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.
Two-time PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas weighed in on Twitter when he heard the final group had been put on the clock.
I’m all for helping slow play, but putting those ladies on the clock with 2 holes left trying to win a major seems like a good read the room situation and don’t put them 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.
Lee’s 1-2 finish at the last two majors has earned her $2,518,827 in those two events alone.
The 2022 KPMG was staged at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, marking the first time a professional women’s event has been held at the historic Blue Course.
“Through the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, we are accelerating the advancement, development and empowerment of women both on and off the golf course,” Paul Knopp, KPMG U.S. Chair and CEO, previously said in a statement.
“The significantly increased purse size – along with top courses in major markets, network TV coverage, and advanced data and analytics capabilities provided via KPMG Performance Insights – are tangible examples of our commitment to elevate the world-class athletes on the LPGA Tour.”
“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.
I’m all for helping slow play, but putting those ladies on the clock with 2 holes left trying to win a major seems like a good read the room situation and don’t put them on the clock 🤷🏽♂️
Thompson hasn’t won on the LPGA in her last 50 starts and hasn’t claimed a major title since 2014.
BETHESDA, Md. – In Gee Chun’s major romp at the KPMG Women’s PGA hit a speedbump when she was forced to take an unplayable on the par-5 16th that resulted in a double-bogey seven. After Chun’s lead swelled to seven on a blistering day outside the nation’s capital, she closed with only a three-shot advantage after a third-round 75 on Congressional’s Blue Course.
“If it’s going to be too easy, then I feel it is boring,” said Chun with that delightful smile.
Lexi Thompson, Sei Young Kim, who won this event in 2020, and Hye-Jin Choi share second at 5-under 211. Only two players – Jenny Shin (69) and Atthaya Thitikul (68) – broke 70 on a day when the scoring average was 73.59. The final group took 5 hours and 45 minutes to play.
“I found like they’ve put a few tricky pins out there,” said Hannah Green, the 2019 KPMG champ who trails by four. “You can’t really be too aggressive with the pins that they’ve put. If you go for it and it doesn’t work your way, you can easily make a bogey or a double.”
In Gee Chun of South Korea and her caddie Dean Herden look for her golf ball behind the 16th green during the third round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club on June 25, 2022, in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Chun, a two-time major champion who led by six after 36 holes, opened with a course-record 64 to take the early command at the first women’s professional event ever held at Congressional. After making it look so easy the first two rounds, Chun was pleased to make par on the last two holes.
“I’m so proud of myself because I hang in there after I had double bogey on 16,” said Chun.
Lexi Thompson of the United States signs her autograph for fans on the 18th green during the third round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club on June 25, 2022, in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Thompson hasn’t won on the LPGA in her last 50 starts and hasn’t claimed a major title since 2014, though she has come painfully close on several occasions. She’s playing with a renewed perspective since the loss of her grandmother, Mimi, in late May. She’s also playing inspired.
“She was my No. 1 supporter,” said Thompson. “It gives me the drive to be out here and do it for her.”
Thompson will be in the final group alongside Chun and Choi, a 22-year-old LPGA rookie who finished runner-up at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open as an amateur. She finished third at this year’s Women’s Open at Pine Needles.
Choi has veteran caddie Pete Godfrey on the bag, husband of longtime LPGA player Jane Park. Their daughter Grace began suffering seizures last summer that led to brain damage. More than $120,000 has been raised on a GoFundMe account as Park has stepped away from the tour to care for Grace.
The LPGA community can certainly come together like a family at times. This weekend, Chun and Kim, who are neighbors in Irving, Texas, will battle it out for another major title.
Kim was the first to move to the Los Colinas community, where the LPGA used to hold the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout. Chun bought the house next door to Kim in 2020 and Minjee Lee, winner of the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open, has a home there as well. Together, they have five majors between them.
Chun enjoys cooking dinner for her friends. Kim particularly enjoys her macaroni and cheese with tuna. Chun says she’s looking to up her game, though.
“I like to cook different type of rice with all the veggies or meat,” she said, “but recently I’m trying to find how I better cook for steak with all the different seasonings or oil.”
This year’s event is being contested June 23-26 at Congressional Country Club’s newly restored Blue Course, marking the first women’s professional event ever held at the venue. Following her opening-round 64 with a 69 on Friday, In Gee Chun leads the tournament after 36 holes.
On Saturday, the individual breakdown of the purse was unveiled. The winner will take home $1.3 million, but the runner-up will also pocket over $800,000.
Here’s a look at the top 10:
Prize money breakdown for the top 10 at the @KPMGWomensPGA, where the purse is $9 million: 1. $1,350,000 2. $833,214 3. $604,438 4. $467,580 5. $376,350 6. $307,921 7. $257,742 8. $225,812 9. $203,002 10. $184,752
“Through the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, we are accelerating the advancement, development and empowerment of women both on and off the golf course,” Paul Knopp, KPMG U.S. Chair and CEO. previously said in a statement.
“The significantly increased purse size – along with top courses in major markets, network TV coverage, and advanced data and analytics capabilities provided via KPMG Performance Insights – are tangible examples of our commitment to elevate the world-class athletes on the LPGA Tour.”
The LPGA was in grave peril when Lewis joined more than a dozen years ago. There were 23 events on the schedule.
