Category: PGA

Photos: Take a look inside the sparkling new PGA of America home in Texas

The move from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, was certainly a bold one.

FRISCO, Texas — PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh stepped to a podium on Monday, looked back through massive windows at two sprawling golf courses behind him — one designed by architect Gil Hanse and the other by Beau Welling — then turned back toward the 500-or-so attentive guests invited to the opening of the organization’s breathtaking new home and smiled.

“Welcome to our field of dreams. Build it and they will come,” Waugh said in his typical wry style. “And in this case, it’s 500 of our closest friends in the future. It’ll be all 28,000 of our PGA professionals and millions of golfers that enjoy this, this land, and all the future players, You know, you realize that in most places that I’ve spent most of my life if we’d done this it might be a blurb in a sports page that we moved our home here.

“But we are in Frisco —  in Dallas — and it’s front page news. And it’s incredible what’s happened here. You know you’re on to something if (Dallas Cowboys owner) Jerry Jones is sitting in the back row. I certainly hope this doesn’t reflect on the time that I come to AT&T (Stadium) in the future where I might sit.”

The move from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, was certainly a bold one. PGA Frisco — which was born from an incentives package the organization couldn’t ignore — sprawls over 600 acres of former ranch land and has grown into a $550 million mixed-use project. The facility, which is just over 100,000 square feet, includes practice bays, indoor putting greens, conference rooms, and a massive foyer/conference area where Monday’s presentation took place.

Among those on hand for the ceremony were a number of Dallas Cowboys legends — Tony Dorsett, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Drew Pearson, Billy Joe DuPree and the aforementioned owner, Jerry Jones, as well as LPGA Hall of Famer Kathy Whitworth and former WNBA superstar Nancy Lieberman.

“I’ve been very lucky to work all over the country, but I really think that this project will be the epicenter of golf here, right here in Frisco, Texas,” said PGA of America president Jim Richerson. “That will do things to promote and bring people from different backgrounds into the game, that will do things to bring people from different backgrounds in the industry of golf that will utilize golf in a way to bring people together from the business world from the sports world, and from the golf world and a very unique way that’s never been done before.”

Here’s a look at the new facility, which will see 26 high-profile events over the next dozen years, including a pair of PGA Championships (2027 and 2034), the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in both 2025 and 2031, two KitchenAid Senior PGA Championships (2023 and 2029), a pair of National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship (2023 and 2024), and three PGA Professional Championships in 2024, 2030 and 2033.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Lexi Thompson hit with slow-play fine after gut-wrenching loss at KPMG Women’s PGA

A brutal Sunday at the KPMG Women’s PGA didn’t end for Lexi Thompson when the last putt dropped.

BETHESDA, Md. – A brutal Sunday at the KPMG Women’s PGA didn’t end for Lexi Thompson when the last putt dropped.

Coming off the last hole at Congressional Country Club, Thompson and Hye-Jin Choi were informed by LPGA officials that they’d been fined for slow play. Thompson’s father, Scott, confirmed to Golfweek that the fine was $2,000.

Thompson was playing in the final group alongside Choi and eventual winner In Gee Chun. The group was put on the clock with two holes remaining Sunday.

The last 30 minutes of coverage of Saturday’s round was bumped off of NBC to CNBC after the last group took 5 hours and 45 minutes to complete their round.

KPMG: Leaderboard | Photos | Money

Two-time PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas weighed in on Twitter when he heard the final group had been put on the clock.

Thompson squandered a two-stroke lead with three holes to play at Congressional, extending a victory drought that dates back to 2019. She finished one shot back of Chun in a share of second with Minjee Lee.

[vertical-gallery id=778279124]

Heartbreak for Lexi Thompson as In Gee Chun claims KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

Lexi Thompson closes with a 73 but In Gee Chun survives after going 75-75 over the weekend.

BETHESDA, Md. – In the shadow of the nation’s capital, the LPGA’s most tortured American star suffered heartbreak once more at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Eight years after Lexi Thompson won her first major, she fell just short of her second.

The golf world held its collective breath for a woman who has experienced more heartbreak inside the ropes than anyone in recent memory. Thompson hadn’t won in 50 starts on the LPGA, and her penchant for short missed putts – the kind of jab that looks like a kid next to a hot stove – haunted her down the stretch.

In Gee Chun opened with a course-record 64 at the KPMG Women’s PGA to storm out to a five-shot lead after the first round. By early Saturday, she was seven clear of the field.

