Watch: New LPGA-favorite Charley Hull signed a fan’s cigarette at last week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

Hull is a new cult hero.

Charley Hull has quickly become one of the most popular players on the LPGA, and it’s not all about her talent on the golf course. She’s gone viral a few times over the last month or so for smoking cigarettes during LPGA tournaments.

At the U.S. Women’s Open earlier this month,  there was a video that did its trip around social media showing Hull signing autographs for fans while smoking.

“Yeah, listen, my dad smokes 40 a day since he was 12 years old and now he’s 75, and my nephew smokes who is like 25,” she told the media. “My whole family smokes, so it’s not something that I’ve noticed being odd. I hate smoking. I used to curse at my dad when I was younger for smoking, but I think it’s to do a little bit when I’m stressed.”

Well, the newest video circulating on X/Twitter is one that shows Hull signing a fan’s cigarette.

At Lancaster, Hull said that her Instagram following grew by 70,000 since the start of the week. She’d go on to tie for 19th. At last week’s Women’s PGA, Hull tied for 16th.

2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship prize money payouts at Sahalee Country Club

Amy Yang got her first major and a big payday.

SAMMAMISH, Wash. — Amy Yang made more than 10 percent of her career earnings in one tournament on Sunday.

Yang captured her first major championship title, winning the 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Washington. For her efforts, Yang will take home $1.56 million, the largest first-place prize of her six career victories.

There was a three-way tie for second, including Lilia Vu and Jin Young Ko, with them taking home $587,543. Twenty-three golfers took home more than $100,000, and every player in the field got at least $4,000, even those who missed the cut.

Take a look at the complete breakdown of the record $10.4 million purse:

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Amy Yang -7 $1,560,000
T2 Lilia Vu -4 $587,543
T2 Jin Young Ko -4 $587,543
T2 Miyu Yamashita -4 $587,543
T5 Ally Ewing -3 $378,446
T5 Lauren Hartlage -3 $378,446
T7 Mao Saigo -2 $267,436
T7 Hinako Shibuno -2 $267,436
T9 Linn Grant -1 $192,046
T9 Hae Ran Ryu -1 $192,046
T9 Caroline Inglis -1 $192,046
T9 Lexi Thompson -1 $192,046
T9 Sarah Schmelzel -1 $192,046
T14 Esther Henseleit E $150,871
T14 Gaby Lopez E $150,871
T16 Hyo Joo Kim 1 $131,530
T16 Hye-Jin Choi 1 $131,530
T16 Charley Hull 1 $131,530
T19 Ayaka Furue 2 $116,057
T19 Allisen Corpuz 2 $116,057
T19 Celine Boutier 2 $116,057
T22 Brooke M. Henderson 3 $105,966
T22 Madelene Sagstrom 3 $105,966
T24 Hannah Green 4 $91,079
T24 Ruoning Yin 4 $91,079
T24 Minjee Lee 4 $91,079
T24 Lauren Coughlin 4 $91,079
T24 Patty Tavatanakit 4 $91,079
T24 Leona Maguire 4 $91,079
T30 A Lim Kim 5 $77,707
T30 Xiyu Lin 5 $77,707
T32 Rio Takeda 6 $70,136
T32 Ariya Jutanugarn 6 $70,136
T32 Akie Iwai 6 $70,136
T35 Rose Zhang 7 $58,365
T35 Aditi Ashok 7 $58,365
T35 Peiyun Chien 7 $58,365
T35 Yu Jin Sung 7 $58,365
T35 Jennifer Kupcho 7 $58,365
T35 Lindsey Weaver-Wright 7 $58,365
T41 Lindy Duncan 8 $46,524
T41 Mi Hyang Lee 8 $46,524
T41 Jiwon Jeon 8 $46,524
T41 Minami Katsu 8 $46,524
T41 Bianca Pagdanganan 8 $46,524
T46 Lydia Ko 9 $37,675
T46 Gabriela Ruffels 9 $37,675
T46 Cheyenne Knight 9 $37,675
T46 Celine Borge 9 $37,675
T46 Na Rin An 9 $37,675
T46 Arpichaya Yubol 9 $37,675
T52 Atthaya Thitikul 10 $29,771
T52 Yealimi Noh 10 $29,771
T52 Ashleigh Buhai 10 $29,771
T52 Elizabeth Szokol 10 $29,771
T52 Pajaree Anannarukarn 10 $29,771
T52 Malia Nam 10 $29,771
T52 Stephanie Kyriacou 10 $29,771
T52 Georgia Hall 10 $29,771
T60 Moriya Jutanugarn 11 $23,969
T60 Grace Kim 11 $23,969
T60 Maria Fassi 11 $23,969
T60 Paula Reto 11 $23,969
T60 Mariah Stackhouse 11 $23,969
T60 Maja Stark 11 $23,969
T66 Lizette Salas 12 $21,951
T66 Aline Krauter 12 $21,951
68 Yuka Saso 13 $21,189
69 Frida Kinhult 14 $20,687
T70 Azahara Munoz 15 $20,061
T70 Morgane Metraux 15 $20,061
72 Angel Yin 17 $19,674.00
73 Ruixin Liu 18 $19,424.00