BETHESDA, Md. – Cristie Kerr calls Congressional’s renovated Blue Course one of the best she’s ever played. As LPGA players drive courtesy Cadillacs this week, dine in a gargantuan clubhouse – complete with sugar cookies shaped like the Washington Monument – and compete for a $9 million purse, double last year’s at the KPMG Women’s PGA, Stacy Lewis has a message: “In our history of the LPGA, this is far from normal.”
The LPGA was in grave peril when Lewis joined more than a dozen years ago. There were 23 events on the schedule, and nearly half of them were overseas.
“This current group of players, I don’t think they quite realize how lucky we are with the opportunities that we have,” said Lewis. “I mean, they have come to expect them over the last four or five years, that this setup this week is normal.”
Stacy Lewis makes a notation on the 11th fairway during the practice round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club on June 22, 2022 in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Katherine Kirk, one of only a handful of players over 40 who competes regularly on the LPGA, worries about an “entitlement attitude” permeating the tour. She looks back on what the LPGA founders did themselves in the 1950s to get this tour off the ground – promotions, course setup, rulings, marketing – and holds a deep appreciation.
“In comparison to that, we have it easy,” she said. “We just rock up to tournaments.”
On the eve of the 50th anniversary of Title IX, LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan said the total purse on the LPGA in 1972 was $972,000. This week’s winner will earn $1,350,000.
“Pretty remarkable growth,” said Marcoux Samaan. “And even in 2021, I think our purses were just over $70 million, and now, to be in 2022 over $97 million is really great.”
Of course, money is the talk of the game right now. As a field of 156 women celebrate the second-biggest purse in tour history this week, PGA Tour stars are leaving their already lucrative tour for mind-blowing amounts of guaranteed cash on the Saudi-backed LIV Golf. The never-ending Saudi news cycle already drowns out the biggest headlines in the women’s game – even at the majors.
When asked if she was concerned that a similar Saudi-backed threat could come to the LPGA, Marcoux Samaan said: “Listen, we wake up every day trying to make the LPGA the leader in women’s golf and to make it the very best tour. That’s what we focus on. We have a great staff. We have great partners. We have the best players in the world. We’re really just doubling down on what we’re doing.”
As for LIV Golf’s ambitions in the women’s game, CEO Greg Norman recently told the BBC, “we’re here to grow the game golf on a global basis, not just in one specific sector, which is men’s. It’s across the board.”
One week after the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series was held at Centurion Club, the Aramco Team Series London presented by Public Investment Fund event was held at the same course.
The Saudi-backed Aramco Series is part of the Ladies European Tour, which falls under the LPGA umbrella.
During a pre-tournament press conference in London, Golf Saudi ambassador Bronte Law lauded Linn Grant’s groundbreaking victory on the DP World Tour – where the Swede trounced a field of men and women by nine strokes – and pushed for more mixed events.
“The perfect example is tennis,” Law said. “Why do the women get paid more than we do? The reason is because they play on the same site and they get the same media coverage.
“So if we can play at the same course, get the same TV coverage, there’s no reason why our purses can’t increase.”
With Golf Saudi already invested in women’s golf, many wonder what might be coming next. Could Law’s call for more mixed events or concurrent events featuring men and women already be in the works for Golf Saudi? And, if so, how many players would leave for the chance to earn more money?
“Put it this way, I think you would see almost the entire tour do it here,” said Kerr. “What we play for here compared to the men’s Tour, the scale is different.
“But at the same time, KPMG just upped the purse to $9 million. We’re starting to see a rising tide lifting all the ships. … It’ll be interesting to see how it affects this tour.”
Bronte Law offers fresh opinion on aligning women’s and men’s golf.
LPGA player Sarah Kemp must compete in a minimum number of LET events each season to maintain her membership in Europe, and flying up to New York for an Aramco Team Series event later this year would be awfully convenient. But Kemp doesn’t like that the money for the event comes from the Saudi Arabian government.
However, she understands that women who compete on the LET full-time have little choice but to compete in the six Saudi-backed events, noting that budgets are so tight on that tour, one player drove an Amazon truck during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It would be so great to have a few more KPMGs in the world,” said Kemp, “a few more CMEs that would love to support women’s golf.”
KPMG U.S. Deputy Chair and COO Laura Newinski said on Tuesday that they like the notion of pressure and momentum in the growth of the game, what it does to bring attention and awareness to the value of the product. The USGA set a new standard with a $10 million purse at this year’s U.S. Women’s Open. Each LPGA major has raised its purse significantly in recent years.
“As a sponsor, this isn’t a competition,” said Newinski. “It’s a come-along and let’s do right by the game in terms of what we’re putting into it.”
Gaby Lopez of Mexico celebrates after winning the Blue Bay LPGA on November 10, 2018, in Hainan Island, China. (Photo by Zhe Ji/Getty Images)
If LIV creates something new for women’s golf, Gaby Lopez thinks she’d likely stay on the LPGA.
“Just for my core values,” she said. “I don’t really play for money. I really play to win championships. To me, it’s more important.”
But, she can see others viewing it differently.
“I think a lot of players will think about it because there are a lot of girls that are struggling, even on the sponsor side,” said Lopez. “I wouldn’t be surprised if girls leave this tour.”
When Kirk thinks about the possibility of Saudi money threatening the LPGA, she thinks not just about the tour itself, but the LPGA teaching division and the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program that has exploded in recent years. What becomes of those?
“I just hope players understand the consequences of decisions that don’t just affect you,” said Kirk. “They affect generations to come.”
