Winning helps Scotland’s Dryburgh flush LPGA struggles

Scotland's Gemma Dryburgh prepares to tee off on No. 14 during the Toto Japan Classic, where she earned her first LPGA victory. Photo: Yoshimasa Nakano, Getty Images

Decades from now, when Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh is asked to recount a memorable tale or two from her very first LPGA victory, her evening’s celebration featuring a gourmet Japanese feast of octopus and champagne might not even make the cut.

No, Dryburgh’s first triumph, recorded late last season at the Toto Japan Classic, forever will be linked to a unique winner’s perk. Tournament winners through the years have won everything from new cars to gaudy blazers to swords and even boat motors. But it is a safe bet that no champion – not Hogan, nor Whitworth, nor Palmer, nor Nicklaus, nor Lopez, nor Sörenstam nor Woods – ever won a toilet.

So when Dryburgh (pronounced DRY-burr-uh) finished 65-65 and cruised to her first LPGA triumph in early November at Seta Golf Club in Omitama, northeast of Tokyo, it led to a bit of an odd conversation with a representative from the tourn...