Association national championship at Plantation Bay Golf & Country Club in Ormond Beach, Fla., representing Phoenix’s Paradise Valley Community College.

A Special Olympian in Arizona, Bockerstette catapulted to stardom when she was given the chance to play a practice-round hole with Gary Woodland at the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open. At TPC Scottsdale’s par-3 16th, Bockerstette made a “Did you see that?” up-and-down for par, telling Woodland “I got this” before sinking an eight-foot putt. A performance, wrapped in Bockerstette’s indelible positivity and Woodland’s sincere joy, that went viral twice: the week of the Phoenix Open and again after Woodland won the U.S. Open later that year.

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Shingler, Callans, and Tolley Earn All-GLVC Softball Recognition

May 7, 2021 by Tara S

The Maryville University softball team picked up three selections to the 2021 All-Great Lakes Valley Conference team as announced Wednesday by the league office. Taylor Shingler was a first-team selection, and Alyssa Callans and Hannah Tolley both earned second team honors. Tolley was also Maryville’s nominee for the GLVC’s James R. Spalding Sportsmanship award.

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