It’s another Major week, this time at Sahalee Country Club in Washington for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Not only will players be competing for a Major championship title and a winner’s cheque of $1.5m, it’s the last chance they will have to qualify for this summer’s Olympic Games.
The tournament is returning to Sahalee Country Club for the first time in eight years, coinciding with the championship’s 10th anniversary of the KPMG and PGA of America partnership. This alliance has significantly elevated the Major’s profile, including an increasing prize purse that has now reached $10 million.
In 2023, at the tender age of 20, Chinese sensation Ruoning Yin lifted the trophy and I’m not ruling her out this year, nor Brooke Henderson, who won the title when it was last played at Sahalee in 2016. Can Nelly Korda return to a winning streak? We’ll have to wait and see who will win the third Women's Major of the year, but here are my top picks.
Ally Ewing
This week’s KPMG Women’s Championship marks Ally Ewing’s 11th start of the 2024 season, and in her 10 previous events, she has missed no cuts and earned three top-15 finishes. Tied for the second round lead at last week’s Meijer LPGA Classic, which included a blistering bogey-free 9-under 63 in the second round, the 31-year-old American eventually finished 4th, missing out by one shot to join a three-way playoff for the title.
This is not the first time she’s held the lead in a Major. At the 2023 AIG Women’s Open, she fired a superb 66 on the Friday, the lowest round of the week, to earn a five-shot lead at the halfway stage. Earlier this month at the US Women’s Open, she achieved her best finish in a Major to date, tying 3rd, so she’s definitely one to watch.
Ruoning Yin
Ruoning Yin claimed her first Major title at the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, rolling in her fourth birdie of the final round on the par-5 18th to win by one shot from the 2024 US Women’s Open winner Yuka Saso. This victory along with half-a-dozen top 5 results led Yin to a brief spell as World No1.
The 21-year-old defending champion has had a fairly consistent season so far, and while she did retire from injury prior to the second round of the Mizhuho Americas Open, the World No. 4 was back in business a couple of weeks later at the US Women’s Open where she tied 12th. She is an incredible ball striker, so is likely to be less punished than others in the field on the tightly treelined Sahalee course.
Brooke Henderson
Canadian Brooke Henderson featured in my 5 picks to win the US Women’s Open. Unfortunately she didn’t make the cut and has not had the best season recently, but nevertheless I’m including her again.
One of the reasons is that she won her first Major in 2016 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship when it was last played at Sahalee. Aged just 18, she became the event’s youngest winner after beating Lydia Ko in a playoff, so although this was a good while ago, she’ll have fond memories of the course and confidence knowing that she has the playing ability to conquer it. Let’s also not forget that she has 15 top-10 finishes in 46 Major championship appearances including two victories. If she can find her A-game, she might well be lifting the trophy on Sunday.
Georgia Hall
England’s Georgia Hall had a quiet start to the season until last week, when she tied 12th at the Meijer LPGA Classic. In a recent interview with Golf Monthly recently, she mentioned this was a deliberate strategy, as she doesn’t want to peek too early, unlike last year. Hall is happy with her current game and just needs a few more putts to drop. Could this preparation pay off this week?
It might be a tall order, but if she manages to get her putter working combined with her precision iron play, when Hall is on song she’s as good as anyone. Last year, she made 19 cuts out of 22 events, secured 2 runner-up finishes and recorded 3 additional top-10 results, so she’ll definitely be knocking on the door.
Nelly Korda
I’ve been deliberating over my final pick. Lilia Vu won last week’s Meijer LPGA Classic, her first tournament in two months since returning to the tour following a back injury. Is this the start of a winning streak for the former World No.1 and standout player of 2023?
Perhaps it will be, as the two-time Major winner certainly has the game and mindset to succeed. However, I believe current World No.1 Nelly Korda is poised to bounce back this week after missing two consecutive cuts. Determined to win her second Major of the season, she’ll be focused and driven. If she can manage her expectations and stay in her zone, she stands a very good chance.
