When wintry winds and sleet keep Big Canoe golfers off the course, it’s easy to get a little testy. But don’t despair; when we’re shivering by the fireplace, professional golfers come to our rescue. Every Thursday through Sunday, they are there to entertain us. That’s just what happened Nov. 20-24 when Big Canoe’s Ellen MacArthur experienced the tension and excitement firsthand in Naples, Florida, where she volunteered at the Women’s CME Group Tour Championship.
Ellen was there to witness the race to the CME Globe, for which LPGA players compete all season to qualify. This year the top 60 players competed for the purse of $11 million, where the winner took home a tidy $4 million. It is equivalent to the PGA’s FedEx Cup.
Watching those ladies on TV is fun, but to be there, up close and personal, takes the sport up a notch. Those ladies are good! As Ellen worked as a walking scorer for a different group each day, she was able to enjoy the balmy breezes at Tiburon Golf Club and had the opportunity to meet some of the golfers.
Ellen has been a USGA volunteer for many years, most notably working nine times in the U.S. Women’s Open. Her assignments are random, but this year she walked with a different threesome each day at the LPGA Championship, keeping the official scores. Imagine being present as world-renown golfers play in the final tournament of the year, not only for big bucks but also for prestige.
Our Ellen was there with her threesome on day four, right in front of the leader. When cheers went up, her group naturally assumed Angel Yin had made some impossible shot, securing the victory. But here’s what actually happened…