For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a fan and a follower of the planet’s best professional players. It started 35 years ago with Masters broadcasts in the family room, escalated to hero worship during Tiger’s domination, and was my bread and butter as a former longtime sports radio producer.

N-F-L? My favorite three letters were P-G-A.

But these days, I find myself losing interest in the pro circuit.

Fragmenting the game with two tours didn’t help. Neither did fan behavior at the Waste Management, Ryder Cup and 2026 U.S. Open. Meanwhile, Netflix reality shows and Happy Gilmore 2 cameos feel miles short of the swanky standard Arnold Palmer set. And optimized technology and training have turned a once artistic game into a long-drive “sport.”

Everything that had been haphazardly microwaved for fast engagement these past five years had become a TV dinner of disengagement for me.

So, this past June, I wasn’t expecting to fall back in love with the pro game. But that’s exactly what happened at the U.S. Women’s Open at The Riviera CC. And I’m so glad it did.

As someone who had never been to a professional women’s golf event, please excuse me while I state some obvious observations.

The women play an undeniably more compelling game of golf. And it starts from the tee box where their average driving distance (256 yards) means seeing players navigate a golf course instead of bludgeon it. No bomb-and-gouge, no spinny flip wedges into every green and no long-irons collecting dust in the bag.

Pure golf deserves a pure atmosphere, and I can count on exactly zero fingers how many times I heard an overserved bro shout some tired catchphrase like “Mashed potatoes!” after a tee shot. It didn’t happen once.

And the women I saw were graciously giving all of themselves to the fans and the media. They were thanking volunteers simply for holding ropes or signing autographs for kids. Nelly Korda laughed at herself for nearly missing the two-and-a-half footer to win. These players proved that you can be fiercely competitive and warm to the people around you.

Everything I’ve been missing and looking for at the elite level was on irrefutable display. And now I have a professional tour to follow again. I know I’m heinously late to the party, and that’s on me. But if you’re recently disenfranchised from televised golf for similar reasons, come see why “playing like a girl” is the best thing happening in the pro game.