SAMMAMISH – The majestic Douglas firs, red cedars and hemlocks that line the narrow fairways of Sahalee Country Club add to the golf course’s picturesque setting.
They are also a big reason why the course is so difficult. There is a distinctive sound when a golf ball hits a tree, and that sound will be heard often over the next four days of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee, starting with the first round on Thursday.
Dodging the trees – and, failing that, hoping for a lucky rebound – will be the top priority for all 156 players on the field.
Nelly Korda, the world’s top-ranked player, did not play in the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship when it was played at Sahalee, but this week she got her first look at the course.
“My goodness, it’s such a beautiful place,” said Korda, who received a scouting report from her sister Jessica, who was part of the field in 2016. “She just said
I think you really have to hit your shots out here, especially your tee shots. … If you hit a little off the line here off the tee, there are a lot of trees in your way, so you’re going to hit out of bounds most of the time.”
Brooke Henderson and Lydia Ko finished atop the leaderboard in 2016 with a score of 6 under par and 278 strokes, setting up a playoff that Henderson won.
They were two of only seven players to finish under par this week. Henderson, who was named an honorary member of Sahalee earlier this week, mastered the challenge posed by the trees better than anyone else in 2016.
“I love the huge, towering trees and the tight fairways,” she said. “It’s almost majestic. It feels very peaceful and amazing, but at the same time it’s a bit
stressful because you have to hit it so straight. That’s the top priority this week: hitting a lot of fairways, keeping the ball in play and creating good opportunities for birdies when you can and making them
Clutch-Par saves when necessary.
“If you think back to 2016, this course was really difficult to play. At the end of the four days, not many were under par.”
Wendy Ward, a four-time LPGA champion and Spokane resident, had to tell out-of-state reporters this week that there are big differences in terrain between the west and east sides of the state.
“The trees grow much bigger here, I already knew that,” she said.
“I’m hitting a lot straighter than I used to, so I hope that’s not a problem.”
Yuka Saso, who won her second U.S. Women’s Open last month, watched the 2016 event at Sahalee on television, and this week was her first chance to be there in person.
“It’s very tight here compared to the other golf courses we play,” she said. “It’s going to be very, very difficult. You have to hit straight and stay away from the trees. I think that makes us more focused. It makes me more focused when it’s
difficult.”
Ruoning Yin, who won this event last year and is ranked third in the world, said: “I think it is a very challenging course and the tee shot is really difficult.”
But Yin said she would try not to think about it.
“I think if you worry about it too much, you’re just going to ruin yourself,” she said. “So I try not to think about how difficult the tee shot is. I just make my swing and it works out.”
The trees and nature in Sahalee give players a sense of peace.
“When you stand on the fairways and walk along them, you don’t feel like you’re on a golf course,” Henderson said. “You just feel like you’re in the middle of nature. It’s just a great feeling.”
“I love just looking around, taking a deep breath and feeling the fresh air. It’s an incredible feeling.”
Korda said, “You kind of get lost in nature out here.”
But then the challenge is to avoid the trees while golfing.
“I think it’s a great mix of intimidation and fear and at the same time peaceful and
“Beautiful and quiet,” said Henderson. “They’re kind of opposites. You really have to be careful on every tee shot. You can never really take a break here.”
Remarks
- The field of participants includes players from 28 countries.
- Caroline Inglis, who grew up in Eugene, Oregon, and now lives in Vancouver, is one of two players on the field who live in Washington (Ward is the other).
- The total prize money of the event is $10.4 million, with the winner receiving $1.56 million.
- Henderson earned $525,000 from $3.5 million in prize money in 2016.
- After the second round on Friday, the field will be reduced to the top 70 players plus ties.
Five top pairings on Thursday
7:49 a.m., Hole No. 10: Rose Zhang, Celine Boutier, Nasa Hataoka – Zhang, the former Stanford phenom, is ranked No. 9 in the world. Boutier is No. 4.
8:11 a.m., hole no. 10: Nelly Korda, Ruoning Yin, Hannah Green – Korda is seeking her seventh win of the season, Green her third. Yin is the defending champion in this event.
1:17 p.m., Hole No. 1: — Lilia Vu, Minjee Lee, Linn Grant — Vu won last week and is No. 2 in the world behind Korda. Lee is No. 10
1:28 p.m., Hole No. 1: Lexi Thompson, Jin Young Ko, Yuki Saso – Thompson, 29, who is retiring from the LPGA at the end of the season, is paired with two two-time major winners.
1:39 p.m., hole no. 1: Brooke Henderson, Lydia Ko, Ariya Jutanugarn – the three best players of the 2016 event will play together for the first two rounds.
