It was a Mother’s Day to remember for LPGA Tour veteran Sophia Popov. With four generations of her family – her grandmother, mother, herself and daughter – standing either on the green or greenside, Popov sunk her final par putt on the 18th green at TPC Scottsdale’s Champions Course to claim her first professional victory since the 2020 AIG Women’s Open at Royal Troon Golf Club.
Some of Popov’s family drove in from Tucson, and her dad carried her bag, making the celebratory moment even more meaningful. While thanking her “corner” during her champion’s speech, the Fountain Hills, Ariz. resident got emotional, shedding a few tears while talking about the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity she had to win in front of her almost two-year-old daughter Maya on Mother’s Day.
“You only get this chance once a year, so I think that was also a driving force behind me playing this week. It’s a home game, finishing on Mother’s Day, and I wanted it so bad,” said Popov. “I don’t know if she’ll ever get to see me win on Mother’s Day again, and I think starting out the round, I thought about that a lot, and I was trying to calm my brain a lot because I was like, there are many things going on, a lot of thoughts and what ifs, but you’ve got to play 18 holes.
“Hailee (Cooper) was playing great golf, and all the girls in front of us were playing great, so it means the world to me to calm my mind a little bit and end up getting it done.”
The 32-year-old carded four birdies and two bogeys on the day to hold her third-round lead and finish the tournament with a four-day total of 14-under. Despite having a four-shot lead heading into Championship Sunday, Popov felt the nerves more than usual.
“It’s a very special feeling, winning again. I always say to everyone, I think winning the second time is a lot harder than the first,” said Popov. “It doesn’t matter what event, on what tour, the nerves were there just as much, especially because it’s Mother’s Day and my daughter is here and my mom’s here. And I know it would be so special to win. So my last four holes, I’ve rarely been this nervous. It’s very special to get it done.”
The LPGA Tour’s first reshuffle took place after the inaugural Black Desert Championship presented by Greater Zion, and Popov will now see herself get into more tournament fields, thanks in large part to a T30 finish at The Chevron Championship in April. The win in Scottsdale allowed the Heidelberg, Germany native to free her mind a bit and let her talent show, making her return to LPGA Tour competition even more exciting.
“I knew my game is in a great spot, and that’s why I was excited to come here this week and feel like I could show off that game. Maybe mentally it freed me up a little bit to not play on LPGA and play on the Epson Tour for a week and be out there with myself and my thoughts and my game plan,” Popov said.
Just two shots behind Popov, at 11-under, was Michelle Zhang, who has proven in back-to-back years that she loves TPC Scottsdale’s Champions Course. In 2024, the then-Epson Tour sophomore found herself in the final pairing with Arizona native Dana Fall but was unable to secure a victory, ultimately finishing in a tie for fifth. Despite not being in the final pairing in 2025, Zhang bettered that performance with a solo second finish on Sunday. The People’s Republic of China native shot 5-under in the final round, carding seven birdies and two bogeys.
While Popov will next compete on the LPGA Tour at the MEXICO Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba, the Epson Tour heads to Hurricane, Utah, for the Copper Rock Championship, which will be played from May 15-17 at Copper Rock Golf Course.
At the almost halfway point of the season, every week is an opportunity for athletes to jump up the Race for the Card standings as they pursue membership for the 2026 LPGA Tour season.
