'Major Queen' Popof "Not participating in major tournaments this year?"

Due to COVID-19, tangled schedules, and non-member victories, only the KPMG Women's PGA Championship is available for participation

[Asia Economy Reporter Noo Rae] A bizarre situation has occurred where the 'Major Queen' cannot participate in other major tournaments.

The unfortunate protagonist is none other than Sophia Popov (Germany, photo), the champion of last week's first major AIG Women's Open on the U.S. Women's Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour. On the 26th (Korean time), U.S. media including USA Today reported that "Popov cannot participate in the ANA Inspiration and the U.S. Women's Open." The tangled LPGA Tour schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic and her unusual status of winning a major without a tour card caused this absurd situation.

The ANA Inspiration, originally scheduled for late March, was postponed to September due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19, and the eligibility criteria were frozen based on the original schedule. Naturally, Popov's name was not on the entry list for this tournament. Although there was a clause added just before the tournament stating that players ranked within the top 20 on the LPGA Tour money list would be allowed to participate additionally, she could not benefit from this either. This is because the prize money earned as a non-member does not count towards the ranking.

Popov earned $702,129 (approximately 830 million KRW), including the $675,000 winner's prize from the AIG Women's Open. This amount would place her first in the money rankings, but her name does not appear. The 'two-time champion' Danielle Kang (USA) leads this category with $636,632. The U.S. Women's Open, which was postponed from June to December, also uses the entry list based on the original schedule. However, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in October grants entry to tour winners, allowing her to participate.

The British daily newspaper The Daily Telegraph criticized, saying, "The LPGA Tour must fix this absurd situation immediately," and added, "If a non-member player from Korea, where many players are from, had experienced this, a solution would have been found immediately." The LPGA Tour, the ANA Inspiration tournament organizing committee, and the United States Golf Association (USGA), which hosts the U.S. Women's Open, have yet to announce their stance on Popov's participation in the majors.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.