Episode 16: Sophia Popov, AIG Women's Open

One of the great underdog victories in golf history climaxed on the fourth Sunday of August 2020 when Sophia Popov won the AIG British Women’s Open, one of the major championships on the LPGA tour.

The 27-year old Popov claimed her first tour victory after nearly six years of struggle and perseverance. She was ranked 304th and did not hold LPGA status when she won. Her purse of $675,000 was more than six times her career earnings.

“Any week can be anyone’s week,” Popov told an interviewer. “You never know. No matter if it’s golf or regular work, any week something can change and your whole life can turn upside down.”

Golf’s glass slipper, in the form of a venerable trophy, found Popov at Royal Troon G.C., Scotland. Born in Massachusetts, she had spent most of her youth in Germany and had learned the game on the European amateur circuit.

She played college golf for University of Southern California and helped the Trojans to a national title in 2013. Popov turned pro in 2015 with high expectations. But then she was laid low by an elusive illness that turned out to be Lyme Disease. It sapped her energy and strength and undercut her performance and confidence.

Popov’s battle against Lyme Disease almost caused her to quit the game and move on with her life. But she didn’t quit. She figured out how to subdue it through diet and exercise. In the spring of 2020, when the COVID pandemic shut down the LPGA tour, she went to the mini Cactus Tour in Arizona. There, she played herself into top form and regained her confidence.

In early August she got a spot in the LPGA Marathon Classic because the pandemic had kept a few tour players from competing. Popov finished 9th at the Marathon Classic, good enough to qualify her for the Open.

Then she went to Royal Troon in Scotland. After the first two rounds, in blustery conditions, she was even par. On Saturday she eagled the par-5 fourth hole and shot a four-under 67 to take a three stroke lead. On Sunday she shot a three-under 68. She finished 7 under par and won by two strokes.

She was the lowest-ranked woman, at 304, ever to win a major.

After her triumph Popov published an open letter to all women golfers urging them to believe in themselves and stay the course. Her letter was part of the LPGA’s Drive On campaign, which celebrates the stories of LPGA members, teachers and amateurs who have pushed hard to achieve their dreams, not just in golf but in everyday life. She called it “A Letter to My Sisters in the Game”.

Sophia Popov after winning the 2020 AIG Women’s British Open at Royal Troon G.C., Scotland.

Sophia Popov was ranked 304th when she won the AIG British Women’s Open. It was her first LPGA victory in 5 1/2 years as a pro.