 

Mobbed by friends and competitors, Amy Yang gets first major victory at 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

Yang shivered as she walked into the flash area, her clothes soaked from the bubbly affair.

SAMMIMISH, Wash. – They gathered around the 18th green, giddy with excitement. It was a who’s who of former No. 1 players and major winners. Some were new to the tour. Others have grown up out here. Most were from South Korea, but not all. LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan was in the middle of the group at Sahalee Country Club, taking pictures and organizing the champagne. At one point, a mortified A Lim Kim ran onto the green to pick up a champagne cork that had popped off prematurely.

When it comes to popular winners, it’s hard to imagine anyone getting a bigger group hug from her peers than Amy Yang. The 34-year-old nearly retired a short time ago but held on to win the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in her 75th major championship start.

“I told (caddie) Jan on the 18th fairway, this has been the longest 18 holes I ever played in my career,” said a relieved Yang. “I was that much stressed and felt pressure out there.”

Yang shivered as she walked into the flash area, her clothes soaked from the bubbly affair. The last time the LPGA has seen an 18th green celebration quite so epic was the last time Yang lifted a trophy at the CME Group Tour Championship in November.

“I think it just speaks to what kind of person she is,” said Lydia Ko, who was joined by the likes of Jin Young Ko, Brooke Henderson, Hyo Joo Kim and Haeran Ryu on the 18th. “I said she’s one of the or the nicest person on tour. And when she says stuff it’s genuine.

“All these people aren’t here just for show. Everybody means it.”

It wasn’t just the players who embraced Yang. More than an hour after the last putt dropped at Sahalee, dozens of kids were outside the press area chanting her name.

Washington’s Sahalee Country Club once again proved to be a punishing test, taking out World No. 1 Nelly Korda in dramatic fashion on Friday with a gut-wrenching 81. Through 54 holes, it looked like Lexi Thompson might script something magical, but retirement suddenly looked awfully good on Sunday after a baffling front-nine 43.

Thompson dug deep though, coming home in 31 to salvage a top-10 finish that gets her an invitation back to the KPMG next year, should she want it.

“It was just a tale of two nines,” said Thompson, who was still fairly upbeat after the round.

“I hit a great shot on 9 and really just tried to stay positive with my caddie, Mark. He was just drilling in the positive comments, even being 8-over through 8, which it’s pretty hard to find the positive. He was trying. God bless him.”

Yang began the final round with a two-stroke lead over JLPGA star Miyu Yamashita and Lauren Hartlage, who has spent more time at Q-School than major championships. Hartlage went 34 holes without a bogey to put herself in contention but fell out of the mix after back-to-back doubles on Nos. 7 and 8.

She ultimately finished in a share of fifth, a career-best LPGA showing, and earned more money in one week ($378,447) than she had in 2 ½ years on tour.

“I learned that even though I’m uncomfortable, I can still play good golf,” said Hartlage, who learned the game from her mom, Kim. “Because it’s hard when you’re out there. There is a lot of stress, a lot of emotions. I’m just proud of the way I handled those all week.”

Yamashita’s share of second with Jin Young Ko and Lilia Vu will likely be enough to earn her a spot in the Paris Olympics alongside two-time U.S. Women’s Open winner Yuka Saso of Japan. The Olympics field will be finalized on Monday.

