The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is the second-oldest women’s major. One of the five major tournaments female golf, the third major of the season, will kick off on June 20. The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship returns to Sahalee after eight years.

The KPMG Women’s Championship started in 1955. It was known as the LPGA Championship until 2014. A decade ago, KPMG was roped in as the title sponsor of the event, while the LPGA and PGA of America came together to jointly host the major. Before the tournament kicks off next week, here is everything you need to know.

History of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

Since its inception, the tournament has been known as the Eve-LPGA Championship, Mazda LPGA Championship, McDonald's LPGA Championship, and Wegmans LPGA Championship. Interestingly, the first edition of the LPGA Championship was a mix of stroke play and match play. 

The first 54 holes were stroke play, and a match- played on Sunday decided the winner. Hanson was leading the stroke play as well, two shots ahead of tournament favorite Louise Suggs. Suggs and Hanson played amateur golf together. 

Notably, Henson and Suggs also met in a playoff earlier that season at the Los Angeles Open, with Suggs walking away with the title. However, at the Orchard Ridge GC, Beverly Henson earned bragging rights over Louise Suggs (4 and 3). The first purse size for the inaugural edition was $6000.

In the next edition, the event moved to stroke play as Marlene Hagge, the youngest founding member of the LPGA, netted her lone major title. Mickey Wright holds the record for most victories at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, taking home the silverware four times between 1958 and 1963. Inbee Park is the only LPGA pro with a three-peat (2013”“15).

KPMG and LPGA’s ties run beyond the title sponsorship now. The audit firm is the official data and analytics partner of the Elite Female Tour. Also, the LPGA Commissioner, Mollie Marcoux Samaan, signed a five-year strategic partnership opportunity with the Big Four brand. 

What does the winner of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship receive?

The winner gets a silver trophy, the original one dating back to 1955. It received a makeover a few years ago. A new silver base was added to the original trophy, which now displays the tournament name and the names of the past winners.

The winner’s take-home trophy was designed by Malcolm DeMille in 2015. The initial design was 8" diameter by 10" tall. However, on LPGA’s request in 2022, Malcolm DeMile changed it to 10.25" diameter x 12" tall, which is roughly 70% of the original one’s size.

Last year’s winner, Ruoning Yin, received $1.5 million for her triumph. LPGA has yet to announce if there will be an increase in the $10 million prize pool. With last year’s $1 million bump, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship has witnessed around a 185 percent hike in the last seven years. 

Know your course: Sahalee Country Club

The private course in Sammamish, Washington, was designed in 1969 by Ted Robinson and redone by Ress Jones in 1996. Previously, Sahalee has hosted the 1998 PGA Championship, the 2002 World Golf Championship-NEC Invitational, the 2010 Senior U.S. Open, and the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, where two rising teenagers, Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson, headed for a thrilling playoff. 

Sahalee Country Club features trees. There are a lot of them. Trees don’t just dot the course; they surround the tee boxes, the fairways, and the greens. Justin Leonard famously said, "Everybody heard there were a lot of trees... I don't think anybody imagined this many."

Sahalee won’t be as brutal as the Lancaster Country Club, but the lines of Red Cedar, Douglas Fir, Spruce, and other towering trees with rolling terrain will pose significant challenges. Last time, Henderson and Ko tied at 6-under after the 72nd hole. The trees make the course look as majestic as it is daunting from the tee box, thanks to the really narrow fairways that are rare on regular PGA Tour or LPGA Tour events.

What is the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit?

The KPMG Leadership Summit is hosted in conjunction with the LPGA’s third major. The conference brings the top female personalities in business, sports, and politics together to inspire the future generation of thought leaders. This year’s summit will be hosted on June 19.

This year, Geena Davis, the Academy Award-winning actress of ‘Thelma & Louise', will serve as the keynote speaker. Other than Davis, Angela Duckworth, Kara Lawson, Kathryn Tappen, and others will join the stage. You can stream the event live on KPMG.com/WomensLeadership from 9.00 AM to 16.00 PM local time (12 PM”“7 PM ET).

The summit also funds the KPMG Future Leaders Program. The charitable initiative offers scholarships to high school girls in their senior year for personal and professional development. Per the official data, nearly $6.2 million in scholarships has been awarded to 188 students. 

How to watch the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

Don’t carry any large bags, backpacks, coolers, food, whistles, laser pointers, or selfie sticks to the course. Also, keep your equipment at home. The public grandstands at the 1st, 9th, and 18th are first come, first served. 

The first two rounds will start at approximately 7 a.m. local time. Here is how you can catch everything live from your home.

Thursday, June 22nd, and Friday, June 23rd

Golf Channel: 11:00 a.m.”“3:00 p.m.

Peacock: 5:00 PM”“7:00 PM

Saturday, June 24th

Peacock: 11:00 a.m.”“3:00 p.m.

NBC: 3:00 PM”“6:00 PM

Sunday, June 25th

Peacock: 11:00 a.m.”“2:00 p.m.

NBC: 2:00 PM”“6:00 PM

Nelly Korda will head to Sahalee after missing two back-to-back cuts at the U.S. Women’s Open and the LPGA Meijer Classic. The season’s other major, Yuka Saso, will also tee off in Washington. But her goal is bigger: to qualify for Japan’s national team for the Olympics. The PGA of America has already announced the initial field list. But that is subject to minor changes until next week.