$39B Airline Giant Gives LPGA Pro a Nightmare as Women’s Golf’s Biggest Concern Still Continues to Plague the Sport

Safe to say, the week didn’t go well for LPGA Pro Jennifer Chang. She carded 7-over at the Lotte Championship to miss the cut. Now it appears the Hawaii trip might have been heavy on her purse. After missing the cut, the 25-year-old had a harrowing nightmare of a flight to Florida. Her golf bag was damaged by Delta Airlines and so were her clubs. 

In a clip originally shared by Johnny Wunder of Callaway, the bag is seen torn in the middle. The Paradym Driver clubhead went through a similar torture. Other clubs were also damaged, as can be seen in the video.

Wunder, Callaway’s content creator/manager, sarcastically joked, “That’s what they call a Delta grind. Little toe… little toe face relief. Way to go Delta. Nice work. (pause) That’s great. (pause) That’s amazing.” 

Chang entered the Annika Driven field by Gainbridge this week in Florida. Callaway had to provide the 25-year-old with a new set of clubs. While Wunder’s frustration at the $39B airline company was understandable, it was by no means surprising. Sad that as it may be, Golf bag mishaps after a long flight are very common, affecting amateurs and pros alike.

While Chang’s golf bag was damaged, there have been cases where bags went missing, and even clubs were broken into two pieces. Back in June, Charley Hull arrived in Washington to tee off at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Everything was fine except for her golf bag, which didn’t arrive with her.

Hull pleaded for help on Instagram tagging British Airlines. The LPGA Pro had to wait outside the airport on Tuesday to get her clubs. The trouble was her gym shoes were also inside the bag. So, Tuesday was ‘boring’ for the fitness fanatic Hull and she couldn’t add a practice round until Wednesday when she got her clubs back. Others, however, had to endure worse.

Amateurs are worse affected than pros by airline mishaps

While Hull’s case was resolved, amateurs went through worse situations. Airlines often flip the situation by placing the blame tacitly on the golfers and refusing to pay for the damages. Passengers sometimes have to sign an agreement before booking that no damages would be reimbursed.

Wesley Hunter, who mostly plies his trade on various min-tours, had a similar experience as Chang. Air travel punched a hole in his golf bag, and he also got that ‘little toe relief’ that Wunder was talking about. Similarly, early this year, a Canadian recreational golfer’s bag was ripped open and clubs were broken in two pieces. Some were bent in the middle.

Ironically, when Aldo Mucciarone went to file for damage he was asked to provide the original receipt which he didn’t have. Eventually, after much fuss, Air Canada offered $2,350 for the damage and two $300 vouchers for future flights. It’s not clear if Jennifer Chang has been offered any compensation or not. Annika Driven by Pelican will start this Thursday, November 14.