Sophia Popov

{{Short description|German professional golfer (born 1992)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Infobox golfer |name = Sophia Popov |image = Sophia Popov (cropped).jpg |image_size = 230 |caption = Popov in 2019 |fullname = |nickname = |birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1992|10|2|df=y}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Sophia Popov |url=https://golfdata.se/guide/Profil_startsida.asp?nr=31307 |publisher=Golfdata |accessdate=21 August 2020}}</ref> |birth_place = Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.<ref name=let/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lpga.com/news/2020/winners-circle |title=In The Winner's Circle With Sophia Popov |publisher=LPGA |date=23 August 2020}}</ref> |death_date =  |death_place = |height = 5 ft 7 in |nationality = {{DEU}} |residence = Weingarten, Germany |spouse = Max Mehles<ref name=dau/> |children = 1<ref name=dau/> |college = Southern California |yearpro = 2014<ref name=let/> |retired =  |tour = LPGA Tour Symetra Tour |extour =  |prowins = 5 |lpgawins = 1 |letwins = 1 |jlpgawins =  |klpgawins =  |lagtwins =  |alpgwins =  |futwins = 1 |otherwins = 3 |majorwins = 1 |anainspiration = T30: 2025 |lpga = T23: 2020 |wusopen = T26: 2024 |wbritopen = '''Won''': 2020 |evian = T60: 2021 |wghofid =  |wghofyear =  |award1 =  |year1 =  |award2 = |year2 = |awardssection =  }} '''Sophia Popov''' (born 2 October 1992) is a German professional golfer who competes on the LPGA Tour.<ref name="LPGA Bio"/>

==Personal life== Popov holds dual United States-German citizenship, having been born in the United States, and moved to Germany with her family when she was four years old.<ref name=let>{{cite web |url=https://ladieseuropeantour.com/sophia-popov-makes-pro-debut-in-germany/ |title=Sophia Popov Makes Pro Debut in Germany |publisher=Ladies European Tour |date=16 July 2014 |accessdate=13 January 2018}}</ref> Her paternal grandparents are Bulgarian.<ref name=letaccess>{{cite web |url=https://letaccess.com/players-at-the-lalla-aicha-tour-school-pq-a-sophia-popov/ |title=Players at the Lalla Aïcha Tour School PQ A: Sophia Popov |publisher=LET Access Series |date=22 June 2020 |access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref> On 11 June 2023, she and husband Max Mehles announced the birth of their daughter.<ref name=dau>{{Cite web |title=Sophia Popov Becomes Latest LPGAMom |url=https://www.lpga.com/news/2023/sophia-popov-becomes-latest-lpgamom |publisher=LPGA |first=Sarah |last=Kellam |date=11 June 2023 |access-date=2023-08-07}}</ref>

==Amateur career== As an amateur, she played college golf at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://usctrojans.com/news/2017/5/22/USC_Nails_Down_Spot_Into_3rd_Straight_NCAA_Match_Play_Bracket.aspx?path=wgolf |title=USC Nails Down Spot Into 3rd Straight NCAA Match Play Bracket|publisher=University of Southern California |date=22 May 2017 |accessdate=13 January 2018}}</ref> She won the 2010 International European Ladies Amateur Championship and played on the Junior Solheim Cup and Espirito Santo Trophy teams.<ref name=letaccess/>

==Professional career== In 2015, Popov was part of the German broadcast team for German television during the Solheim Cup.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.symetratour.com/news/popov-healtier-in-2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305041958/http://www.symetratour.com/news/popov-healtier-in-2016 |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 March 2016 |title=Healthier Sophia Popov Ready for 2016 |publisher=LPGA |date=18 February 2016 |accessdate=13 January 2018}}</ref>

Popov played on the Symetra Tour between 2016 and 2020, where she had a best of four runner-up finishes: 2016 Chico's Patty Berg Memorial, 2016 Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic, 2017 Tullymore Classic and 2020 Founders Tribute at Longbow.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.epsontour.com/players/sophia%20popov/98113/results |title=Sophia Popov – Results |publisher=Symetra Tour |access-date=13 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.lpga.com/news/2017-the-path-to-the-lpga-qualifying-tour-sophia-popov |title=The Path to LPGA Qualifying School Stage III - Sophia Popov |publisher=LPGA |date=22 November 2017 |accessdate=13 January 2018}}</ref> In 2016, she qualified for the U.S. Women's Open at CordeValle,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://archive.naplesnews.com/sports/golf/southwest-florida-golf-naples-sophia-popov-qualifies-for-us-womens-open-33a0a4c4-d9da-08e3-e053-0100-380738921.html |first=Lou |last=Monaco |title=Southwest Florida golf: Naples' Sophia Popov qualifies for U.S. Women's Open |newspaper=Naples Daily News |accessdate=13 January 2018}}</ref> where she finished last of those making the cut, and in 2018 she played in the Women's PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes, finishing tied for 57th place.

