Former LPGA Star Kathy Whitworth Dies at 83; All-Time Wins Leader on Single Pro Tour
Dec 25, 2022
IRVING, TX - APRIL 30: Golf legend Kathy Whitworth waits on the first tee during the third round of the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout at Las Colinas Country Club on April 30, 2016 in Irving, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
LPGA Hall of Famer Kathy Whitworth, whose 88 victories are the most by any player on a single professional tour, died on Saturday at the age of 83.
It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that LPGA Hall of Famer Kathy Whitworth has died at the age of 83.
Her 88 LPGA victories are the most ever on a professional tour.
Per ESPN, Whitworth's longtime partner Bettye Odle said she died suddenly on Saturday night while celebrating the holidays with family and friends. A cause of death has not been provided.
"Kathy left this worth the way she lived her life—loving, laugh and creating memories," Odle said in a statement.
Whitworth's illustrious career spanned over two decades, as she won the first of her 88 titles in July 1962 in the Kelly Girl Open and she recorded her final victory in 1985 at the United Virginia Bank Classic. She won six majors during her career, and she became the first woman to earn $1 million on the LPGA Tour.
When she won the Lady Michelob in 1982, she surpassed Mickey Wright's record of 82 LPGA wins. That number still stands as the PGA Tour record, shared by Tiger Woods and Sam Snead.
The one major that escaped Whitworth during her career was the U.S. Women's Open.
"I would have swapped being the first to make a million for winning the Open, but it was a consolation which took some of the sting out of not winning," she said in 1981.
Whitworth earned LPGA player of the year seven times from 1966 to 1973. She was named AP Female Athlete of the Year twice in 1965 and 1967, and in 1982, she was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Upon her retirement, Whitworth continued on in the sport by conducting junior clinics. Despite her enormous amount of success, she remained humble through it all.
"I don't think about the legacy of 88 tournaments," she said. "I did it because I wanted to win, not to set a record or a goal that no one else could surpass. I'm not some great oddity. I was just fortunate to be so successful. What I did in being a better player does not make me a better person. When I'm asked how I would like to be remembered, I feel that if people remember me at all, it will be good enough."
Former Pro Golfer Paige Spiranac Says She Deleted Body-Shaming Comments on Instagram
Sep 15, 2022
Paige Spiranac watches her approach shot on the 16th hole during the first round of the American Century Celebrity Championship golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nev., Friday, July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Tom R. Smedes)
Former professional golfer and current social media influencer Paige Spiranac is one of the most followed people in the game of golf—boasting 3.6 million followers on Instagram—but that fame has come with its fair share of hateful comments from internet trolls.
Earlier this week, Spiranac revealed she had to delete a lot of comments on one of her most recent Instagram videos because she had been receiving hateful comments, many of which were body-shaming remarks.
"Honestly the amount of men calling me 'fat' on this post is next level lol," Spiranac said Wednesday night, per TMZ Sports. "I've had to delete so many comments, which I almost never do."
The 29-year-old also said that she has struggled to maintain her "ideal weight," adding that she works out and diets right, but that "it doesn't come naturally to me."
"It can be defeating when people call out body insecurities," Spiranac said.
Spiranac said she intends to share more about her fitness and diet routines moving forward to help people who "feel a similar body pressure."
US Women's Open Golf 2022: Tee Times, Dates, TV Schedule, LPGA Prize Money
Jun 1, 2022
BOCA RATON, FLORIDA - JANUARY 27: Nelly Korda hits from the 18th tee during the first round of the 2022 Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio Golf Club on January 27, 2022 in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
As the saying goes, in order to be the best, one has to beat the best.
That adage justifiably applies to this year's U.S. Women's Open, which will feature former world No. 1 Nelly Korda, who was sidelined for the Chevron Championship with a blood clot, current world No. 1 Jin Young Ko and world No. 3 Lydia Ko.
