THIS WEEK'S EDITIONS OF THE FIRST CALL

Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday

POLL

> Have you ever called a rules infraction on a playing partner during a non-tournament round? | Vote
> Previous: Should Ryder Cup players be paid to compete? | Results

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

What annoys you most when playing golf — either on or off the course?

Send replies on this question or other topics and questions you would like to have asked to shall@buffalogroupe.com. For a response to be published, you must include your first and last name, along with the city and state of residence.

> Responses to last week's question | Read

RELATED: Industry press releases | Industry press release videos
RELATED: The First Call / PR Newswire feed

La Reserve Golf Links at Heritage Golf Club: The Bel Ombre, Mauritius, course is named the World’s Best New Golf Course 2024 at the World Golf Awards. 

LPGA Tour: Launches the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway (LEAP), a program providing top amateur female golfers a new path to LPGA Tour Membership starting in 2025. Through LEAP, female amateurs who accumulate a minimum of 20 points within the set criteria framework in the current year and the previous three calendar years will earn exempt Priority List status on the LPGA Tour, provided they also meet all LPGA Tour Membership requirements. Qualified amateurs turning professional through this program that earn their 20th point prior to July 1 of the current year have three options: 

• Accept LPGA Membership before July 1 of the current year, and gain eligibility for the remainder of the current LPGA season only
• Defer LPGA Membership until on or after July 1 of the current year, and gain eligibility for the remainder of the current and the following LPGA season
• Defer LPGA Membership until the following season, and gain eligibility for the following LPGA season only

LPGA: Mao Saigo earns the 2024 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award and Ayaka Furue wins the Vare Trophy following the LPGA’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. Saigo is the second Japanese player to win the award since it was first created and is proceeded only by Hiromi Kobayashi, who claimed the award in 1990, almost 35 years ago. Furue won the Vare Trophy for recording the season’s lowest scoring average of 69.988 and meeting the award’s minimum requirements. This is the highest scoring average since Danielle Kang finished with 70.082 in 2020. She is the first player from Japan to ever receive the award in its 72-year history.

U.S. Golf Association: Releases its 2025 Executive Committee slate, which is again led by Fred Perpall, who will be serving his final year as USGA president. Kevin Hammer, who will serve his second three-year term on the Executive Committee, has been nominated as president-elect. In addition, Dianne Dixon and Jim Gorrie have each been nominated to serve a three-year term on the USGA Executive Committee, a volunteer group of 15 people that provides strategic and financial oversight as the Association’s policymaking and governance board. Also, Sinclair Eaddy Jr. has been nominated to serve a second three-year term on the USGA Executive Committee. The election of Executive Committee members will take place at the USGA Annual Meeting on March 1 in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Whoosh Inc.: Expands its platform to now offer advanced tools designed for public facilities with time-constrained bookings, loyalty and membership programs, and enhanced point-of-sale integration. The expanded offering introduces functionality designed specifically to meet the needs of public facilities and offers operators a comprehensive solution to improve efficiency and maximize profitability.