In February 2019, Popov came within a stroke of gaining a place on the LPGA Tour for the 2019 season via the qualifying school. In 2020, with the LPGA and Symetra tours being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, she won three tournaments on the Cactus Tour, a mini-tour based in Arizona. She followed that up with victory in the AIG Women's Open at Royal Troon, having qualified by means of a high finish at the Marathon Classic. Prior to the Women's Open, Popov was ranked 304th in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/53883208 |title=Women's Open: Sophia Popov wins at Royal Troon by two shots |first=Peter |last=Scrivener |website=BBC Sport |date=23 August 2020 |access-date=23 August 2020}}</ref>

==Amateur wins== *2008 European Ladies' Club Trophy (individual), German Girls Championship (Under-16) *2009 European Ladies' Club Trophy (individual) *2010 International European Ladies Amateur Championship, PAC 10-SEC Challenge *2011 PING/ASU Invitational, PAC-10 Championship *2012 Battle at Rancho Bernardo *2013 SDSU Farms Invitational

Source:<ref name=wagr>{{cite web|url=http://www.wagr.com/en/Ranking/Player.aspx?playerid=15907&isMens=False|title=Sophia Popov |publisher=World Amateur Golf Ranking|accessdate=13 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="LPGA Bio">{{cite web |title=Sophia Popov LPGA Bio |url=https://www.lpga.com/players/sophia-popov/98113/bio |publisher=LPGA |accessdate=21 August 2020}}</ref>

==Professional wins (5)== ===LPGA Tour wins (1)=== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" ! Legend |- style="background:#e5d1cb;" | Major championships (1) |- | Other LPGA Tour (0) |} {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" !No.!!Date!!Tournament!!Winning score!!Margin of victory!!Runner-up |-style="background:#e5d1cb;" |align=center|1 |align=right|23 Aug 2020 |'''AIG Women's Open'''{{ref label|Note1|1|1}} |−7 (70-72-67-68=277) |2 strokes |{{flagicon|THA}} Thidapa Suwannapura |} {{note label|Note1|1|1}}Co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour.

===Epson Tour wins (1)=== *2025 Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic

===Cactus Tour wins (3)=== *2020 Event 14, Event 16, Event 20<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thecactustour.com/ |title=The Cactus Tour}}</ref>

==Major championships== ===Wins (1)=== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" !Year!!Championship!!54 holes!!Winning score!!Margin!!Runner-up |-style="background:#ABCDEF;" |2020 |AIG Women's Open |3 shot lead |−7 (70-72-67-68=277) |2 strokes |{{flagicon|THA}} Thidapa Suwannapura |}

===Results timeline=== ''Results not in chronological order.'' {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;" ! Tournament !! 2011 !! 2012 !! 2013 !! 2014 !! 2015 !! 2016 !! 2017 !! 2018 !! 2019 !! 2020 !! 2021 !! 2022 !! 2023 !! 2024 !! 2025 |- |align=left|Chevron Championship |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |T60 |T44 |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |CUT |T30 |- |align=left|U.S. Women's Open |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |72 |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |T40 |CUT |CUT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |T26 |CUT |- |align=left|Women's PGA Championship |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |CUT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |T57 |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |T23 |CUT |CUT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |CUT |CUT |- |align=left|The Evian Championship |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |T60 |CUT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |CUT |CUT |- |align=left|Women's British Open |67 |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:lime;"|'''1''' |CUT |CUT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |CUT |CUT |} {{legend|lime|Win}}  {{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}} CUT = missed the half-way cut NT = no tournament T = tied

===Summary=== {| class=wikitable style=text-align:center !Tournament !! Wins !! 2nd !! 3rd !! Top-5 !! Top-10 !! Top-25 !! Events !! Cuts made |- |align=left|Chevron Championship || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 4 || 3 |- |align=left|U.S. Women's Open || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 6 || 3 |- |align=left|Women's PGA Championship || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 7 || 2 |- |align=left|The Evian Championship || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 4 || 1 |- |align=left|Women's British Open || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 6 || 2 |- !Totals !! 1 !! 0 !! 0 !! 1 !! 1 !! 2 !! 27 !! 11 |} *Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (2016 U.S. Women's Open – 2021 Chevron) *Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (once)

==Team appearances== '''Amateur''' *European Girls' Team Championship (representing Germany): 2008. 2009<ref name=":2">{{cite web |title=Mannschafts-Europameisterschaften, Mädschen |url=https://www.golf.de/publish/imagedata/dgv/Internet_Sieger_und_Platzierte_1.1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104213154/https://www.golf.de/publish/imagedata/dgv/Internet_Sieger_und_Platzierte_1.1.pdf |archive-date=4 November 2021 |access-date=24 March 2021 |publisher=golf.de, German Golf Federation}}</ref> *Junior Solheim Cup (representing Europe): 2009 *Espirito Santo Trophy (representing Germany): 2010, 2012 *European Ladies' Team Championship (representing Germany): 2011, 2013, 2014 *Vagliano Trophy (representing Continent of Europe): 2011 (winners), 2013 (winners)

'''Professional''' *Solheim Cup (representing Europe): 2021 (winners)

===Solheim Cup record=== {|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size: 95%;" ! Year !! Total matches !! Total W–L–H !! Singles W–L–H !! Foursomes W–L–H !! Fourballs W–L–H !! Points won !! Points % |- |Career |3 |'''''0–3–0''''' |'''''0–1–0''''' |'''''0–0–0''''' |'''''0–2–0''''' |0 |0.0 |- |2021 |3 |'''''0–3–0''''' |'''''0–1–0''''' lost to M. Khang 3&2 |'''''0–0–0''''' |'''''0–2–0''''' lost w/ C. Ciganda 1 dn lost w/ C. Boutier 3&1 |0 |0.0 |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{LPGA player|sophia-popov/98113}} *{{WWGR|4319}} *[https://usctrojans.com/sports/womens-golf/roster/sophia-popov/2038 USC Trojans] – Sophia Popov

{{DEFAULTSORT:Popov, Sophia}} Category:German female golfers Category:LPGA Tour golfers Category:Winners of LPGA major golf championships Category:Olympic golfers for Germany Category:Golfers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Category:USC Trojans women's golfers Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Bulgarian descent Category:German people of Bulgarian descent Category:Sportspeople from Karlsruhe (region) Category:1992 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century German sportswomen