The 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is underway this week! This is the first major played at the PGA of America’s new headquarters in Frisco, Texas. The tournament begins on June 19th, and with 156 of the world’s best female golfers fighting for a $12 million purse, we can expect a stellar display of skill. The course would add to the pressure.

“Fields Ranch East is designed to maximize the terrain’s natural potential, providing a compelling strategic challenge for all golfers,” said Gil Hanse when he designed the course and opened it for play in 2023. While designing the course, he tried to incorporate the natural beauty, including the extensive use of native creeks, the most famous being the Panther Creek, which runs along most holes on the course. The par 72 course, playing at a yardage of 6,604 yards this week, features NorthBridge Bermuda grass on the fairways and TifEagle Bermuda grass on the greens. While some of the greens may be smallish, with strong slopes and false fronts, they might be more challenging than they appear.

Take a look at some of the holes that guarantee a change in momentum and could be a turning point for many players’ games. For good or bad.

Hole 4, Par 3 – 154 Yards

After playing the few fairly comfortable holes with two par 5s in the first three, the fourth hole sets the tone for the next few holes. While it plays an average length of a par 3 at 154 yards, it’s not as straightforward as it looks. A challenging downhill hole that plays from an elevated tee will test the precision and judgment of players. The tee shot will be played over a gully and the native grass area to land onto a green that appears to be angled from right to left.

The contours of the green, which are hidden by the bunkering that surrounds it, demand the tee shot to land on the right side if you want a good score. And you do not want to miss it long, as there’s a steep falloff into a short grass area, and a good recovery shot from there is almost impossible. With the contours on the greens segmented into several areas, players can expect some interesting and challenging hole locations.

Hole 9, Par 5 – 484 Yards

The 9th hole plays alongside the Panther Creek to its right, which is one of the most daunting parts of the course. With the creek on the right and wetlands on the left, players will need to hit the most accurate tee shot of their lives, as there is also a bunker placed exactly in the landing zone on the fairway. While some players can try to reach the green in two, it’s only for the brave. The green is elevated and surrounded by deep bunkers and slopes towards the player, making it more challenging for the ball to stay on the green.

While the tee shot will be the deciding factor for your next shot, laying up on this par 5 also has its challenges. Because anything short of the green will either find the bunkers, or if you miss it right, you’d be fishing for your ball from the water. The left side has no mercy either, with ringed bunkers shrinking the ideal landing zone for your second shot. It might be a hole to walk away with a birdie or even an eagle, but it will depend on the players’ decision-making skills and accuracy.

Hole 15, Par 4 – 316 Yards

The shortest par 4 on the course, the 15th hole, is the signature hole. Playing only 316 yards off the tee, this will be a game-changing hole for explosive hitters off the tee, as some players could try to aim to reach the green in one based on the tee location. But pulling it off is no easy task, as massive, deep bunkers guard the front and right side of the green, and unless you’re spectacular from the sand, you do not want to miss it to the right.

The fairway is also a steep uphill ride to the green, which is set on a ridge. While some aggressive players might aim for the green, for those who can’t, it’s best to stay on the right side of the fairway for a better-angled approach to the green. Missing the green on any side will leave a tricky recovery. And the bowl-shaped green, which features a false front, is where we might see scores going haywire. The green is segmented in ways that it’s not good enough just to be on the green, and with tricky hole locations, it’s crucial to bring out your best lag putting on this eye-catching hole.

Hole 16, Par 4 – 456 Yards

The 16th hole is a hole where you might step on the elevated tee feeling extremely confident of your drive because it has no bunkers on the entire hole. But Gil Hanse and his team designed it in a way that you are tricked into believing that this is one of the easier holes. While it plays long for a par 4 on the LPGA Tour, the tricky part is the strong left-to-right cross slope in the fairways that moves towards the Panther Creek. It runs along the entire hole, but if your tee shot lands too close to the creek, you will have a better view of the green, unlike from the left side of the fairway, from where you will see a big mound on the left side of the green.

Approach shots will need to be carefully thought of, as most players will go in with a rescue or a long iron to the square green. If your shot does not have enough spin, you can expect your ball to be over the green with the creek waiting to gobble up wayward shots. Anything short of the green will need to carry over the ridge, which is about 40 yards from the green to the left. The traditional square-shaped green and the contour of the hole will require players to put out their best shot-shaping skills on this hole.

Hole 17, Par 3—123 Yards

Coming to the penultimate hole on the course, the 17th might be the shortest par 3 on the course, but it is definitely one of the most challenging holes. The tee-off needs to be played across a wetland to land onto a wide, shallow green, which is lined with two bunkers to its front and right. The hole might be short, and your miss can be right or left, but you’ll need the right club to carry over the bunkers, but also not too far.

It can get extremely tricky if there is wind blowing, especially on the right side of the green where it is the narrowest. Players can expect one of the pin locations to be on this thin, narrow part of the green, which is perilously close to the bunkers and wetland. Players witnessing this course for the first time will need their distance control in check. Anything short can still have a possibility of making an up and down for par, but anything long or too far from the flag could even lead to a bogey or beyond. We can expect some low numbers on this hole, but don’t be surprised if you see many players regretting their mistakes.

With 156 players in the field, it features 12 past champions, including Nelly Korda, who won her first major at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2021, and Amy Yang, who won this title in 2024 at Sahalee Country Club. Lydia Ko, who is ranked No. 3 in the world rankings, is also looking to claim her first Women’s PGA Championship title this week.