The second major of the year will also include defending champion Yuka Saso, up-and-comer and Chevron winner Jennifer Kupcho and former Open champ Michelle Wie West.
And while the level of competition is enough to build up the anticipation for golf fans around the world, there's another major component that will make this weekend's action must-see-TV: the money.
The USGA announced that the purse for the 77th USWO would double last year's total to an unprecedented $10 million, the largest ever in LPGA Tour history.
Tee times begin Thursday at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina, with the culmination of the winner on Sunday.
Here's a quick look at everything to know heading into the Open.
Tee Times: A full list of tee times can be found at USGA.org
Prize Money: A $10 million purse, with $1.8 million going to the winner
Preview
The 2022 USWO will have an incredible field of competitors, but for one in particular, this will be her last.
Michelle Wie West is retiring from the LPGA, and Southern Pines will be her swan song.
The former child prodigy, who's been in the competitive golf spotlight since she was 10, holds a special affinity for the USWO, not only because it's the one event she's always had her sights on, but also because she finally won it in 2014.
"[The U.S. Women's Open] means everything to me," the 32-year-old told Emilia Migiaccio of Golf Channel.com. "It was the one tournament I wanted to win ever since I started playing golf. If I hadn't won the 2014 U.S. Open, I definitely wouldn't retire, and I would still be out here playing and chasing that win."
Wie West will likely compete in the 2023 U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links, but this is her final bow in the USWO.
And while she's only won five LPGA events to date, she has no regrets looking back on her career, her win in 2014 and her graduation from Stanford.
"I have zero regrets in my career. I have definitely had an up-and-down career, but I'm extremely proud for the resiliency that I've shown." Wie West said. "To check both of those off the list means everything to me. I'm very proud of myself. I've always wished I would have done more, but I feel like everyone kind of feels that way, so I'm definitely giving myself some grace and enjoying this last week."
If the Honolulu native somehow went out on a high note with her second win at Southern Pines, it would make for an inspired story in golf.
But that might be a tall order considering that she'll be up against some of the best golfers in the world.
Korda, currently ranked No. 2 in the world after winning Olympic gold in Tokyo last year, has been out with a blood clot since March, and is ready to get back on the course to continue her winning ways.
"I kind of just made sure that I was ready and 100 percent going into my comeback," Korda told Golfweek's Beth Ann Nichols. "and I didn't really want to rush it or anything. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to have any issues, even if it was just with like a little bit of my shoulder bugging me coming back in."
Saso, 20, will be trying to be just the third player to win back-to-back at Pine Needles.
"I wouldn't compare myself to Annika and Karrie Webb," Saso told Madison Donley of LPGA.com. "They're awesome players. They're legends. I will do my best, but whatever the outcome is, I'll be grateful. ...
"I think in the U.S. Open, you need everything, not just one part of your game. I think everything has to be good. The golf course is great, very beautiful, and very difficult, especially the greens. I think it's going to be a great challenge for all of us."
No matter who takes home the trophy, golf fans should be in for a litany of incredible putts and shots on one of the tour's most beautiful golf courses.
NCAA Women's Golf Championships 2022: Stanford Beats Oregon for 1st Title Since 2015
May 26, 2022
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - MAY 24: The Stanford Cardinal celebrate after defeating the Auburn Tigers to advance to the match play championship during the Division I Women's Golf Championship held at the Grayhawk Golf Club on May 24, 2022 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
The No. 1 Stanford Cardinal defeated the No. 2 Oregon Ducks in the NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Wednesday to win their second national title and first since 2015.
It was a dominant win for the Cardinal, who rallied to defeat Auburn 3-2 in the semifinals for a berth in the final against Oregon. Three of Stanford's five players won their head-to-head matches Wednesday to seal the victory.
Rose Zhang delivered the winning putt on the 17th hole in her match against Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen to secure Stanford's title.
