Howdy speedgolf family! You're reading This Week in Speedgolf.
People are using AI to cure food allergies. I'm just using it to talk about people who run fast on a golf course.
Here's what's happening in speedgolf this week.
Elite Women's Power Rankings
"5th… you picked me to finish 5th."
That was Meguna Haga in Japan with a silver medal around her neck, staring down my good friend Garrett Holt. She was referring to our 2024 Worlds preview podcast.
She was looking at the wrong guy. I'm the one who picked her 5th.
I got the names right. In 2024, all six women I ranked finished in the top six. But if my predictions were a Wordle, all the tiles would be yellow.
My #1, Emily Mollard: 3rd
My #2, Milla Hallanoro: 4th
My #3, Lauren Cupp: 6th
My #4, Liz McKinnon: World Champion
My #5, Meguna Haga: 2nd
My #6, Amy Linton: 5th
This year, in a testament to the growth of the sport, I'm ranking ten women. Can I pitch another perfectly imperfect game?
Here are the top ten Elite Women speedgolfers to watch this year.
#10 - Kathy Leppard (UK)
If this were a power ranking of who's going to be having the most fun at Worlds, Kathy Leppard would be #1, and the gap would look like Jamie Reid in 2022.
When she's not playing tournaments, she's volunteering at them. When she's not volunteering at them, she's flying across Europe to the next one. Ryanair, famous for cost-cutting, has considered making a standing section on their planes, but they still pay £1.80 to send Kathy a Christmas card thanks to all her speedgolf travel.