But that near perfect play began to unravel late Saturday and Chun slept on – only – a three-stroke lead in pursuit of her third different major title. Chun became an LPGA member after winning the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open and then recorded the lowest 72-hole score in major championship history at the 2016 Amundi Evian Championship.

KPMG: Leaderboard | Photos

Shades of a runaway victory similar to Rory McIlroy’s at the 2011 U.S. Open covered Congressional until Sunday. Suddenly there was an anything-can-happen vibe with major champions Thompson, Hannah Green and Sei Young Kim within striking distance along with super rookies Hye-Jin Choi and Atthaya Thitikul.

Thompson struck fast, birdieing the first hole to cut the lead to two strokes and it wasn’t long before the American was in command as Chun came unraveled with a front-nine 40.

Thompson led by two with nine holes to play.

2022 KPMG Women's PGA Championship
Lexi Thompson plays her shot from the fifth tee during the final round of the 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports)

But the ghosts of short misses that have haunted her in pressure-packed moments came to visit on the back nine. A two-foot par putt on the 14th hole that never had a chance was the most egregious.

With Minjee Lee breathing down her back and the lead cut to one, Thompson poured in a statement birdie putt from just off the green on the 15th to push her lead to two with three to play.

A tournament that looked like the ending had been written at the halfway point suddenly had an endless supply of dramatic turns.

After a short miss for par on the 17th, Lee stuffed her approach on the 18th to post the clubhouse lead at 4 under.

Then Thompson made a mess of the par-5 16th, dropping four strokes with a series of miscues around the green to make bogey and fall into a tie with Chun at 5 under.

On the 18th, Thompson gave herself a birdie chance to tie Chun at 5 under, stuffing her approach to about 10 feet but Thompson didn’t hit a firm putt, leaving it short and right. She posted a final-round 73 to finish at 4 under.

Moments later, Chun had a four-footer for par for the championship and she made it to win her third different women’s major.

Chun shot 75-75 on the weekend yet pulled out the victory to break her 0-for-75 winless streak worldwide.

Thompson tied Lee for solo second, one shot back.

[listicle id=778058320]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Justin Thomas critical of officials putting final group on clock at KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

“Seems like a good read the room situation,” Thomas tweeted.

Justin Thomas was watching some major championship golf Sunday and didn’t like what he saw.

During the final round of the 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club outside of Washington, D.C., the final group of Lexi Thompson, In Gee Chun and Hye-Jin Choi were put on the clock with just two holes remaining.

Slow play has been a topic of discussion over the weekend at the women’s PGA, especially after the last group Saturday played in 5 hours and 45 minutes, causing the last half hour of coverage to be bumped off of NBC.

The two-time PGA champion admitted there’s a problem with slow play on Twitter, but also wanted officials to read the room, especially that late into a final round of a major.

KPMG: Leaderboard | Photos

[vertical-gallery id=778279124]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

In Gee Chun continues to crush the field at Congressional, leads by six at KPMG Women’s PGA

In Gee Chun is at 11 under and holds a six-shot lead over Lydia Ko and Jennifer Kupcho.

BETHESDA, Md. – In Gee Chun described her first round at historic Congressional as a near “perfect game.” She knew her opening 8-under 64, a course record on the renovated Blue Course, would be a tough act follow.

When asked if her second-round 69 at the KPMG Women’s PGA felt disappointing in comparison, Chun smiled broadly and said, “No, I think it’s still a great score.”

Who could argue?

Chun’s 11-under 133 total gives her a six-shot lead over Lydia Ko (67) and Jennifer Kupcho (68). Through two rounds she ranks tied for first in greens in regulation (31/36), tied for 15th in fairways (26/28) and second in putts per green in regulation.

After making four birdies with her 7-wood in the first round, she made three consecutive with her 9-wood early Friday. Both clubs are new to her bag this week, replacing her 4-hybrid and 3-hybrid. She got the idea after a scouting trip to Congressional a month ago.

“I used the 7-wood when I was really young,” she said. “I think at the beginning to start golf. I don’t know what age I stopped to use it, but I think almost more than 10 years. The 9-wood, it’s the first time to use.”

2022 KPMG Women's PGA Championship
In Gee Chun plays her shot from the tenth tee during the second round of the 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports)

Chun earned LPGA status by winning the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club. The following year, she sank a 10-foot par putt on the last hole of the Amundi Evian Championship to finish at 21 under, setting a record for the lowest 72-hole score in men’s and women’s major championship history.

While the feat gave her more confidence, it also created higher expectations.

