After COVID-19 necessitated a lengthy pause in the 2020 LPGA Tour season, the ladies are back and ready for action. This week’s LPGA Drive On Championship – held at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio – is the restart we’ve all been waiting for.
We can’t wait to tune in and watch all 12 of our PXG LPGA Tour Pros tee off. But, before they do, we checked in to see how they’ve been staying sharp during the break, how they are coping with time away from Tour, and what they think about the new safety protocols.
For many of the players, this is the longest they’ve been away from the tour and this time has been a great chance to recharge, reconnect with their loved ones, and rejuvenate their love of the game.
But now, they are all primed and ready to hit the course and plan to play in as many tournaments as possible for the remainder of the year.
Here’s a little of what they had to say about it:
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO PRACTICE AND DID THAT CHANGE DURING THE PANDEMIC?
“I’ve always liked practicing my short game and working with my wedges because there is so much variety there.” Austin Ernst
“My long game and really figuring out my body sequence. During the pandemic I was really able to work on the fundamentals and truly feel what my body was doing during the swing.” Jennifer Song
“Golf! My love and enjoyment of the game was rekindled over the break and I’m so excited to get back to playing.” Gerina Piller
“At the moment, my short game is my favorite thing to practice. Because there are so many different ideas/ways to hit a short game shot and you can basically use any club in the bag depending on what type of shot and lie you get. This is something that I started to enjoy more during the pandemic because I saw it as a time where I could really improve my short game and “explore” different kind of shots.” Linnea Strom
HOW HAVE YOU COPED WITH THE TIME AWAY FROM TOUR?
“I had a beautiful daughter in January, so she has kept us busy! This is the longest I have been away from golf, but it has been so great being able to spend time with her and get my game and body back!” Brittany Lang
“This is my 11th year on tour and it’s been 110 mph for me since I turned pro in 2009, so it’s been very intense, and I’ve actually enjoyed a slower pace for the first time in my life. It’s been amazing to stay at home for more than a couple of weeks and eat at home, sleep in your own bed and fully recharge the batteries for the first time!” Anna Nordqvist
THE PGA TOUR CREATED A “BUBBLE” TO ENSURE HEALTH AND SAFETY GUIDELINES. HOW IS THE LPGA TOUR HANDLING EVENT PREPARATIONS AND HOW WILL THAT IMPACT YOUR PERSONAL PREPARATION AND EVENT EXPERIENCE?
“I think it will be a different feeling competing without the fans, but I know the tour has been doing a great job in order for us to come back and I cannot wait to get out there again.” Linnea Strom
“We will have to go through weekly tests, but other than that I have always sort of been in my own bubble, so I do not see any major impact in my preparations. The only thing I am concerned about is getting the right nutritious food in my body during competition weeks because we will have restrictions with our access to the clubhouse.” Jennifer Song
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING ON WITH YOUR SWING OR FITNESS DURING THE BREAK?
“I have been working on swinging the club with my body instead of my hands. Swinging a little more left than out to the right. And with my fitness I’ve been working on getting stronger and more fit.” Gerina Piller
“Getting physically stronger, especially in my upper body, and staying fit by playing a lot of different sports.” Lydia Ko
“I’ve hit it really hard with my trainer during the last couple of months because I felt it was an area I needed to improve on. We worked a lot on strength and power, and I feel much more athletic over the ball.” Anna Nordqvist
“I’ve been working on shaping the golf ball and riding the Peloton.” Austin Ernst
And one final question to our LPGA Pros about their favorite PXG clubs…
IF YOU COULD ONLY PICK FOUR PXG CLUBS TO PLAY FOR 18 HOLES WHICH WOULD YOU SELECT?
Brittany and Linnea chose to tee it up with our PXG 0811 X GEN2 Driver while Lydia, Gerina and Anna selected a PXG 0811 X Prototype Driver.
Austin and Jennifer opted for the versatility of our PXG 0341 X GEN2 5-wood and 3-wood, respectively. Lydia also chose to add our PXG 0341 X GEN2 5-wood to the bag (“Just because it’s my favorite club”).
All seven ladies selected our incredible Sugar Daddy Milled Wedges in varying degrees.
Our flagship PXG 0311 GEN3 T Irons made it into bag for all but Jennifer Song who selected a pure blade in the form of our 100% milled PXG 0311 ST Iron.
Austin Ernst went so far as to add an extra PXG 0311 GEN 3 Tour Performance 9-iron to complete her must pick four-club selection, while the remaining six ladies selected their favorite PXG Putters including our PXG Closer and Brandon both featuring PXG’s pyramid face technology from our GEN2 putter series.
You can check out what’s in the bag for this weekend and all upcoming tournaments by visiting our PXG Pros pages.
Join us in rooting on our #PXGTroops at the LPGA Drive On Championship. You can watch on the Golf Channel starting July 31, 2020 at 9 a.m. (ET).
Then head over to our social pages (@PXG) to tell us what four PXG clubs would be your go-tos for 18 holes.
