Millionaires on the LPGA and other reflections of a new era
Though I doubt Michelle Wie should get the credit, it is notable that in her first year as a pro a record number of players earned more than a million dollars on the LPGA Tour. As detailed on the 2006 LPGA money list, this year 11 players made over a million; in 2005, only six players made that much.
Intriguingly, though I expected 2006 to be the year that young guns like Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel and Natalie Gulbis would rise to the top, these three all had disappointing years. Meanwhile other lesser-known youngsters, like Julieta Granada and Brittany Lincicome, scored big victories.
Of course, the biggest news was the emergence of Lorena Ochoa as perhaps the best female golfer in the world. Also the strong resurgence of Karrie Webb, after three years out of the top 10, was quite a story. Ochoa and Webb became the first two women not named Annika to win two million dollars in one year on the LPGA, and they also both bested Annika to total winnings this year. Sign of a new era or will Annika bounce back in 2007?
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