“That’s how I got a lot of pressure from my golf,” she said. “I just wanted to make perfect and another perfect. … I don’t want to get more stressed, or I don’t want to try to make a perfect game on the course. I just want to enjoy my golf game. That’s the key. I believe it’s the key.”

Ko, a two-time major winner who has yet to win the Women’s PGA, is in the midst of four consecutive starts. She has finished in the top five in each of her last three, including a fifth-place at the U.S. Women’s Open. Keeping her focus over the weekend will be key, she said.

“I know that sometimes when you are fatigued, you could lose focus and then hit some mistakes that you normally wouldn’t if you were a bit more sharp,” she said. “I think being rested is also really important for the weekend.”

Kupcho comes into this week fresh off a playoff victory at the Meijer LPGA Classic. In April, she held a six-stroke lead going into the final round of the Chevron Championship and held on to make her first victory on the LPGA a major.

“I think just in general, being back is a lot better,” said Kupcho, “whether it’s with a lot of people or not. I think being behind and trying to catch up is better.

“I mean, I had the lead at Chevron by a few strokes, so I know how it feels to be in her position. Being behind is at least my preferred way.”

[vertical-gallery id=778279124]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Emma Talley finishes opening round without putter after ‘freak’ accident at KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

Thursday was already tough, but Emma Talley’s day got tougher after she damaged her putter.

BETHESDA, Md. – Emma Talley often hits her left foot with her putter. Not hard enough to break a toe. Just enough to let out a little steam, coupled with a “Gosh, dang it.”

On Thursday at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a day that was already tough by any standard on Congressional’s Blue Course, Talley’s got tougher when she struck her foot with the putter after a short missed putt on the sixth hole and damaged her club.

“It was a freak accident,” said Talley, who said the club had probably weakened over time. While Rule 4.1a(2) says that regardless of the nature of what caused the damage, the damaged club can be treated as conforming for the rest of the round, Talley instead pulled out her 58-degree wedge to replace her putter.

KPMG Women’s PGA: Leaderboard | Photos

The former U.S. Women’s Amateur and NCAA champion played her last four holes in 3 over, finishing at 6-over 78. The tears flowed during and after the round. Talley said she felt both frustrated and embarrassed.

“Obviously you want to shed light when you’re out here,” said Talley. “If they didn’t see what happened, they’d probably think I snapped it over my leg.”

That was far from the case.

In Gee Chun leads after a sensational 8-under 64. On Friday, the field will be cut to top 60 and ties.

[vertical-gallery id=778279124]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Photos: KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club

The club, which was established in 1924, is hosting its first women’s professional major.

The third major of the LPGA’s 2022 season is the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at historic Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.

The club, which was established in 1924, has hosted several men’s majors but this will be the first women’s professional major there.

Originally designed by Deveneau Emmet, the course hosted the 1949 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 1959 U.S. Women’s Amateur, the 1964 U.S. Open, the 1976 PGA Championship, the 1995 U.S. Senior Open and the 2011 U.S. Open, which was won by Rory McIlroy.

Just ahead of the KPMG, the PGA of America, KPMG and the LPGA announced a big bump in the purse for the 2022 tournament, doubling it to $9 million.

Take a look at some of the best photos of the week.

PGA of America sells major-championship site Valhalla Golf Club to Louisville investors

Several Valhalla members form investment group to buy Valhalla, past site of majors and a Ryder Cup as well as the 2024 PGA.

Valhalla Golf Club has been sold by the PGA of America to a group of Louisville investors who want to “continue to bring major championships” to Kentucky, according to new co-owner Jimmy Kirchdorfer.

“Valhalla, for a 36-year-old club, has amazing history,” said Kirchdorfer, an executive with ISCO Industries. “It’s already hosted a Ryder Cup and three major championships. We just saw it as important that this is returned to local ownership. That way, we can control. We know people are going to operate in the best interest of the community.”

Kirchdorfer is a Valhalla board member who joined the club in 2004 and has previously worked with the PGA on events that have been held at the course. Three other well-known local executives joined him in the purchase: former Yum! Brands CEO David Novak, Musselman Hotels President Chester Musselman and Junior Bridgeman, a former University of Louisville basketball player who built an entrepreneurial empire following a 12-year run in the NBA.

The PGA, which bought the course from founder Dwight Gahm in 2000, confirmed the sale in a Wednesday press release, and Valhalla members were informed in an email from Keith Reese, the club’s general manager. The sale is effective immediately, according to Kirchdorfer, who did not disclose the cost of the course.