Vu, who won last week’s Meijer LPGA Classic after being sidelined two months with a back injury, is once again showing the kind of form that won her four titles last season, including a pair of majors.

Ally Ewing’s share of fifth likely won’t be enough to propel her into the top 15 of the Rolex Rankings. She’s projected to come just shy of a spot on the U.S. Olympic team which will include Korda, Vu and Rose Zhang.

Yang made an appearance on Golf Channel’s “Golf Central” show after the victory and her jaw dropped to the floor when the show’s hosts told her she’d qualified for Paris.

It was a monumental day for a woman who first dreamed of playing on the LPGA after watching Se Ri Pak win the 1998 U.S. Women’s Open.

As Yang met with the media after her round, the oversized trophy sat beside her on a pedestal. When LPGA Championship morphed into the KPMG Women’s PGA a decade ago, the trophy stayed the same but the base got bigger, much like the event itself.

“I see Seri’s name right there, 1998,” said Yang, pointing to the LPGA Championship victory that came just before the playoff triumph at Blackwolf Run that inspired a nation.

The first time Jan Meierling walked Sahalee earlier this week, he thought it might be a good track for his boss. The roughly 7,500 trees on property – which are both breathtaking and claustrophobic – make it impossible to daydream. Meierling said Yang can get a little “space-cadet-y” out there and liked that Sahalee forced her to stay focused.

“The more she gets in engaged, the more the situation demands of it of her, that’s when she kind of goes into auto-pilot,” said Meierling, “and she does what she does best.”

There was a point during Sunday’s final round that Yang led by seven. The coronation slowed, however, after a bogey on the 16th was followed by a watery tee shot on the par-3 17th that led to double.

Yang suddenly led by three with one to play.

On the closing par 5, Meierling tried to advise against Yang pulling 3-wood for her second shot, but ultimately didn’t push the subject. He’d run through his mind the various scenarios, including blowing it into the bleachers, and decided it was better to let her run with it.

Yang’s ball sailed through the giant Christmas tree down the lefthand side, and she pitched up and two-putted to close with an even-par 72 and finish at 7 under, three strokes clear of the field.

That’s when it felt like half the LPGA rushed the green, giving her a champagne bath for the ages.

“Amy is the best,” said Lindy Duncan, who for the past four years has played golf in Orlando during the off weeks with Yang and Lydia Ko at Bay Hill, Orange Tree and Lake Nona.

“She’s just the best. Genuine, kind, caring, always a good friend. You ask her questions, and she just wants to help everybody.”

Yang’s short game at Sahalee was next-level elite. She led the field in scrambling, strokes gained tee-to-green and bogeys or worse with seven.

A winner on the LET as a 16-year-old amateur, Yang was a prodigy before many of the players who celebrated had her ever picked up a club. After a rock-climbing injury left her with an elbow injury, she thought her career might come to an early close. Instead, the now six-time LPGA winner is enjoying the biggest moments – and paychecks – of her career. She’s now won $3.56 million for her last two victories, surpassing $15 million in career earnings.

Perhaps most shockingly, she’s the first South Korean to win on tour this season.

Coming down the 18th fairway, Yang turned to Meierling and told him that the next time he hears her say she doesn’t love this game – it’s a lie. For her, the imperfections are what make it so brilliant.

“I thought about this out on the golf course today,” said Yang, “that golf is really just like a fight against myself.”

And this time, she finally won.

Is it finally Amy Yang’s turn to shine? Not if Lilia Vu or Lexi Thompson have their say at 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA

Perhaps tomorrow, in her 75th major championship start, her turn will come at last.

SAMMAMISH, Wash. – Amy Yang doesn’t have a hat sponsor or a bag sponsor. She’s at a fortunate point in her life where freedom means more than money. There was a time when a corporate sponsor dictated how many events she’d play or how she spent her free time.

Not anymore.

Now there’s a stitched-on smiley face on her bucket hat where a logo used to be, and these days there’s plenty for the 34-year-old to smile about as she leads the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship by two strokes. Chasing that elusive major title is the reason she still competes.

“I grew up watching so many great players in the past,” said Yang, “and I saw them winning all the major championships.

“I dreamed about playing out here because of them. I work hard for this.”

