SAMMAMISH, Wash. (KeynoteUSA) — Inside her measurement book, Nelly Korda keeps the markings simple. The number one player in the world indicates the points she must avoid by writing X.
At Sahalee Country Club, with Douglas fir, red cedar and hemlock framing each fairway and making each look like a walkway, there are likely to be a substantial number of those X marks outside the short grass.
“I think every hole looks a little different. “They are all intimidating and cool in their own way,” Korda said.
Korda is the headliner again this week when the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship begins Thursday at Sahalee, the third major of the year on the LPGA Tour.
But she arrived in the Seattle area in a different place with her game than just a few weeks ago, when she entered the U.S. Women’s Open having won six of her previous seven starts, including a major at the Chevron Championship. At the time, no player in the world was on a better streak than Korda and adding another major seemed likely, if not probable.
That didn’t happen. Korda missed the cut at Lancaster Country Club after an opening round of 80 that included a 10 on his third hole and watched Yuka Saso win the championship for the second time. When he returned last week at the Meijer LPGA Classic, Korda battled to a first-round 76 before shooting a second-round 67, but sat out the weekend by one shot.
“I’m just going to stay in my bubble this week and go out there and try to execute my shots, being confident in what I have,” Korda said. “This golf course is already tough enough and if I’m going to put more pressure on myself, I think it’s going to make it even tougher this week.”
Sahalee is the first course to host the tournament twice since the partnership between the PGA of America and the LPGA began a decade ago and boosted the prominence and revenue of this major championship. This year’s tournament has a record haul of $10.4 million.
The course measures just over 6,700 yards and water comes into play on only a handful of holes. It will be played on a par 72, one stroke more than in 2016, as the 18th was converted to a par 5. Players have noted that the greens appear softer than in 2016, although temperatures are supposed to reach 80 degrees during the first two rounds and Dry the putting surfaces.
But the favorite word of the week to describe the course seems to be “intimidating,” because of the tree-lined tunnels where the shots will come from.
“It’s very tight for the tee shot. I think it’s a classic ball-hitting course,” said defending champion Ruoning Yin, who won last year at Baltusrol.
One player who showed she can successfully maneuver through the trees is Brooke Henderson, who won the first of two career majors in 2016 at Sahalee, beating Lydia Ko in a playoff.
At 18, Henderson was the youngest winner in the event’s history. He shot a final-round 65 to get into the playoffs and birdied the first extra hole with a 7-iron from 155 yards to within a couple of feet. The course unveiled a plaque this week at the spot on 18th fairway where Henderson made that shot.
A cool new addition at Sahalee is this plaque on the left side of the 18th fairway commemorating Brooke Henderson’s shot in the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA playoff that led to her winning birdie putt. pic.twitter.com/NoFuGPc5PT
— Tim’s Booth (@ByTimBooth) June 19, 2024
The memories are still fresh and came flooding back as Henderson, now 26th and 13th in the world rankings, toured the course.
“I love the huge towering trees and the narrow streets. It’s almost majestic. It feels very calm and amazing,” Henderson said.
At the same time, she remembered how claustrophobic Sahalee can feel and the importance of simply hitting the ball straight. Do that and the place will feel absolutely serene.
“You have to pay close attention to each tee shot. I can never really catch a break here. Even on approach shots you have to know where the slopes are and where your misses are,” Henderson said. “But at the same time, if you’re playing well and can lean into the beauty around you and soak in it, it’s going to be a really nice walk around this place.”
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