NAPLES, Florida – Winning the LPGA Tour typically rewards players with a punched ticket to the CME Group Tour Championship and an opportunity for one of the biggest paydays on the tour. Ally Ewing clinched her first LPGA win at the 2020 Drive On Championship in Reynolds Lake Oconee, but did not compete in the Tour Championship because of her brother Will’s wedding.
Almost a year later she was sitting on a bogey-free eight at this year’s LPGA final at Tiburon Golf Club under the start of the weekend and could only laugh at the missed opportunity.
“I made a joke with him [her brother Andrew]”Said Ewing. “I thought, ‘This is a pretty expensive wedding. They cost me. ‘”
Ewing’s 2021 campaign made up for the opportunity cost. In May she won her second LPGA title at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play in Las Vegas, preparing for another chance at the Tour Championship and effectively securing her place on the Solheim Cup team.
However, the 122 holes it took to win over five hot, busy days in Las Vegas became a Pyrrhic victory for her results of the season as Ewing struggled to maintain a constant level of play. She finished T-6 in the Meijer LPGA Classic, followed by a T-52 in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. In August, she finished the Women’s Scottish Open on an incredible 63 for a solo sixth, then missed the cut at the AIG Women’s Open.
Three starts later, Ewing decided to ditch the clubs for a few weeks and stay home to reset after a T-55 at the Cognizant Founder’s Cup.
“I don’t know if it is [the exhaustion from the Bank of Hope win] “I was kind of bothering,” said Ewing, “but when I got to that in New Jersey last week, I just felt totally exhausted.”
Ewing spent time with husband Charlie, the head coach of women’s golf at their Mississippi alma mater, and with his team. She also participated in The Ally, a women’s golf tournament hosted by the Bulldogs, which they renamed in honor of Ewing due to their college dominance and LPGA success at the Magnolia Invitational in 2020. Her time with both teams sparked her fire for the remainder of the season.
“To be alone in this atmosphere,” said Ewing, “also kind of enlivens you to see the girls so hungry because many of them strive to come here.”
The energy fueled Ewing to a T-16 at the Pelican Women’s Championship last week, and she has now skied 49 holes in a row without a bogey in the Tour Championship, dating back to her last time at Tiburon Golf Club in 2019. A potential $ 1.5 million check because the 29-year-old could make all the difference if he missed a shot in 2020.
“This weekend is going to need great golfing for sure,” said Ewing, “but I’m really happy with what I’ve seen in the first two days and I’m just trying to keep the same schedule and tackle the next two days.”