Stanford's Aline Krauter had one of the more dominant performances of the day, going 5-up on Oregon's Hsin-Yu Lu on the seventh hole before going 6-up on the eighth and ninth holes of the day.
Krauter dropped slightly from holes 10 through 14 but finished the day 5-up on the 15th hole.
— Stanford Women's Golf (@StanfordWGolf) May 25, 2022
Stanford's other top player was Brooke Seay, who defeated Ching-Tzu Chen 4 and 3. The two were tied through the first three holes before Seay broke through on the fourth hole to go 1-up.
Seay effectively put an end to her match against Chen on the 12th hole by going 5-up. She dropped back to 4-up on the 13th hole and held that score through the end of the match.
— Stanford Women's Golf (@StanfordWGolf) May 26, 2022
Zhang, who became the school's second straight individual NCAA champion on Monday, held off a strong push by Nielsen to win 3 and 1.
Zhang held a 3-up lead from holes five through 11 before Nielsen began to climb her way back into the match. Nielsen cut Zhang's lead to just 1-up on the 14th hole before the Cardinal regained a 2-up lead on the 15th hole.
Zhang went on to regain her 3-up lead on the 17th hole to secure Stanford's national title.
— Stanford Women's Golf (@StanfordWGolf) May 25, 2022
One of Oregon's most exciting performances of the day came from Briana Chacon, who rallied back from 2-down to tie Stanford's Sadie Englemann on the 17th hole before sealing the 1-up victory on the final hole.
With the loss, Oregon has yet to win a national title in women's golf.
Women's British Open 2021: Anna Nordqvist Holds Off Crowded Field for Win
Aug 22, 2021
Sweden's Anna Nordqvist plays a driver from the 5th tee during the final round of the Women's British Open golf championship, in Carnoustie, Scotland, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
Anna Nordqvist edged in front of crowded field to win the 2021 AIG Women's Open.
The Swedish golfer finished her run at Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland with a 69 during Round 4 on Sunday. It put her 12 strokes under par for the tournament, one ahead of three others in second place.
Nanna Koerstz Madsen was tied for the lead going into the last hole until a double-bogey dropped her into a tie for fifth.
The British Open crown represents the third major title in Nordqvist's career while earning a record payout of $870,000 for the latest win. The prize fund of $5.8 million is the largest ever in women's golf.
The two remained tied in first place heading into the 72nd hole of the tournament.
Koerstz Madsen couldn't take advantage of her opportunity, however, hitting it into the bunker before a shank out of the sand led to a double bogey.
As painful finishes go, that's right up there. Nanna Koerstz Madsen slices into a 72nd hole bunker then shanks one when tied for the lead... not even a second place as consolation.
Shanks are like flat tires - can’t do anything to avoid them and they tend to show up at the worst possible times. Also, most people don’t know how to fix them so it’s a collective look of hands on the hips all hoping someone has the solution.
As many as six players were tied for the lead at one point Sunday, but it was Nordqvist who came through with a four-birdie round.
Early in the round, the big story was the play of Minjee Lee. The Australian started the round five strokes off the lead but quickly moved in front thanks to a final round score of 66.
She tallied seven birdies on her way to finishing 10 strokes under par.
.@minjeegolf is making a habit out of amazing performances on the final day of majors 👏
The 2018 British Open champion finished with a 67 that put her 11 strokes under par.
A few more competitors had a chance to challenge the leaders, including Madelene Sagstrom and Lizette Salas. Sagstrom was at 12 under before a bogey on the 18th hole took her out of the lead entering the clubhouse. Salas had a birdie opportunity on the final hole but also ended up at 11 strokes under par.
What an unbelievably patient round from Lizette Salas. Boring pars and no bogeys. Just hangs around all day despite giving up quite a few yards to the other leaders. Awesome stuff.
It left a battle between the two 54-hole leaders for the championship, with Nordqvist eventually coming out on top.
Many of the top players in the world will now prepare for the Solheim Cup, a competition between the United States and Europe set to begin on Sept. 4.
