Sophia Popov - © Keith Allison via Wikimedia Commons - Creative Commons License

For starters, the changes eliminate the inconvenience that surrounded Sophia Popov's victory at the AIG Women's British Open 2020. The German player was not the first non-member to win a major title, but she was unique in that sense. that she was an LPGA veteran who hadn't lost her status very recently and was competing in the Symetra Tour.

Starting this year, if a non-member wins a major championship, she will earn an LPGA membership for five years. (Against two years previously).

In addition, the non-member will now receive official points and cash for any victory after accepting circuit membership. After his victory Popov accepted the membership and started over from scratch. The money she received from the Royal Troon was unofficial and she did not earn points for the CME Race to the Globe, which kept her away from ANA Inspiration and the CME Group Tour Championship which she would have played with the new 2021 rules.

Popov was also not in the event immediately following the Royal Troon in Arkansas because a non-member could not take the place that was reserved for the winner of the previous week. This rule has also changed. If a non-member wins an event and becomes a member, she can now start immediately the following week.

Another winning change: If a member participates in a non-cut event with a sponsorship exemption, they will receive official points and win money.

"It's great that they changed these things"Sophia Popov told Golfweek on her way home from a ski trip to Colorado. “I figured they wouldn't make it retroactive. That they would change the rule in general so that it doesn't happen to the girls who follow. … It's really just common sense to be honest with me. "

Last year, Popov wasn't the only non-member to win a major. A Lim Kim won the US Women's Open in December and has agreed to become a member for 2021. She is due to start her LPGA debutant season at the Kia Classic in March. Kim and Popov will both benefit from a two-year exemption.

"Basically, I was hoping they would make it retroactive", Popov said.

As previously announced, the Race to the CME Globe Points List will now be used to determine the LPGA 2022 Priority List play status, replacing the money list.

Other changes for the 2021 season include the return of local qualifying at designated events, the return of mandatory caddies at LPGA events and an in-position timing policy, which will begin in the Kia Classic. The new “pace of play” component now allows officials to time players even when their group is in position relative to the group ahead.

To know more : https://www.lpga.com/

To read our last article on the same subject :

Sophia Popov: Natalie Gulbis is not the cause of her exclusion from the CME