Paul Azinger
USA captain Paul Azinger is sprayed with champagne after defeating the Europeans on Day 3 of the 37th Ryder Cup at the Valhalla Golf Club in 2008. (Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports)

“Valhalla Golf Club has proven itself to be a wonderful test of championship golf, one that is as fair as it is challenging for the top golfers in the world,” PGA of America President Jim Richerson wrote in the release. “We look forward to partnering with the new ownership group on a highly anticipated 2024 PGA Championship and working with the new owners to continue to have it as one of our championship sites.”

Valhalla, which stands on nearly 500 acres in eastern Jefferson County, is “an icon in the community,” Kirchdorfer said. It had been the only private club owned and operated by the PGA, and it was ranked by Golfweek’s Best as the No. 1 private course in the state. It ties for No. 74 on Golfweek’s Best 2022 ranking of Modern Courses in the U.S.

The course was designed by golf legend Jack Nicklaus ahead of its opening in 1986 and has hosted three PGA Championship tournaments, including a famed victory by Tiger Woods in 2000. It was home to the Ryder Cup in 2008, bringing stars of the sport from around the world to Louisville, and is set to host the PGA Championship again in 2024.

The 2024 event, which tournament officials say could pump $100 million into the local economy, will not be affected by the sale.

Kirchdorfer, a longtime golf advocate, said he got to work forming a group to bid on Valhalla after members were informed in November that the PGA had been approached by a potential buyer and would entertain other offers. All four buyers are longtime members of the club.

Tiger Woods 2000 PGA
Tiger Woods celebrates making a birdie putt on the 18th hole to force a playoff at the 2000 PGA Championship at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. (Donald Miralle/Allsport)

Valhalla’s status brings value to the community, he said, which the ownership group took into consideration. And while some club members expressed concerns over potential redevelopment when it hit the market last year, Kirchdorfer said the 18-hole course isn’t going anywhere.

Instead, the ownership group will work to highlight “Kentucky hospitality,” he said, and “build upon the great tradition and culture that’s already there.” So, concerned club members and others in the Louisville golf community have got that going for them, which is nice.

“Valhalla’s the crown jewel of Kentucky golf, and we wanted it locally owned like it was with the Gahm family,” Kirchdorfer said. “The Gahm family had an amazing vision and took a big risk when they took a farm and hired Jack Nicklaus to build a golf course with the hopes of bringing major championship golf to this community – and they succeeded, which a lot of people don’t.

“We just wanted to make sure that the next owners had the same mission of doing what’s best for Valhalla and the community of Louisville.”

The new owners have plenty of work to do in the next two years ahead of the 2024 PGA Championship, set for May 16-19 that year. The group plans to invest in the property to ensure it’s a “reflection of our community,” Kirchdorfer said.

An impressive turn at that 2024 tournament can send a message to the PGA – which works to promote the game with more than 28,000 members – that Louisville is a capable host for the sport’s biggest moments, according to Kirchdorfer, who previously served as vice chair of a Louisville PGA Championship.

“When we show how much this community will support the ’24 championship, we’re confident they’ll continue to bring more championships,” he said.

[listicle id=778269723]

Former PGA of America President Pat Rielly, who was in office during Shoal Creek controversy, dies at 87

Former PGA of America President Pat Rielly was in office during the Shoal Creek incident in 1990.

Former PGA of America President Pat Rielly, who was in office during the Shoal Creek incident, died on Wednesday. He was 87.

A former lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps, Rielly went on to captain the Penn State golf team and receive his business degree. After moving to California, he served on the Southern California PGA Section Board of Directors for 11 consecutive years, and also became the Section’s president. The Section honored Rielly three times as its Professional of the Year, and Association’s president from 1989-90.

“The PGA of America mourns the passing of our 26th President Pat Rielly. As a former Marine, Pat knew all about excellence in leadership, and he proved that time and time again through his various roles in our Association,” current PGA President Jim Richerson said. “Pat helped lead the charge for golf in requiring all future PGA of America Championship venues to have open membership policies, a decision the rest of the sport followed shortly thereafter. Pat also led by example in his efforts to help position PGA professionals as business leaders and to place the best interests of the PGA professional at the center of all important decisions. We extend our sympathies to Pat’s wife, Sue, and children Suzie, Mike, Maggie and Rick.”

Rielly was thrust into the center of controversy in 1990 during his presidency when Shoal Creek founder Hall Thompson touched off a national debate in 1990 with his remarks about the private club in Alabama’s no-Blacks-allowed membership practices. In the face of TV sponsor boycotts and threatened picketing by civil rights groups, Rielly arranged contingency plans to move the Championship elsewhere.