Women’s British Open 2021: Mina Harigae, Georgia Hall Tied for Lead After Round 2
Aug 20, 2021
CARNOUSTIE, SCOTLAND - AUGUST 19: Mina Harigae of The United States on the 15th tee during the first round of the AIG Women's Open at Carnoustie Golf Links on August 19, 2021 in Carnoustie, Scotland. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
The Women's British Open leaderboard remains crowded after Round 2, with Mina Harigae and Georgia Hall currently sharing the lead at seven strokes under par.
Hall shot 69 on Friday at Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland to position herself well heading into the weekend. Harigae jumped from 11th place to into the tie for first after shooting 67.
The tournament is still far from settled, with 17 players at four strokes under par or better. It should keep things wide-open for the final major championship of the year.
There was a three-way tie after Round 1 between Sei Young Kim, Madelene Sagstrom and Nelly Korda after each shot 67 on Thursday. None were able to pull away in the second round after plenty of other players took advantage of good conditions.
Harigae pulled into a share of the lead thanks to seven birdies in the round. It puts the 31-year-old American in new territory at this stage of her career:
Harigae's career-best major finish is T13 (2020 @KPMGWomensPGA). Thru 14 events in 2021, she's recorded four top-10 finishes, including a season- & career-best T2 at the @MarathonLPGA. pic.twitter.com/Z7PQZec40N
Hall has more experience at this level with a win at the 2018 British Open, which could help the Englishwoman after carding a 68-69 in the first two rounds. California native Lizette Salas, who sits just one stroke off the lead, is the only other player to produce two rounds in the 60s.
Kim also fell into a tie for third after shooting 71 in the second round, including four bogeys.
Sagstrom is currently outside the top 10 thanks to two bogeys in the final three holes, although she remains in the hunt thanks to her iron play:
Thompson had a share of the lead at seven under before a pair of bogeys on No. 14 and No. 16 ruined her day. Maguire had no such trouble as a bogey-free round of 67 makes the Ireland native a legitimate contender to win it all.
Minjee Lee is also someone to watch after the Australian's round of 69, including a solid birdie on No. 18.
Looking for major title #2 this year 👀
After this approach on 18, @minjeegolf ended her day with a birdie putt to move within three.
Korda saw her first-round lead slip away after some struggles in Round 2, carding a one-over score of 73 in the round. The world No. 1 still shouldn't be counted out at four strokes under par for the tournament.
The Florida native already has one major this year and is well within reach of her second if she can get back on track in Round 3.
Based on the narrow margin in the standings, however, any mistakes could be the difference that decide the championship.
Women's British Open Golf 2021: Tee Times, Dates, TV Schedule, LPGA Prize Money
Aug 18, 2021
Nelly Korda, of the United States, watches her tee shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the women's golf event at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Kawagoe, Japan. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
The Women's British Open marks the fifth and final major women's tournament on the 2021 calendar, and with it, an incredible streak will be on the line. It's possible this could be the 10th straight major to produce a first-time major winner, as fresh names keep ending up at the top of the leaderboard.
Not only that, but the past 12 majors have each had a different winner. The only woman who wasn't a first-time major champion during that stretch was Jin Young Ko, who won the 2019 Evian Championship after she had previously been victorious at the ANA Inspiration earlier the same year.
The Women's British Open is set to begin Thursday at Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland. It will be the second time that the tournament has been held at the course and the first since 2011, when Yani Tseng became the only golfer to win the event in back-to-back years since it became a major on the LPGA Tour.
Here's everything else you need to know heading into this year's Women's British Open.
