Motherhood puts things into perspective for many female professional athletes, and major champion Sophia Popov is no exception to that fact.

The Germany native had her daughter Maya Mae Mehles on June 6, 2023, and finally made her return to the LPGA Tour this past March at the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship. She missed the cut that week and the next several weeks that followed, finally finding her footing and righting the ship in May with a T14 showing at the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National Golf Club.

But the struggles have continued for Popov throughout the rest of this season, and while many athletes would be frustrated with their lack of success after working so hard to bounce back from a body- and life-changing experience, the 32-year-old is trying her best to keep it all in perspective, something with which her daughter has helped her immensely.

“I think you question a lot of things that you do,” Popov admitted. “Even though your ball striking is pretty much where it was before, you take the whole thing apart. You go, is it the conditioning? Is it this? Is it that? I think the mental part is probably the toughest.

“I keep things in perspective because of my daughter. Sometimes I feel like I'm playing for her. It's been really disappointing because I want her to see me playing well even though she probably has no idea what I'm doing. But I think sometimes I put pressure on myself to show her what mom can really do.”

Popov ultimately did just that on Thursday at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei, bouncing back from a first-round 73 with a 5-under 67 in Hawaii, her lowest round on the LPGA Tour since she carded a 67 on day three of the Mizuho Americas Open. The sub-70 round was a relief for Popov, who hadn’t carded a score below 70 since The Amundi Evian Championship in July, and it was a second-round effort that bolstered her confidence heading into the next 36 holes at Hoakalei Country Club.

“It means a lot because I've been working really hard, and it hasn't been paying off,” said Popov. “The last three, four months have been really, really tough for me. We golfers are, it's a lot of second-guessing, a lot of like, what am I doing? Should I be out here? Obviously, traveling with my daughter. It's been tough, but I've been playing good golf and just not scoring. To have a day where you finally are making the putts, especially on the back nine today, has been such a relief, honestly.”

Popov is currently ranked 136th in the Race to the CME Globe and is battling to keep her LPGA Tour status for the 2025 season, even though she is still eligible for a few tournaments using her maternity exemption. As of right now, she has the option to compete at the Final Qualifying portion of LPGA Q-Series in December to improve her 2025 status, but Popov is doing everything she can to play her way into the top 100 and is really focused earning a spot in the field at next week’s ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, an event she will only qualify for if she finishes 117th or better in the Race to the CME Globe after Saturday’s final round.

At the moment, in her T15 position on the LOTTE Championship, Popov is projected to move inside the top 117 on the season-long points list and earn a spot in the field at Pelican Golf Club. However, with 36 holes to go at Hoakalei Country Club, the LPGA Tour veteran knows she needs to keep the pedal down and post two more low numbers if she doesn’t want her season to come to an end in Hawaii.

But even if things don’t ultimately shake out in her favor, Popov’s mindset about golf has shifted so drastically after the birth of her daughter that disappointment on the golf course doesn’t feel anywhere near as frustrating as it used to. So, as Popov prepares for a fight on days three and four of the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei, she knows in the back of her mind that, at the end of the day, her daughter and her family are really what is most important in life, not where she finishes on the Race to the CME Globe points list, and will work to remind herself of that with every step she takes the rest of the week at Hoakalei Country Club.

“I think that's where she puts everything into perspective,” said Popov. “I'm not having a really good year. I had a couple of good events, but it's mainly been a struggle for me. The weight of it is not that heavy anymore just because I know I come home, I come to her. She's this little smiling sunshine and truly doesn't care. I think it's been amazing for me off the golf course.

“I don't put that pressure on myself towards the end of the season anymore. I have more the attitude of, whatever happens, happens. I know I'm good enough, but in the end, being a good mom is more important.”

LPGA Tour Mom Sophia Popov Playing With Perspective as 2024 Season Wraps Up

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