“Shoal Creek was easy for me,” Rielly told Golfweek in 2015. “I knew what I was going to do. If they didn’t do what they did, we weren’t going to be there. The game is bigger than the PGA. The game is everything.”

The club relented the week before the tournament and extended honorary membership to a Black Birmingham, Alabama, businessman, Louis J. Willie. As a result, professional golf changed its rules regarding clubs with exclusionary practices.

Rielly, whose father was a boxer and once fought middleweight champion Billy Conn, was raised in Sharon, Pennsylvania, where he was introduced to the game shagging balls at nearby Sharon Country Club.

“I made about a dollar a day, but that was a dollar more than any other 11-year-old in Sharon was making,” Rielly told the Los Angeles Times. “When I got big enough, I started to caddie, but they only made $1.25 for a round and 10 cents of that went to the caddie master.”

By age 15, he became the caddie master, and became a standout junior golfer through osmosis.

“The pro (at Sharon CC) was an old Scotsman, George Swankee, and I watched him teach day after day and I guess I was an imitator because when I started to play, the game came easy for me,” Rielly said. “I seemed to have learned my swing from watching him.”

In high school he lettered not only in golf but in football and basketball and later was inducted into his school’s Hall of Fame.

He graduated in 1958 from Penn State with degrees in business and labor management and joined the Marine Corps for four years. Next, Rielly took a job as an assistant in the pro shop at the Circle R Ranch course in Escondido, California.

“While I was there, I tried to find a sponsor so I could play on the tour,” he said. “I felt I could make it out there, but later that year when I got the head professional’s job at El Camino Country Club in Oceanside, I changed my thinking.

“I knew I could play, but I also knew I was no Arnold Palmer. I had a wife and three kids (at the time) and the economics of the thing told me to stay at El Camino. To this day, I have no regrets. I have been comfortable as a golf professional, rather than as a professional golfer, and I’ve received enough recognition for my game to satisfy my ego.”

Rielly joined the PGA in 1966.

“It wasn’t long before I realized that I wasn’t pleased with the plight of the club professional,” he explained to the Los Angeles Times in 1988. “I decided the way to do something about it was to get to work and make my presence known.”

Rielly moved to Annandale Country Club in Pasadena in 1972, and remained a proud member of the PGA even in retirement.

“For as much as the game has changed, the PGA professional is by and large the same they were 100 years ago. They are teachers, players, and they are dedicated to the game of golf. They follow the rules, enforce the rules and do the best they can. Some are better than others,” he told Golfweek in 2015. “We still have the same passion. We still have the same dedication to the game. It is the PGA golf professional that grows the game. It’s not some fancy program with a motto. It has to do with their dedication and motivation and what they have in their heart. And what they have in their heart, they have in their mind. It hasn’t changed. The organization is bigger in terms of PGA and Ryder Cup and events it puts on. But the rank-and-file member hasn’t changed. They are the same. I feel great about the rank-and-file member.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Is this golf hotbed a possible World Golf Hall of Fame landing spot?

It’s been widely speculated since PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan was lukewarm on the facility. 

Will the World Golf Hall of Fame move from its current location in St. Augustine, Florida, when the current lease runs out in 2023?

That’s been widely speculated since PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan was lukewarm in his public address at The Players Championship about the facility.

Florida Times-Union columnist Gene Frenette hopes if there is a shift, it means moving trucks will simply head south down I-95.

If the WGHOF moves after a quarter-century in St. John’s County, one logical destination could be a place that deserves consideration as the golf capital of the world – Palm Beach County.

Just Jupiter alone is home to five of the world’s top-10 golfers — Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa — as well as four-time major champion Brooks Koepka. Oh, yeah, and Jupiter Island is where the 757th-ranked player in the world, Tiger Woods, has a residence.

Click here to see more from Frenette.

Back when it opened in May 1998, it would’ve been unimaginable to think that the Hall could fail.

With a brand-new interchange off Interstate 95 and a location 20 miles south of Jacksonville, one million visitors were projected to pull off and attend the Hall and IMAX Theater, the 400,000 square feet of shops anchored by a 32,000-square-foot golf shop, golf-themed restaurants and two championship courses that would host a PGA Tour Champions event and episodes of Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf.

LPGA Hall of Fame member Pat Bradley, who attended the first induction when Nick Faldo and Miller joined the exclusive membership, summed up what it meant to have a place where the greats of the game were celebrated: “It’s thrilling to know that long after I’ve left this world, people can gather and see the history of golf in this facility.”

[vertical-gallery id=778253806]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]