ORLANDO (Florida) – Gemma Dryburgh won her first LPGA title in Japan last fall and qualified for this week’s Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. Her look this week is noticeably different. She’s wearing an unadorned hat.
Dryburgh said that the billboard above her head was a message.
Callaway asked Scotland’s Dryburgh (29), for some hats after she earned her LPGA card for 2018. Although she had been playing Callaway clubs since highschool, she hadn’t signed up with the company. Their hat was hers for free.
She said, “I didn’t mind supporting them,” and that they also support her with clubs. But it’s time for me to be paid for the hat.”
Dryburgh stated that her agent is currently in discussions with one potential sponsor. Dryburgh said that although the actual value of a player’s hat is variable, she estimates she’s looking at around $20,000.
She said, “It’s so lovely to be able maybe to cover expenses before the season starts,” referring to a luxury she has not yet experienced in her career.
Mel Reid feels a lot less pressure after finishing third in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. (Gabe Roux/LPGA)
Dryburgh is not the first to look for a sponsor for a hat. Mel Reid, a veteran Solheim Cup player, wore a blank cap at major events in summer 2019. Meg Mallon won 2004 U.S. Women’s Open in a USGA hat.
Dryburgh won last year’s 2022 Toto Japon Classic by four strokes. She was 34th on CME’s points list, and 45th on CME’s money list with $662,000. This is more than three times the amount she earned in her four previous seasons of tour combined.
