"The only thing that could have helped me was to win"

Doug Ferguson addresses and explains the odd rule that prevented Stacy Lewis' U.S. Open winnings from counting toward  LPGA Tour earnings.

In a policy that no longer makes sense, Lewis will not get credit for her tie for third in the U.S. Women's Open as she tries to earn enough money to get her LPGA Tour card without going to Q-school.

"The only thing that could have helped me was to win," Lewis said at Interlachen, where she had a one-shot lead going into the final round and closed with a 78 to finish five shots behind Inbee Park.

Lewis earned $162,487, which would have been enough to finish the year equal to 80th on the LPGA Tour money list. She is playing in the Northwest Arkansas Championship this week, one of a maximum six events she can play to earn enough money.

She also will play the Jamie Farr Classic next week, and on Tuesday received a sponsor's exemption to the LPGA Kapalua Classic on Maui. Her agent, Jeff Chilcoat of Sterling Sports Management, said he is working on three other tournaments.

"I think it should be revisited," he said of the policy. "And frankly, I'd love to have it revisited retroactively. But I don't anticipate it being changed for her."

Starting in 2003, the LPGA expanded the maximum number of sponsor exemptions for non-members from four to six tournaments, and counted only domestic tournaments with at least 75 players in the field toward the money list. The U.S. Women's Open didn't count, because it is not co-sponsored by the LPGA.

Come on Commish B, you like to change platform-damaging rules. Why not go after this one?

Comments

[Martin Del Vecchio]

The PGA Tour doesn't "co-sponsor" the US Open, but they sanction it, and count it as a PGA Tour tournament.

The PGA Tour even retroactively sanctioned the British Open.

It would be simple for the LPGA to do the same.

[Taylor]

By changing this rule, the LPGA could move away from 'turf war' mentality and achieve a sense of parity with the PGA. In addition, the Laides could add a new marquee player just as another one, Annika, retires. Now that would be brand management!

[Papa Bing]

Just another reason why no one cares about women's golf.

[golfboy]

of course they can just wait a couple months and hope she earns enough that way...

[CBell (Hate the initials in this context)]

Of course I'm with the majority here. What does CB stand to lose if she changes the rule, even retroactively? Would it be perceived as being prejudicial towards this player and thus discriminatory against others in the past - say, international players?

In any case, they should do the right thing now, and CB should issue a handwritten apology to anyone currently on Tour who suffered because of this STUPID policy.

[Tammy]

It hurts to agree with this policy; however, the Women's Open purse is out of line with the other purses that the women play for (1st place at the Women's Open was 530K while 1st at the LPGA Championship was 300K).

Given that disparity, it probably makes sense to ignore the money won in the Women's Open as to do otherwise puts an inordinate emphasis on it.

As a compromise, the LPGA could count X% of money won in the USWO towards an LPGA Tour card rather than dismising that money entirely.