EVENTS
The top 100 women golfers set to compete at the 2018 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
KILDEER, Ill. – Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn, who sits atop the LPGA Official Money List, World No. 1-ranked and three-time Champion Inbee Park, and Defending Champion Danielle Kang lead what is again the strongest and deepest field in women’s golf at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, to be played June 26-July 1, at Kemper Lakes Golf Club in Kildeer, Illinois.
View the full KPMG Women's PGA Championship field
For the third time in as many years, each of the top 100 players on the LPGA Official Money List are included in the 156-player field, which also features 29 major champions.
The 22-year-old Jutanugarn won the U.S. Women’s Open earlier this month to notch her ninth career LPGA victory and second this season. Jutanugarn will be making her fourth appearance in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, with her best performance a third-place finish in 2016.
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Park, who hails from the Republic of Korea, already owns three KPMG Women’s PGA Championship titles (2013, ‘14, ’15) among her seven career major-championship victories. She will be joined by nine other past Women’s PGA Champions in the field at Kemper Lakes: Laura Davies (1994, 1996); Shanshan Feng (2012); Brooke Henderson (2016); Juli Inkster (1999, 2000); Kang (2017); Cristie Kerr (2010); Anna Nordqvist (2009); Yani Tseng (2008, 2011); and Karrie Webb (2001).
With her victory last year at Olympia Fields, Kang became the first American to lift the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Trophy since Cristie Kerr in 2010. She did so in dramatic fashion, becoming the first player to birdie the 72nd and final hole to win the Championship by a single stroke since Meg Mallon in 1991.
The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship features a $3.65 million purse, among the richest in women’s golf. The Championship is operated by the PGA of America in partnership with the LPGA.
The 29 Major Champions in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship field have combined for 62 major titles: In Gee Chun (2); Paula Creamer (1); Laura Davies (4); Shanshan Feng (1); Brooke Henderson (1); Juli Inkster (7); Eun-Hee Ji (1); Ariya Jutanugarn (2); Danielle Kang (1); Cristie Kerr (2); Hyo Joo Kim (1); In-Kyung Kim (1); Lydia Ko (2); Brittany Lang (1); Stacy Lewis (2); Brittany Lincicome (2); Pernilla Lindberg (1); Mo Martin (1); Catriona Matthew (1); Anna Nordqvist (2); Inbee Park (7); Sung Hyun Park (1); Morgan Pressel (1); So Yeon Ryu (2); Lexi Thompson (1); Yani Tseng (5); Karrie Webb (7); Michelle Wie (1); and Sun Young Yoo (1).
PGA/LPGA CLUB PROFESSIONALS
LPGA Professional Wendy Doolan of Fairfield, Ohio, winner of last year’s LPGA Teaching & Club Professionals National Championship, leads an eight-member contingent of LPGA/PGA Professionals in the field.
The group also includes PGA of America Members Joanna Coe of Baltimore, Maryland, runner-up in the LPGA T&CP National Championship; Heather Angell of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Ashley Grier of Springfield, Pennsylvania; and Dr. Alison Curdt of Reseda, California. Grier is competing in her third major and first since the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open.
Curdt celebrated her debut last week in the PGA Professional Championship by tying for 71st and becoming the third woman PGA Member to complete 72 holes in the Championship. She will be making her fifth KPMG Women’s PGA Championship appearance in the past six years.
Rounding out the LPGA Teaching & Club Professionals contingent is reigning PGA Women’s Stroke Play Champion Lisa Grimes of Alexandria, Minnesota, making her 10th Championship appearance; Jean Bartholomew of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, who will make her seventh start; and Charlotta Sörenstam of North Port, Florida.
At closer glance, the profiles of PGA/LPGA Teaching & Club Professionals in the Championship:
Broadcast Schedule
The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is broadcast in partnership with NBC and Golf Channel. Golf Channel will televise the first two rounds Thursday, June 28, and Friday, June 29, from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET. NBC coverage of the final two rounds is Saturday, June 30, and Sunday, July 1, from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. ET.
The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship — a collaboration of the PGA of America, KPMG and the LPGA Tour — continues the rich tradition of the LPGA Championship. Broadcast in partnership with NBC and Golf Channel, the event combines an annual major golf championship with the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit and an ongoing charitable initiative – all focused on the development, advancement, and empowerment of women on and off the golf course.
For more information about the PGA of America, visit PGAMediaCenter.com, follow @PGA on Twitter and find us on Facebook.
For more information about KPMG, visit www.KPMG.com/WomensLeadership and follow @KPMGInspire and @KPMGGolf on Twitter and Instagram.
For more information about the LPGA, visit LPGA.com, follow @LPGA on Twitter or find the organization on Facebook