For a long time, Yang was considered among the best players on tour without a major, but as the tour got younger and the victories dried up, she was no longer on the short list, despite a hefty number of top-10 finishes.

It’s different now though for Yang. Last November, in her 16th year on tour, she won for the first time on U.S. soil at the CME Group Tour Championship, birdieing the last two holes to take home a $2 million paycheck. It was her fifth career LPGA title and first victory in four years, made sweeter by the fact that she feared tennis elbow – from too much rock climbing, of all things – would cut her career short.

Now she’s out amongst Sahalee’s towering cedars and firs with her longtime caddie, Jan Meierling, trading jokes and snacks. Yang loads up on protein bars and bananas slathered in peanut butter. Meierling brings the beef jerky and dried sausages.

“She’s by far the most genuine person you can expect,” said Meierling of his boss, who is always quick to offer a smile.

“There’s not a bad bone in her body at all,” he said, “as long as you keep her fed. If the sugar level drops, watch out.”

Amy Yang of South Korea looks over a putt on the 17th hole during the third round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club on June 22, 2024 in Sammamish, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

This marks the third time that Yang has held the lead going into the final round of a major but the first in nine years. She has 21 career top-10 finishes in the majors and a dozen top fives.

After three rounds of testing golf in what’s otherwise a most peaceful setting, Yang leads the way at 7 under, with Kentucky’s Lauren Hartlage and Miyu Yamashita of Japan two strokes back.

Those lurking three back include major champions Jin Young Ko, Lilia Vu, Lexi Thompson, Hinako Shibuno and Washington native Caroline Inglis.

Yang leads the field in scrambling, Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, SG: Around the Green and bogeys or worse, with only three.

Vu, who just came off a sensational playoff victory over Thompson and Grace Kim at the Meijer LPGA Classic, carded the day’s low round, 4-under 68. After taking several months off to heal a back injury, the two-time major winner won in her first start.

“I think it kind of shows how resilient I am,” said Vu, who opened with a 75 at the KPMG and has steadily improved each day.

For Thompson, Sunday could be one of her last chances to win a major championship as she plans to step away from a full-time schedule at the end of this season. The 29-year-old American’s lone major title came a decade ago at the 2014 ANA Inspiration. She put herself in this position time again, with runner-up finishes in four different majors as well as third-place finishes in four different majors.

“I am just going to play within myself,” said Thompson, “that’s all I can do.

“Yeah, might be my last one; might not. Who knows. It’s just day by day. Just going to go out there, embrace the fans, love the walk and see where it goes.”

While Yang won last year’s CME, Hartlage has yet to qualify for one. The 26-year-old’s best finish on the LPGA was a share of sixth at the 2023 Lotte Championship. Though she’s never finished in the top 100 in earnings or the CME Race to the Globe standings, she’s been trending after top-25 finishes in her last two starts.

“I have been back to Q-School the last few years, so haven’t been playing my best, and it’s easy to think that you don’t belong or you’re not able to win a tournament,” said Hartlage, “but I just have people on my team helping me and leading me along the way and keeping my confidence up which has been really, really nice to have.”

Lilia Vu of the United States hits a tee shot on the second hole during the third round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club on June 22, 2024 in Sammamish, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

One of those people is Hartlage’s mom, Kim, who called Saturday the most relaxed she’s been in 20 years of watching her daughter play.

“Today was just very surreal,” said Kim, who played collegiate golf at Western Kentucky and coached Lauren’s high school team.

Kim credits the work Lauren has put in with swing coach Grant Waite, a former PGA Tour winner, with taking her game to the next level. Hartlage posted a bogey-free 69 on Saturday and birdied five of her last seven holes on Friday late in the evening.

She’s eager to take on what’s next.

Lauren Hartlage and her mother Kim have a special bond when it comes to golf. (courtesy photo)

“I’m super excited,” said Hartlage. “Never been in this position before, and this is something that I dreamed about growing up as a kid, so it’s really awesome to be in this position and just kind of see how it goes and learn from every day, every round.”

Hartlage was born in 1998, about six months before Se Ri Pak won the U.S. Women’s Open at Blackwolf Run and inspired a nation. Yang was one of those little girls watching in South Korea.

Perhaps tomorrow, in her 75th major championship start, her turn will come at last.

This major champion made it to the weekend of 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA playing with broken toe

“I felt like if I could get the shoe on and keep it in there and just try.”

