Out of the Rough: KPMG Women's PGA Championship (2026)

The third major of the LPGA Tour season is upon us, as the LPGA Tour turns its attention to the Hazeltine National Golf Club for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Hazeltine National Golf Club last hosted this event in 2019 which saw Hannah Green win going wire-to-wire.

This venue is also set to host the 2029 Ryder Cup. It will become the first American course to host the event twice.

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is the second longest standing tournament of the LPGA’s schedule, only being outdated by the U.S. Women’s Open.

It was first played in 1955 and played under various names for 60 years until 2015 when the event was first played under the title sponsorship of KPMG.

The purse this week sits at $13 million with the winner walking away with $1.9 million. The $13 million purse is the largest purse ever in the history of women’s golf. 

The Field

Being a major event, all of the world’s best women golfers will be in Minnesota this week.

Of course, World No. 1 Nelly Korda headlines this week’s field. Korda has won both of the first two major events (the U.S. Women’s Open and The Chevron Championship) on the season. She also won this event in 2021.

Other notable names teeing it up this week include Ruoning Yin, Jeeno Thitikul, Miyu Yamashita, Haeran Ryu, Hyo Joo Kim, Green, Lottie Woad and Charley Hull.

Minjee Lee comes in as the defending champion, having won by three strokes a season ago at PGA Frisco. 

Other former winners of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship teeing it up this week include Amy Yang (2024,) Yin (2023,) In Gee Chun (2022,) Korda (2021,) Sei-Young Kim (2020,) Green (2019,) Sung Hyun Park (2018,) Danielle Kang (2017,) Brooke Henderson (2016,) Yani Tseng (2008 and 2011) and Anna Nordqvist (2009.)

The Course

Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota is a true championship venue. 

It will play as a par-72 at 6,807 yards this week.

The course was originally designed by Trent Jones Jr. for USGA president Totton Heffelfinger to host both the 1966 U.S. Women’s Open and the 1970 U.S. Open.

Since, the venue has gone on to host the 1970 and 1991 U.S. Open, the 2002 and 2009 PGA Championships, the 2016 Ryder Cup and the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Upon completion, Hazeltine National Golf Club was a controversial layout, so much so that Jones spent the better part of two-decades redesigning it. He straightened doglegs, relocated entire holes and rebuilt nearly every green.

Trent Jones Jr.’s son, Rees Jones, took over the redesign between 1987 and 2010 with much more success. The layout we see today can be attributed to Rees more than it can to Trent. 

The venue is known for its rolling terrain, thick rough, strategically placed bunkering and the wind that is a constant factor here.

The front-nine features heavily tree-lined fairways with deep bunkering littered throughout. It demands precise ball-striking.

The back-nine offers much more elevation changes that can be described as “dramatic.” The elevation changes are prominent from the start as the tenth hole features a sharp downhill dogleg.

Water is also in play on nine holes this week.

From there, golfers will need precise approach shots to hold these large, firm, muti-tiered Bentgrass greens that too feature severe elevation changes.

Missing a landing spot on these greens, even by a few feet, will see the ball roll off into the green-side complexes. 

The greens are heavily guarded by deep bunkers. Missing the greens by even a few yards will see golfers struggle to save par.

The signature hole here at the Hazeltine National Golf Club is the 396-yard par-four 16th that requires both skill and nerve. Lake Hazeltine guards the entire right side as a creek meanders along the left side.

The green sits on a peninsula and is completely surrounded by water. 

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, Thursday and Friday are calling for a 20-percent chance of precipitation. Saturday is calling for a 15-percent chance as Sunday is calling for a 35-percent chance of isolated thunderstorms. Temperatures will be the lowest on Thursday at 76-degrees before increasing to 78-degrees on Friday and 81-degrees on Saturday before peaking at 87-degrees on Sunday. Winds will also be the lowest on Thursday at just seven miles-per-hour before bumping up to eight miles-per-hour on Friday. Winds will then increase to 14 miles-per-hour on Saturday and peak at 16 miles-per-hour on Sunday. 

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Ball Striking

• Average Driving Distance

• Strokes Gained: Driving (SG: DRIVE)

• Strokes Gained: Putting

• Three Putt Avoidance

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG)

• Sand Saves Percentage

• Scrambling

• Greens in Regulation when missing the fairway (GIR% when missing the fairway)

• Bogey Avoidance

• Par-Five average scoring

Betting Card

Check back for my full betting card!

2025 Betting Card

• Haeran Ryu (+2000) - T61st

• Ariya Jutanugarn (+3500) - T69th

• Jin Young Ko (+4000) - WD

• Auston Kim (+11000) - T2nd

2024 Betting Card

• Ayaka Furue (+1800) - T19th

• Lilia Vu (+2200) - T2nd

• Jenny Shin (+5000) - MC

• Marina Alex (+6600) - MC

2023 Betting Card

• Jin Young Ko (+1200) - T20th

• Xiyu Lin (+2900) - T3rd

• Georgia Hall (+3400) - MC

• Charley Hull (+5000) - MC