NORTON — After answering questions about the growth of women’s professional golf and the return of the FM Championship to Massachusetts, Pat Bradley couldn’t hide her excitement.
“We have no boundaries,” she told MassLive at TPC Boston.
The “we” Bradley refers to is the women golfers. The golf legend has seen first-hand the growth of the sport, having helped pave the way with her 31 LPGA Tour event wins and six major championship victories.
While this year’s FM Championship purse increased to $4.1 million from $3.8 million in 2024, it’s not just the money where Bradley has seen improvement.
The improvement is also evident in the golf courses they play on.
“These young women now are being able to play a course that, in my day, we would not have been invited to,” Bradley said. “They’re playing a golf course that was basically on the men’s Tour for a number of years. And now these women, their talents, their skills can also be on this golf course. It’s a wonderful accomplishment.
“And most men realize that this used to be a men’s tournament, and they’re gonna put the women here,” she continued. “And they’ll be pleasantly surprised women can hold their own on a golf course that was built strictly for men.”
Last year’s FM Championship drew in more than 25,000 fans and marked the first time the LPGA Tour competed at TPC Boston. Bradley, who will be in attendance this year, is looking forward to watching what the field brings this year.
“To watch these athletes show their talents on this golf course will be something very, very special that I can’t wait to watch,” she said. “They’re just so talented. They’re great ambassadors not only to the game of golf, but to the world of golf.”
Bradley is celebrating her 50th year with the LPGA Tour. Since then, she’s seen a number of women come from other countries to play in the United States, which speaks to the growth of the Tour.
“We were the mothership of women’s golf. We were the mothership, and we opened the doors for golf to be global, for players to come and play here and to show their talents and prove their skills,” Bradley told MassLive. “They knew that we were the place to come.”
This year’s FM Championship — which runs Aug. 28-31 —features a strong field that includes Jeeno Thitikul and Nelly Korda — the top two ranked players — and Mass. natives Megan Khang, Alexa Pano and Brittany Altomare. Defending champion Haeran Ryu and runner-up Jin Young Ko will also take part in the tournament.
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