Tournament Information
Dates: Thursday, Aug. 19-Sunday, Aug. 22
TV: Round 1 (6 a.m.-1 p.m. ET, Golf Channel); Round 2 (6 a.m.-1 p.m. ET, Golf Channel); Round 3 (6 a.m.-1 p.m. ET, Golf Channel); Round 4 (7 a.m.-noon ET, Golf Channel; Noon-2 p.m. ET, NBC)
Tee Times: A full list of tee times can be found at LPGA.com
Prize Money: A $4.5 million purse, with $675,000 going to the winner
Preview
The first four women's majors winners of 2021 have been Patty Tavatanakit (ANA Inspiration), Yuka Saso (U.S. Women's Open), Nelly Korda (Women's PGA Championship) and Minjee Lee (Evian Championship). Perhaps one of them could win a second time and snap the run of first-time women's major winners.
If any of them are going to do it, Korda may have the best chance. She's currently ranked No. 1 in the world and is coming off an impressive performance at the Tokyo Olympics, where she won the gold medal for women's golf.
The 23-year-old has played in the Women's British Open four times, making the cut in each of the past three. Her best finish came in 2019, when she tied for ninth. And she's finished 19th or better in three of the four majors so far in 2021.
"With sports it's so different because you're constantly looking ahead for your next event," Korda said after winning gold in Tokyo, per Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press (h/t Yahoo Sports). "It never really gets to kind of sink in. ... But when I do look back, it's just crazy."
If the Women's British Open produces a 13th straight different major winner, it could be Lydia Ko. The 24-year-old has won two career majors, but none since she was victorious at the 2016 ANA Inspiration.
But Ko has been playing well of late. She tied for second at the Women's Scottish Open last weekend, after she won the bronze medal while representing New Zealand at the Olympics. Earlier this year, she finished second at the ANA Inspiration and tied for sixth at the Evian Championship.
However, Ko also knows Korda is going to be tough competition again this weekend.
"I'm sure she's going to have a great week," Ko said, per Ewan Murray of the Guardian. "Golf day-in and day-out can feel different but she's been playing so good and so consistently well, so I'm sure she's one of the names we'll be seeing. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw her around the top of the leaderboard."
There could also be a 10th straight first-time major winner this weekend. One name to watch may be Atthaya Thitikul, who finished fifth at the Evian Championship last month. The 18-year-old also tied for second at the Women's Scottish Open last weekend.
Last year, Sophia Popov won the Women's British Open for her first major championship. She hasn't fared as well in this year's majors, missing the cut twice and tying for 60th at the other two, so she'll need to play better to have a chance to repeat as champion.
Evian Championship 2021: Jeongeun Lee6 Takes 5-Shot Lead into Final Round
Jul 24, 2021
Jeongeun Lee6 from South Korea competes during the Amundi Evian Championship in the French Alps town of Evian-les-Bains, a major tournament on the women's calendar, on July 24, 2021. - South Korea's Lee6 Jeongeun equalled the lowest score ever in a major golf championship with a second round 61, but she still had a couple of Thai golfers snapping at her heels at the halfway stage of the Evian Championship on July 23. (Photo by PHILIPPE DESMAZES / AFP) (Photo by PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP via Getty Images)
South Korea's Jeongeun Lee6 will carry
a five-shot lead into the final round of the 2021 Evian Championship
after shooting a three-under 68 on Saturday at Evian Resort Golf Club
in France.
Lee6, who took firm control of the
tournament with a spectacular 61 on Friday, sits at 18 under as she
seeks her second major championship. She previously captured the 2019
U.S. Women's Open during her LPGA Rookie of the Year season.
Yealimi Noh (-13) represents her
closest competition, while two-time major champion Lydia Ko (-12)
holds third place after Saturday's third round.
Lee6 couldn't match her unblemished
card from the second round as she recorded three bogeys Saturday,
but she still finished in red numbers thanks to an eagle and four
birdies.
The eagle came on the par-four 11th, as
she found the cup from the fairway thanks to some perfect spin:
It marked the first eagle of the
tournament for the 25-year-old South Korean, who's also recorded 21
birdies, meaning she's birdied 38.9 percent of the 54 holes she's
played.
