The LPGA tour hits the meat from its calendar with three major championships that take place in the next six weeks, starting with the KPMG PGA female championship, which ends Thursday at Fields Ranch East in PGA Frisco in Frisco, Texas.
Amy Yang in South Korea is the reigning champion.
This is the last major championship that will be played in the United States this season. The Amundi Evian championship will be played in France on July 10 to 13, followed by the Aig Women’s Open in Wales on July 31. 3 and 3
Here are some of the scenarios to watch in Frisco this week:
Can Nelly put an end to her drought without a victory?
A year ago, the Golfer No. 1 in the world Nelly Korda had already won six times before the KPMG PGA women’s championship, including his second major victory in the Chevron championship. She won seven victories in 2024 after finishing first in Annika in November.
This season, she is still looking for her first victory. She did not play badly, finishing in the top 10 in four of her nine starts and equaling second place in the open women of the last US in Erin Hills in Wisconsin.
“Yeah, it’s golf course,” Korda said. “Each year is so different. Last year entering this event, I had [six] victories. I think even Hannah Green has also won several victories to his credit.
“It’s just golf. You just have to set up the wave, and the competition improves more and more every year. To win once, winning twice is really good.”
There was no repeated winner in 15 LPGA tour events this season, and Mao Siago in Japan and Maja Stark in Sweden were respectively major major champions at the Chevron Championship and US Women’s Open.
Korda was in the mixture of US Women’s Open until the end, finishing 5 to 283, two strokes behind Stark. Korda led the field in lines won: outside the tee (+1.82) and was fifth in approach (+1.67) but it was 52nd in put (-.42).
“I think it makes you more hungry,” said Korda. “For me, I hate making mistakes; Obviously, I like to win. You cannot win often, but there is nothing like being in the running, so I think that is a bit of what makes me come back more hungry and to work harder and put myself in this position.
“In the end, I put myself in this position. I was still in the running and I felt the rush towards adrenaline on 18, trying to win a major championship. This is the reason why I play this game, and I love it so much.”
Thitikul Esweling World No. 1
While Korda has not yet finished this season yet, the world n ° 2 Jeeno Thitikul has already won the victories on the European ladies tower (Pif Sadi Ladies International on February 15) and the LPGA Tour (Mizuho Americas Open on May 11).
The 22 -year -old will try to win her first major championship this week. If Thitikul does it, she will still get closer to Korda as a world Golfer No. 1. Thitikul, from Thailand, was the recruit of the year of the LPGA 2022 and was briefly classified n ° 1 in the world of the season.
His best finish in an adult was solo fourth at the Women’s Championship of the PGA 2022 at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.
“I never thought that I was going to reach the number 1 in the world when I was 19,” said Thitikul. “But now n ° 2 in the world, I always feel the same thing that I put the work [in] Because I feel like [no matter what number I am]My work is the same. “”
Thitikul, who lives in the Dallas region, leads the LPGA in the brain vascular accidents won: total (2.70) and is second on average of score (69.1).
She has six top-10 in 10 starts and has missed only one cup, which is a great reason why she runs the points race of the LPGA season.
“Each adult I just want to cut, to be honest,” said Thitikul. “It would be really great to win it, and I can certainly say that it would be as if everyone has won a major. For me, what I have now to my credit. I am quite happy with everything I have accomplished. If I can get it, it would be great, but otherwise, I have nothing to regret.”
New place for the PGA female championship
This is the first time that the best female golfers in the world have participated in Fields Ranch East in PGA Frisco, one of the two courses of the PGA of America’s New Home.
The course hosted the PGA Senior Kitchenaid 2023 championship in May 2023, and Steve Stricker beat Padraig Harrington in the playoffs with a total of 72 holes of 18-270.
The course, designed by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, will host the PGA women’s championship in 2025 and 2031, and the PGA male championship in 2027 and 2034.
“I feel like this kind of golf course, it is a lot of dictated at what time of the year you play,” said the triple major champion Lydia Ko. “It is not yet firm and fast, and I think there can be a little rain in the forecasts. So, I think that the course will probably play much longer than perhaps senior men played it a few years ago.”
He thinks he is hot and dry after Thursday’s opening tour. Weather forecasts require summits in the middle and mid -90s with southern winds from 10 to 18 mph.
“I think everything is playing quite difficult depending on the wind,” said Korda. “All by 5 are about three -stroke holes for me, so just by composing. The holes under the wind, I think I will probably play hardly just because it is quite difficult to keep green. If you hit it a little with these soft bermudes, it’s just, so you can’t play for a period.”
Chase Annika
At just 28 years old, Ko is already the youngest member of the LPGA renown temple. She is a winner at 23 times at the LPGA Tour, a winner of 38 times in the world and the Olympic gold medalist in female golf.
With another victory or two, Ko could also spend 10 times major champion Annika Sorenstam in career gains during the LPGA tour. Sorenstam won a huge 72 times and won around $ 22.6 million before retiring after the 2008 season.
“In [a way]It’s unfair because she has won 70 times, “said Ko.” I am proud of my 23 years, and I hope to have a few others when I finish. We play just at a very different time. “”
Ko has already won about $ 20.8 million since his pro return in 2013.
“I think I said several times in female golf course and female sports in general, we are only so high,” said KO. “I think it’s very lucky in this generation of being able to mount it.
“I am very lucky to be born at that time, so it is a bit difficult to be even compared to Annika, who did much more than me. I think that is our duty as players, or simply all the organization, to be able to develop and give more opportunities for future generations and children who come out here to watch us play.”
Happy for the Spaun
It was a whirlwind of a few weeks for Stark since she held Korda and others in Erin Hills to win the greatest victory in her career. The former Oklahoma State golfer is now ranked sixth in the world.
She took last week to let the gravity sink. Stark said she hadn’t cried after winning, but she shed tears when JJ Spaun captured her first major with a 64½ feet putt on the 72nd US Open hole at the Oakmont Country Club outside Pittsburgh on Sunday.
“I cried after JJ Spaun won because I was so excited for him,” said Stark. “Just like when you see the reaction and how happy he was, hearing, he almost resigned last year and just as he was crying, ending with two birdies and ending in this way, it was simply crazy.
“Seeing her children, you know, hugs him. It just makes me emotional for anyone. I’m just like a little crybaby.”
