LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – To say that the Diamond Tournament Tournament is unlike any other event on an LPGA Tour is an understatement. It’s like the Sentry TOC, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Phoenix Open Waste Management rolled into one. It is a limited field event, open only to players who have won the last two years of Tour (the last three years for 2021, due to coronavirus pandemic).
It’s a real party. Music blames the driving range; a DJ hosts contestants on the 18th tee, where they can play cornhole while waiting for a tee off. And nothing can begin to prepare a player for the experience of trying to win a Tour event while Larry the Cable Guy tells a funny story.
Brooke Henderson has attended the event, which will feature 25 pros and 50 celebrities this year. She competed and defeated nearly half of the men in the field when she played as a Tour of Champions event before going to the LPGA tournament in 2019. How does she describe the environment to people who were first in the field?
“It’s a fun week,” said Henderson. “Getting to know some of the celebrities and playing with them, they are great golfers. It’s just a different atmosphere. It’s a great way to start the season. ”
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Madelene Sagstrom is one of six first-timers in the field this week. Sagstrom won a place as a result of her great victory at the GainGA Class LPGA 2020. The Swede, who calls her home Orlando in the United States, got a quick look at the event when she came out to watch her competitors the last season. This year, she gets to experience what NBA legend Ray Allen and NFL striker Larry Fitzgerald look like.
“I’m very good at golf and talking, so I think I really enjoy this competition,” said Sagstrom with a smile. “Some of the boys are just amazing and love to play with us. I’ve asked them what they think of the event so far, and they’re happy to be out here. “
The experience will not be completely foreign to Sagstrom. Tranquilo Golf Course, which hosts the TOC annually, is Sagstrom’s home course. She shared some insider suggestions with her Swede colleague Annika Sorenstam last week when the pair played a tour around together. Sorenstam is competing for the first time in the celebrity category.
“She has had a great view from her years playing professionally, and I think it will be great for the tournament to see what she can do against basketball players who have hit 350 yard out there, ”Sagstrom said of the 72-time LPGA Winner once.
Sophia Popov also appears at the event. For two years, Popov watched from home, jealous of her co-op who had been raised by a handful of celebrities. In August, she earned her place in the field with her victory at the AIG Women’s Open.
“You know, it’s awful. You are on the field. There is some music going on. You can tell it’s a bit more of a fun event, ”Popov said with a laugh. “Since holding that award in August I have been excited about this.”
This week, Popov will follow up on advice from her co-binoculars who warned her that these celebrities have a real game. And they can hit very long. But the main hero is committed to sticking to her normal routine and not getting the attention of her play partners.
“You have to come to peace because your game of golf is completely different,” Popov told one LPGA player. “We hit it more directly and we may be more consistent players, but they hit some shots where they give you 70, 80 yards. You go like, ‘My God, who’ s the pro here? ‘I think that’s important to separate.’