Noh, who held a share of the lead after
the first round, finished with a flurry Saturday as she posted
birdies on each of the final three holes to earn a berth in the final
group.
Update: @YealimiNoh finished at -13 after her third birdie in a row.
The 19-year-old American is targeting
her first career win after finishing third at the Dow Great Lakes Bay
Invitational in her last start, which was her best result of the
season.
Ko, the 2015 Evian champion, is no
stranger to coming from behind to win a major. She was two shots
behind in this event after the third round six years ago and trailed
by one shot in the 2016 ANA Inspiration before final-round
comebacks.
Coming back from six down will likely
require some mistakes from Lee6, though.
Minjee Lee, Brittany Altomare and Maria
Fassi tied for Saturday's best round at six-under 65.
Sunday's final round begins just before
7 a.m. in France (1 a.m. ET in the U.S.). The leaders will tee off at
11:50 a.m. (5:50 a.m. ET U.S.) with coverage on Golf Channel and
CNBC.
Evian Championship 2021: Tee Times, Dates, TV Schedule, LPGA Prize Money
Jul 21, 2021
Jin Young Ko, of South Korea, plays her shot from the first tee during the final round of the LPGA Volunteers of America Classic golf tournament in The Colony, Texas, Sunday, July 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Ray Carlin)
No single woman has been dominating major golf tournaments of late. In fact, the past 11 majors have been won by 11 different players. Will that streak continue at the Evian Championship this weekend?
The tournament, which is the fourth of the five majors on the women's golf calendar, is set to get underway Thursday at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France. It's the first time the event has been held since 2019, as it was the lone major to get canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Since the Evian Championship became a major in 2013, a different woman has won the tournament each of the seven times it's been held. Jin Young Ko won the tourney in 2019, marking her second victory at a major.
Here's everything else you need to know heading into the 2021 Evian Championship.
Tournament Information
Dates: Thursday, July 22-Sunday, July 25
TV: Round 1 (5-7 a.m. ET, 9:30-11:30 a.m. ET, Golf Channel); Round 2 (5-7 a.m. ET, 9:30-11:30 a.m. ET, Golf Channel); Round 3 (5:30-8:30 a.m. ET, Golf Channel; 8:30-11 a.m. ET, CNBC); Round 4 (5:30-8:30 a.m. ET, Golf Channel; 8:30-11 a.m. ET, CNBC)
Tee Times: A full list of tee times can be found at LPGA.com
Prize Money: A $4.5 million purse, with $675,000 going to the winner
Preview
It was only a matter of time before Nelly Korda broke through and notched her first career victory at a major tournament. She was having a tremendous year, which included a pair of LPGA Tour wins heading into the Women's PGA Championship last month.
That was where the 22-year-old earned her first major win. She had a strong performance at the Atlanta Athletic Club, finishing 19 under par and winning by three strokes.
Now, Korda will look to win a second consecutive major at the Evian Championship. However, she hasn't had the best results at the tournament in the past, never finishing better than 25th in her three appearances at the event.
But the Bradenton, Florida native has greatly improved her game since then, and she could be poised for another big victory.
If Korda can win this weekend, she'd end the streak of 11 consecutive majors with a different winner. That run started after Ko won the 2019 ANA Inspiration. The only time the South Korean has won over the past 11 major tournaments is when she was victorious as the 2019 Evian Championship.
Ko was struggling a bit earlier this summer, but she's entering this weekend with some momentum. Three weekends ago, the 26-year-old won the Volunteers of America Classic, marking her first LPGA Tour victory of the year.
That win came a week after Ko lost the No. 1 spot in the Women's World Golf Rankings, as she was passed by Korda. But if Ko goes on a roll, she could move back to the top soon.
Korda isn't the only woman who became a first-time major winner this year. Patty Tavatanakit won the ANA Inspiration, while Yuka Saso won the U.S. Women's Open. They'll also be looking to become the first woman to win two majors in the same year since Ko in 2019.
But if the streak of different major winners continues, it could be because of Hyo Joo Kim. The 26-year-old's lone major victory came at the 2014 Evian Championship, so she's had success at this tournament before. And she's played well of late, including tying for third in the Women's PGA Championship in June.
After the Evian Championship, there will be only one more major tournament on the schedule: the Women's British Open, which is scheduled for Aug. 19-22.
Women's PGA Championship 2021: Tee Times, Dates, TV Schedule, LPGA Prize Money
Jun 23, 2021
Inbee Park, of South Korea, plays her shot from the second tee during the third round of the U.S. Women's Open golf tournament at The Olympic Club, Saturday, June 5, 2021, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
Over the past five years, the Women's PGA Championship has produced four first-time major winners. That included the 2020 tournament, which was won by Sei Young Kim after being postponed to October due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This year, the event has returned to its typical June dates and gets underway Thursday at the Highlands Course at Atlanta Athletic Club. It's the third major tournament of 2021, after the first two each produced first-time major winners: Patty Tavatanakit (ANA Inspiration) and A Lim Kim (U.S. Women's Open).
Sei Young Kim will be looking to become the eighth woman to repeat as the winner of the Women's PGA Championship, which is being held at Atlanta Athletic Club for the first time. It hosted the U.S. Women's Open in 1991, although that was played on the Riverside Course.
Here's everything else you need to know heading into this year's tournament.
Tournament Information
Dates: Thursday, June 24-Sunday, June 27
TV: Round 1 (11 a.m.-3 p.m. ET, Golf Channel); Round 2 (11 a.m.-3 p.m. ET, Golf Channel); Round 3 (1-4 p.m. ET, NBC); Round 4 (3-6 p.m. ET, NBC)
Tee Times: A full list of tee times can be found at LPGA.com
Prize Money: A $4.5 million purse, with $675,000 going to the winner
Preview
Last year, Inbee Park nearly made history at the Women's PGA Championship. She's a three-time winner of the tournament (2013, 2014, 2015), a mark that has been reached by seven women. Of those seven, only one has won the tourney four times: Mickey Wright (1958, 1960, 1961, 1963).
The South Korean came close to joining Wright in 2020, finishing nine under par after an impressive four-day performance at Aronimink Golf Club. However, she ended up in second, five strokes back of Kim, to fall short of her fourth Women's PGA Championship title.
Now, Park will look to tie Wright's tournament record again this year. But the 32-year-old, who is a seven-time major winner, hasn't won a major tournament since the 2015 Women's British Open. She has 13 top-10 finishes at majors since then, though, including seventh-place showings at each of the first two majors of 2021.
Park has continued to play well of late, finishing in the top 10 at seven of the past nine tournaments she's played in, a stretch that began with her win at the Kia Classic in March.
The last 10 women's majors have been won by 10 different golfers, nine of whom had never previously been victorious at a major. If that streak continues, it could be because of Nelly Korda.
The 22-year-old has yet to win a major, but she's had some strong showings, such as when she tied for second at the 2020 ANA Inspiration and tied for third at the 2019 Women's PGA Championship. She enters this year's tournament with momentum, having won the Meijer LPGA Classic last weekend.
Korda is the only golfer with two LPGA Tour victories this season. Her sister, Jessica, has also never won a major but could be a contender this weekend, having finished in the top 10 at a major tournament seven times.
"It's so hard to win out here. You look at it week to week, the scores are so low," Jessica Korda said, per Ron Sirak of LPGA.com. "The battles, there's battles, it's not like it's a clear win ever. You've got to make the key putts, and obviously a sprinkle of luck always helps."
Another golfer to watch could be Yuka Saso, who will be playing in her first tournament since winning the U.S. Women's Open earlier this month. The 20-year-old has played in only four majors, and this will be her first appearance at the Women's PGA Championship.
