Where would you want to see an LPGA Tour event in Massachusetts?

Hey Everyone,

I watched far more women’s golf this weekend than the Tour Championship. On Friday, I visited TPC Boston for the FM Championship. I went alone, which was delightful, and caught all the local players; it was cool that Alison Walshe, Alexa Pano, and Megan Khang were in three straight groups.

I also watched a bunch of the Curtis Cup on Saturday and Sunday. Insanely great viewing. No commercials. It was at Sunningdale in England, an awesome golf course. It’s incredible what no/limited commercials does to understanding the flow of a golf course. Team USA, a heavy favorite, lost to Great Britain & Ireland 10.5 - 9.5. It was the first time GB&I won since 2016 and just the third time since 1996.

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News and Notes:

• FM Championship: Megan Khang shot 70-71-71-73 (-3) and finished T35 in her “home” event this week. Alexa Pano (+3), Carys Fennessy (+11), and Alison Walshe (+11) missed the cut.

• PGA Tour Americas: In Minnesota, Chris Francoeur shot 67-68-70-69 (-6) for a T32 finish.

• Red Banana Invitational: This college golf event honors Welles Crowther, a Boston College lacrosse player who saved 10 people during 9/11 was held Sept. 1 -2 at Turning Stone in New York. ESPN did an incredible story about Crowther.

  Boston College won by 18 shots over North Dakota State. BC’s Markus Lam and Ben Hong shared medalist honors at one-under par. Christian Emmerich (BC) was low Bay Stater at one-over par (T6).

Other course options for LPGA in Massachusetts

After spending Friday at the FM Championship at TPC Boston, I thought I’d put together a list of places that might be better suited for the LPGA.

Using TPC makes sense; it’s convenient to parking at Xfinity Center, and it’s hosted the PGA Tour. It’s a known commodity to golf fans in the sense that is has the words “TPC” in its title. There also isn’t a big membership who is losing a course in the prime part of the golf season.

On Friday, the crowds were light throughout the golf course. It actually seemed like more people were following groups than just hanging out and watching players roll through a specific spot. That’s partly because there was very little build out. Any grandstand seating you saw on TV was corporate aside from one public seating stand on 18. I heard from a reader that they did not do a great job making the course accessible to people with disabilities. His father is an amputee and he loved that the USGA had scooters for guests at the U.S. Senior Open at Newport CC. Not the case at TPC Boston.

Watching the men at TPC Boston is also different because the tee boxes and greens are more spread out for the women. Even the holes that would be close together weren’t because the women play forward tees. So there weren’t many places where you could hang out and see multiple groups from one vantage point.

Naturally, the crowds looked bigger over the weekend when I watched on TV. Thursday and Friday before Labor Day Weekend is tricky. People are getting out of town or they are returning to school. As soon as the dates were released, my buddy Burke said the timing was bad. It seems like it will return next year with the same sponsor and spot in the calendar.

Now that the event has a year under its belt let’s play around and pick out some courses that might be better suited for smaller crowds that would still challenge the best players in the world and provide a better viewing experience.

Of course, this is fantasyland thinking. The courses below wouldn’t be crazy about giving up their course in August and getting it back in September after thousands of visitors traipsed around. That’s why TPC Boston is the host. But it’s fun to imagine.

• Salem Country Club - It’s hosted a U.S. Senior Open in the last 25 years and is still in close proximity to Boston. It would probably attract some golf sickos who want a peak at the course. I have never played Salem CC, but have walked it a few times as a caddie. It also has convenient parking, with the North Shore Mall just around the corner.

• The Country Club - Another proven tournament venue close to Boston. It’s already signed up for four USGA events in the future, but this would be an awesome spot for the LPGA Tour. The public transit option would be better than it was for the U.S. Open.

• Worcester Country Club - One of my favorites. The Gil Hanse design looks awesome from what I’ve seen on the Internet. It’s 6,700 yards from the tips. TPC Boston played 6,600 for the women at TPC Boston. It’s close to Worcester, so parking and shuttling fans would be easy from one of the colleges.

• The Orchards Golf Club - If you’re going to have an event during a long weekend, put it in a place that might capture some vacationers out in the Berkshires. The Orchards hosted the 2004 U.S. Women’s Open and by all accounts is awesome. Nice to have a venue that ties into the history of women’s golf, too.

Some honorable mentions: Essex CC, GreatHorse, Winchester CC, George Wright

I opened up the comments for everyone today… where would you like to see an LPGA Tour event?

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