SAMMAMISH, Wash. – Ashleigh Buhai made it to the weekend of a major championship despite a broken lefty pinky toe.

The South African nicked her toe on the corner of the bed at 4:30 a.m. Thursday but chose to carry on at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, where she’s currently tied for 55th.

“I felt like if I could get the shoe on and keep it in there and just try,” said Buhai, the 2022 AIG Women’s British Open champion.

Buhai went to the physio on Thursday and had it taped up. After the round, X-rays confirmed that the toe was broken. Doctors told her to strap up the toe and let it heal by itself, though walking a golf course surely isn’t helping that process, she noted.

“Today, walking was a little easier,” she said, “but I can’t put any pressure on it when I’m hitting it.”

Buhai will have some time off after this week to rest up before heading over to France for the Amundi Evian Championship.

Lexi Thompson, Nelly Korda headline dream leaderboard at 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

“I took my chances where I could and I played safe for the majority of the round,” Korda said.

SAMMAMISH, Wash. – Lexi Thompson isn’t done yet. Not yet a month removed from announcing her plans to step away from a full-time schedule after this season, Thompson finds herself holding the solo first-round lead at a major championship for the first time in her career. Twice she has held a share of the lead to open a major championship.

Thompson birdied the first three holes in Thursday’s opening round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship en route to a 4-under 68 at the stunning and shockingly narrow Sahalee Country Club. She’s one shot ahead of World No. 1 Nelly Korda and Patty Tavatanakit on a star-studded leaderboard. Ten players are two shots back.

“Just tried to stay in the moment out there and really visualize my shots and pick small targets and just commit to it,” said Thompson, who hasn’t won on tour since 2019 but came up just short in a playoff last week at the Meijer LPGA Classic.

It was the first week Thompson had veteran caddie Mark Wallington on the bag and she was noticeably upbeat. Thompson said the pair have had a great friendship on tour for years but had never worked together.

“We always have a good laugh with each other and really look for each other in a friendship when needed,” she said.

“So I was like, you know what? This sounds great. Let’s just work together and see how it does. No matter what, we’ll always have that friendship and bond. That will never leave us.”

Wallington’s positive vibe, she continued, is exactly what she’s needed.

It also helps that something clicked with her swing early last week at the Meijer that has enabled her to be “free-swinging Lexi.” She leads the field in strokes-gained approach.

“My swing has always been a bit fast,” she said. “A good solid tempo throughout the whole swing. Just seeing that draw out there, especially off the tee boxes. That’s always what I’ve done ever since I was little.”

Lexi Thompson of the United States talks with her caddie before hitting a tee shot on the ninth hole during the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club on June 20, 2024, in Sammamish, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

For Korda, the pressures of a major championship melted away on the first tee when she looked over and saw her nephew, Greyson DelPrete, outside the ropes. Korda’s big sister Jessica arrived on Wednesday with her four-month-old son, but Nelly wasn’t sure exactly when they’d join her on the course at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

“His giggles just give me so much happiness,” said Korda, who opened with a 3-under 69 at Sahalee Country Club to hold the clubhouse lead.

Though she’s coming into the third major of the year off two consecutive missed cuts, Korda’s 2024 has been historically brilliant. With five consecutive victories and six overall, including her second career major, a victory this week would put her in rarified air.

Since 1970, only three Americans have won seven or more times on the LPGA in a single season. Beth Daniel was the most recent in 1990 with seven, while Nancy Lopez won nine (1978) and eight times (1979) in her first two seasons on the LPGA. Kathy Whitworth won seven times in 1973.

Korda’s opening 69 included three consecutive birdies on Nos. 13-15 and a double-bogey on the fourth after she made the turn. She closed with a birdie on the par-3 ninth to end on a high note.

“I took my chances where I could and I played safe for the majority of the round,” she said.

Nelly Korda of the United States hits a tee shot on the fifth hole during the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club on June 20, 2024, in Sammamish, Washington. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

When it comes to strategy, Korda is often reliant on long-time caddie Jason McDede — sometimes a little too reliant.

This week, she said, they decided that McDede would give her the number, how far she should land it, and then she would take it from there to feel more confident about each decision. Last week at a windy Meijer LPGA Classic, Korda struggled with going long on several approach shots in an opening 76.

