2019 KPMG Women's PGA Championship: What you need to know
What: The third of five major championship events designated for the LPGA Tour.
Where: Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska (6,807 yards, par 72).
When: Practice rounds begin at 7 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday; the tournament begins Thursday (gates open at 7 a.m. Thursday and Friday and at 6:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday).
Purse: $3.85 million ($577,500 to the winner).
Defending champion: Sung Hyun Park
Tickets: Online (kpmgwomenspgachampionship.com) or at gate. A weeklong grounds pass is $100, or a flexible "good any day" ticket is $40. Single admission is available each day ($20 for practice rounds, $30 Thursday-Friday, $35 Friday-Saturday). Juniors 17 and younger will be admitted free with a paid adult, up to four per ticket. Active-duty military, retirees, active reserve, National Guard, veterans and an accompanying guest (limit one) also receive free admission with military ID.
TV: 5-8 p.m. Thu-Fri (Golf Channel); 2-5 p.m. Sat-Sun (Ch. 11).
Last year: Park beat fellow South Korean competitor So Yeon Ryu on the second hole of a playoff at Kemper Lakes Golf Club near Chicago to claim her second major. Japanese teenager Nasa Hataoka shot a final-round 8-under 64 and also reached the playoff at 10 under but bowed out with a par the first extra hole. Jessica Korda and Angel Yin tied for fourth at 7 under, with Charley Hull and Brooke Henderson at 6 under. Henderson, who was in second through three rounds, shot a Sunday 74.
Who to watch: It's a full 156-player field. Eleven former winners of the event are scheduled to play, including LPGA Hall of Famer Laura Davies. The LPGA has had a deep mix of talent this season, with 13 winners in 15 events played. World No. 1 Jin Young Ko and Henderson, who won the Meijer LPGA Classic on Sunday, are the only players to win twice. LPGA Tour rookie Jeongeun Lee6 comes in off a runner-up to Henderson at the ShopRite Classic on June 9 and a win at the U.S. Women's Open on June 2. Michelle Wie, who withdrew from the U.S. Women's Open because of a wrist injury and hasn't made a cut in a major since last year's Women's PGA Championship, is on the final field list. Former Wayzata High golfer Sarah Burnham is in the field.
BRIAN STENSAAS
about the writer
Frankie Capan III, who will be playing on the PGA Tour next year, finished at 13 under par at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship.