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Revisited: How Would a Scratch Golfer Fare Against an LPGA Pro?

BigMac

BigMac

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A clown on Twitter took some heavy heat a while back for tweeting that any amateur with a 4 handicap could beat an LPGA Pro playing from the same tees.

This week at the Hilton Vacations Tournament of Champions, we got to see how that works out in real life. Danielle Kang posted four rounds in the 60s. The combined total of rounds in the 60s from the FIFTY competitors in the Celebrity Division? Zero.

The winner of the Celebrity Division was Derek Lowe, a retired MLB pitcher who plays off a 0.2 Index. Although they were playing Stableford format, his stroke play scores for the four rounds were 76-72-75-72. A respectable total of +7 for the tournament, but 23 strokes off Danielle Kang's -16. His +7 finish would have put him T24 amongst the 29 golfers in the LPGA Division.

Mardy Fish is widely recognized as one of the best players on the Celebrity golf circuit. He plays off a +2.8 Index and shot 81-70-73-82, and his second round was the only celebrity round that was under par. Put him on the LPGA leaderboard and he would have finished 28th of 29.

Question answered.
 
Those gals can golf their ball. And their caps are more like plus 4 or 5. But they are hardened to competitive play. Most Ams aren't.
 
I’d heard this argument from so many people for so many years that I bought into it. Glad to see the truth come out. Wonder what those who were so adamant about it are saying now.

Unless Tiger is playing, I much prefer watching the LPGA over the PGA. Maybe this sort of recognition will help increase their popularity with other fans.
 
Wouldn’t even be close. Those ladies hit bombs are can flat out roll the rock.
 
Yeh I saw that on social media as well. Just shows what a richard that guy was. Those ladies can play!
 
💯 an LPGA Pro for the W! They are just unreal playing golf. So fun to watch too!
 
People will say anything for attention. There is almost 0 chance in a 4 round tournament a 4 hc amateur beats an lpga pro. The pressure alone would cause most non competitive golfers to have a tougher round.
 
LPGA pros today have all the tools. Many of them have the length necessary to attack par 5's in two and even drive some short par 4's. Granted that isn't everybody, but I think I remember seeing the fairways % (72%) was still higher than the men who averaged 60% of FIR. Add in putting and short game and we have some very, very talented professionals. In 2021, the men averaged 65% GIR, for the women it was 70%
 
Every now and again you'll see a thread pop up about this topic online in various forums or social media. And every time I want to pull a Nelson Muntz on the guys who go on and on about how they'd win easily. I'd gladly pay money to see them in a straight up match to watch them get their butts handed to them.

Anyone who's playing on a pro tour is going to have game well beyond anything a scratch am can imagine.
 
Paging @Sean

Always like his insight on this. Answer is in short-not well.
 
Always wondered what people consider as scratch. I've read different definitions.
 
~QQ~ said:
I always wondered what people consider as scratch. I've read different definitions.
Click to expand...

It's a very loose definition, and I find the term commonly misunderstood and overused by casual golfers. They might use the term for someone who is a 3-5 index, and that is a loooong way from being a zero index. I've hovered most of the last 25 years within 1.5 strokes either side of a 0.0 index, and I never use the term "scratch." My average score last year was between 74 and 75, so no, I can't come close to competing with LPGA golfers who average more like 71.4 from similar yardages. You'd have to have more like a +3 index established under tournament college or amateur play to compete with the LPGA players. Those gals are good! :)
 
Pros are pros....amateurs are amateurs. Enough said. The LPGA girls do this for a living. They have to learn to hit ALL the shots and be able to
do it on command, or they don't make much of a living. So, it didn't surprise me that Kang's numbers over the weekend were so far superior to Derek Lowe's.
In fact, he was 8 over par.... that would have put him in 25th place among the girls.....
 
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A top level college player I believe would be at worst competitive with an LPGA player. Those kids are +3 or 4 handicaps from longer tees than the LPGA pros play. An average scratch golfer would get their brains beat in by an LPGA player.

I played between 0-2 for a long time in my late 20s and mid 30s and my lowest score ever was 65 and I only broke par a handful of times in real competitive medal play golf. Those were probably on courses from 6600-7000 yards. I would never have been close to -10 over 4 rounds.
 
That’s a good look at the comparisons haha. Wow.
 
Folks who think that have: a) not played many rounds with a scratch golfer, and, b) not seen LPGA pros play up close and in person.

There is no comparison.
 
A lot of good female college golfers hit the snot out of the ball. My best friend's daughter played college golf @ Southern ILL and when her swing is timed up, she's 260-270 with her driver. And she's nowhere near a professional in skill level. Some people don't seem to grasp what the word "professional" means.
 
Remember fellas, the celebrity men ( often pro athletes from baseball and tennis ) are mostly over 6' tall and out weigh the gals by 75-100lbs, and often hit it longer by as well.
I love watching LPGA players because most of them play the same distances as me, give or take, with their irons especially. And Most of them have beautiful tempo to their swings.
Annika is 51, ( 5'6", 140lb ) doesn't play alot of competitive golf, and lost in a play off in tough conditions to a guy (6'6" 235lb ) that out drove her by 40+ yards.
 
The subtext of that opinion is rooted in sexism unfortunately. There are a surprising number of men that can’t quite believe women can be phenomenally skilled athletes. It’s tragic, misguided, appalling and completely unacceptable.
 
It's absurd that in 2022 someone out there would even suggest the premise.
I guess some would think because they are Ladies the amateur has a chance. Laughable!

You have to be absolutely clueless to even think that an amateur can compete with a pro.



.
 
I really enjoy watching the ladies on the LPGA. They would crush any AM.
 
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