“He’s going to disagree or agree,” said Korda of her chats with McDede, “but for the majority, it was a lot of agreeing today, so it was good.

While she missed the cut last week, Korda found something with the driver on Friday at the Meijer, which could prove massive this week.

“That’s the tough part about the golf course here,” she said. “If you don’t hit the fairway you don’t get to be aggressive. You can’t take your opportunities.”

Sahalee is undoubtedly a mental grind, and for some, like Allisen Corpuz, that’s a good thing. Corpuz opened with a 70, joining a host of players at 2 under including, Leona Maguire, Charley Hull and Amy Yang.

“I feel like weeks like this where par is always going to be a good score, I’m just pretty good at staying calm,” said the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open champion, “just playing it a little safer.”

Tavatanakit, who won earlier this season on home soil in Thailand, enjoyed a rare bogey-free day at Sahalee. Seattle happens to be one of her favorite cities, noting that she’d live here if the weather was better for golf.

“I feel homey,” she said. “I feel like – I don’t know, cuddly with the weather, too.”

It’s been three years since Tavatanakit won the ANA Inspiration and Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honors. She spent time in the valley after that win and came out wiser for it.

“Feel like I’ve gotten more acceptant,” she said. “I feel more acceptance towards anything that life would throw at me on and off the course.

“It’s a nice mindset to have because whatever you face, you’re up for it.”

After the airlines lost her clubs, Charley Hull vaults into contention at 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

“This golf course feels like home to me,” Hull said.

SAMMAMISH, Wa. – Charley Hull likes to arrive at tournaments as late as possible. She took the last flight out of London on Monday night to Seattle, but her clubs didn’t make it. The British Airways misfortune was compounded by the fact that her gym shoes were in the golf bag.

So there she was on Tuesday, stressed at the airport at the start of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship as the airline tried to track down her valuables.

Hull eventually reunited with her clubs, but didn’t get a look at Sahalee Country Club until Wednesday, though she did finish 16th when the championship was here eight years ago. Hull said she can’t remember the last time she played an 18-hole practice round.

“I had really, really bad stomach cramps yesterday as well,” said Hull, “but I had to play.”

The good news is that the majestically tree-lined Sahalee feels like home to Hull, who said the Duchess Course at her home club of Woburn is quite similar only longer. Hull opened with a 2-under 70 and sits in a long-jam of players who are one back of clubhouse leader Nelly Korda.

Charley Hull of England watches a tee shot on the 12th hole during the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club on June 20, 2024 in Sammamish, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Hull made only one bogey – a “very silly three-putt” – and said she felt good about the day until she pulled a hip muscle late in the round.

“I have bad hips anyway,” she said, “and it just clicked out with like three holes to play. Hopefully some physio and it will be all right.”

Hull, currently No. 8 in the world, had a pair of runner-up finishes at the majors last season but has yet to win one. She enjoys the challenge that Sahalee presents because it requires her to stay focused.

“This golf course feels like home to me,” said Hull, a self-described golf fanatic who played eight rounds in seven days – walking with her carry bag  while she was home.

A two-time winner on the LPGA, Hull went viral at the U.S. Women’s Open last month after she was filmed signing autographs with a cigarette in her mouth. She took the attention in stride, noting that while her agent typically does her social media, she’d heard she’d gained 70,000 followers in the span of two days.

Hull’s friends often say she should have her own reality television show.

“I’m just me,” said Hull who, for the record, is trying to quit smoking.

“I’m not going to change for the world. I’ll just be me, and people will either like it or lump it.”

Brooke Henderson, Lydia Ko return to KPMG Women’s PGA at Sahalee, where they dazzled as teens

Eight years ago, Henderson hit a dagger to 3 feet on the first playoff hole to top Ko.

SAMMAMISH, Washington – It was an instant classic. Two hotshot teenagers, both ranked in the top 4 in the world, dazzling beneath the majestic firs on a course that’s name translates to “high heavenly ground.” The tree-lined fairways of Sahalee Country Club are so tight players have taken to calling it “Sa-hallway.”

Eight years ago, Brooke Henderson hit a dagger to 3 feet on the first playoff hole at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship to deny World No. 1 Lydia Ko a third consecutive major title. Ariya Jutanguarn, a 20-year-old who’d won three consecutive events coming into that week, finished solo third.

On Tuesday, the club honored Henderson with an honorary membership and a commemorative plaque on the 18th, which will play as a par 5 rather than a par 4 this year. It was after that life-changing Sunday at the KPMG, Henderson said, that she felt like anything was possible.

“Honestly, everything just went so perfectly that week,” said Henderson, who even won a car with an ace during the first round. “I felt like it was meant to be.”

Henderson actually gave the Kia K900 to her sister, Brittany, who still drives it.

Brooke Henderson swaps clubs on the T-Mobile 5G range during the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship practice round at Sahalee Country Club on Monday, June 17, 2024, in Sammamish, Washington. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/PGA of America)

While Henderson went on to become the winningest Canadian player in history with 13 wins, Ko — a 20-time LPGA winner — now sits one point away from qualifying for the LPGA Hall of Fame.

The pair, who are now friends, competed in the same CN Canadian Women’s Open when Henderson was 14 and Ko was 15. Ko, of course, went on to win that week in 2012, when Henderson thought she was doing well just by being in the field.

“Her career has been phenomenal,” said Henderson of the Kiwi, “and winning here in 2016, being able to beat the No. 1 player in the world at the time, somebody that I looked up to, it was a huge turning point in my career.”

Henderson put a new putter in the bag the week that she won at Sahalee, and she’s hoping to rekindle that same magic as she makes another putter switch this week. It’s been a weak point of her game this year.

“I feel like this year I’ve kind of tried a few different things with my putting,” she said, “pin in, pin out, left-hand low, more of a traditional grip. So just kind of trying to feel it out and trying to find something that works.”

Ko has been switching things up a bit as well, adding another coach to her stable in Holton Freeman, who’s a short drive from her home in Lake Nona, Florida. She’ll still working with Siwoo Lee, too, but isn’t able to connect with the South Korean-based instructor in person as much as she’d like.

Now a good 10 yards longer than she was in 2016, Ko will tackle Sahalee in different ways this time around.

“I’m pretty sure there are things I was probably better at when I was a teenager,” she said, “and now I have a bit more experience, so I think how I handle some situations is probably a little bit better.

“I hope it’s better.”

After that magnificent 7-iron from 155 yards on the first playoff hole, the shot that sticks out the most from Henderson’s final-round 65 was the 90-foot eagle putt she drained from off the green on the par-5 11th. That cut Ko’s lead down from three to one.

“My caddie, Paul, and I were joking that you could drop like 100 balls and not get it within 5 feet,” said Ko. “For her to have holed that, wow.”

Lydia Ko of New Zealand looks on while playing a shot on the 11th green prior to the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club on June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Of the 156 players in the field, 46 have prior experience at Sahalee. World No. 1 Nelly Korda is not among them but has already taken to the place, noting that it’s easy to get lost in the beauty. She had her phone out on Wednesday during a practice round to capture a family of ducks.

“Overall, I think every hole looks a little different,” she said during a particularly upbeat press conference. “They’re all intimidating and great in their own way.”

Korda has missed her last two cuts coming into the KPMG but has already won six times this season.

On Thursday, it will be a reunion of sorts as the top 3 finishers from 2016 – Henderson, Ko and Jutanugarn – tee it up together for the first round. Together, they’ve won 28 LPGA titles since the 2016 KPMG.

Each has had their share of ups and downs.

A now-married Ko, who’s also a dog mom, said on Golf Channel’s Golf Central set Wednesday that she sometimes forgets she’s a major champion after winning both the ANA Inspiration and Evian as a teenager. Much has changed for Ko over the years within her team and her game as she’s grown up on tour.

For Henderson, though, much has stayed the same. Big sister Brittany is still on the bag. Her father, Dave, still looks after her on the technical side. Even so, a lot of miles, a lot of life has transpired since she first tasted major championship success on high heavenly ground.

“I’ve grown up a lot,” said Henderson, “have more victories out on tour now. A lot of good things have happened.”

With, no doubt, more good to come.

Photos: 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahelee Country Club

The third women’s major championship of the year is here.

The third women’s major championship of the year is here.

The 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship gets underway Thursday at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Washington. It’s the second-longest-running women’s major championship behind the U.S. Women’s Open.

Ruoning Yin is the defending champion, capturing the title last year at Baltusrol. The KPMG Women’s PGA was also at Sahalee in 2016, where Brooke Henderson took home her first major championship title.

All of the best golfers in the world will be there, including No. 1 Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu and many others.

Big Pickle podcast: Who wins the KPMG Women’s PGA? 7-time major champ Juli Inkster joins us to discuss

Here’s a look at our best photos from the 2024 KMPG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club.

KPMG Women’s PGA celebrates 10th anniversary with technology advancement

Imagine where another 10 years might take it.

It wasn’t all that long ago that major championships on the LPGA schedule were mired in uncertainty. Today, it’s the majors – along with CME Group – that propel the women’s game forward. In three years, purses at LPGA majors have increased over 100 percent. Championship venues have turned iconic and TV windows, well, they’re improving.

The 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA marks an important milestone in the rebirth of the LPGA’s majors. It’s been 10 years since the partners of the KPMG Women’s PGA met in a rental home in Augusta, Georgia, during the 2014 Masters Tournament and agreed to not only rescue the LPGA Championship but transform it.

“They want to make it the best event we have,” KPMG ambassador Stacy Lewis said a decade ago.

Stacy Lewis looks on from the 15th tee during the second round of the 2024 Chevron Championship at The Club at Carlton Woods. (Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

To that end, the 10th edition of the KPMG Women’s PGA at Sahalee Country Club will continue to offer more firsts. In what’s being hailed as the most statistically advanced and 5G-connected event ever on the LPGA, T-Mobile has joined KPMG and the PGA of America in delivering ShotLink 2.0 technology that will allow players to compare advanced statistics from their current round with historical data from throughout the season.

In addition, AI-powered predictive analytics will be delivered in real time through KPMG Performance Insights.

Several years ago, KPMG came to the LPGA with a simple question: What’s the tour’s greatest pain point? The answer was a lack of statistics and analytics.

Addressing that pain point turned out to be a natural fit for KPMG, a U.S. audit, tax, and advisory firm that does data and analytics for a living.

The KPMG Performance Insights technology platform launched in 2021, and this week’s technology bump at Sahalee – known as the KPMG CHAMPCAST – is yet another investment toward closing the analytics gap that exists between the men’s and women’s game. (ShotLink 2.0 technology was also used earlier this month at the U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club.)

“In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the KPMG Women’s Championship,” said KPMG U.S. Chair and CEO Paul Knopp, “this new collaboration with T-Mobile is the latest milestone in our effort to advance the women’s game by utilizing and integrating the latest technology.”

2023 Women's PGA Championship
Ruoning Yin raises the championship trophy after winning the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championshipt. (Photo: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports)

LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan calls technology a great equalizer in sports as it helps more accurately tell the stories that unfold week-to-week on tour. It also arms players with more detailed information on their own games.

In addition to player stats, T-Mobile 5G solutions will bring a better viewing experience for fans as NBC will utilize a private 5G network during the tournament, with more shots and expanded camera angles across the 12th, 13th and 18th holes and the T5G Range. Fans will also be able to see a feed of Toptracer data on a video board at the range.

Some advancements, like the venues and purse, are more obvious than others, but each detail that KPMG and the PGA tends to helps to raise the bar that others might follow.

When former LPGA commissioner Mike Whan first phoned former PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua with the idea of partnering together for a major, Bevacqua told him to “stop selling” five minutes into the conversation. He was hooked.

The first and only corporate partner they talked to was KPMG, whose roots in women’s game traced back to Lewis. KPMG chair John Veihmeyer quickly came on board and, inspired by Lewis’ talks to female leaders at sponsorship outings, Veihmeyer came up with the idea of the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit, which has been replicated at events all over the country.

At the beginning of all this, when Lewis was trying to convey to KPMG what the tour needed, she’d often go back to the 2014 U.S. Opens at Pinehurst, where the men’s and women’s championships were held in back-to-back weeks.

It felt big that week, felt like a major. That was Lewis’ main message: It needs to feel big.

Since the first KPMG Women’s PGA held at Westchester Country Club, organizers have succeeded in making the LPGA’s flagship major once again feel like a major.

Imagine where another 10 years might take it.