Renowned Minnesota Venue to host its Third Women’s Major Championship
CHASKA, Minn. (June 9, 2017) – Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, has been selected as the site of the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
This will be the first time the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is at Hazeltine National and the first time this women’s major championship is played in the state of Minnesota. The Championship will be conducted June 20-23, 2019, is a collaboration between the PGA of America, LPGA and KPMG, and focuses on the development, advancement and empowerment of women on and off the golf course.
Hazeltine National Golf Club -- site of the U.S. Ryder Cup Team’s 17-11 victory in the 41st Ryder Cup -- began its tradition of hosting major championships more than 50 years ago. The Club has hosted the 1966 and 1977 U.S. Women’s Open; the 1970 and 1991 U.S. Open; the 1983 U.S. Senior Open; and the 2002 and 2009 PGA Championships.
“The PGA of America is delighted to bring the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and the greatest women players in the world, to one of the our country’s great venues and the site of the 2016 Ryder Cup,” said PGA of America Chief Executive Officer Pete Bevacqua. “Hazeltine National Golf Club was built to host majors and its membership, along with exceptional sports fans throughout Minnesota, embrace golf. We are excited for what lies ahead in 2019 and for our continued relationship of major championship golf at Hazeltine that will continue well into the future.”
The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, broadcast in partnership with NBC and Golf Channel, connects a world-class, annual major golf championship with a women’s leadership summit (KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit) and an ongoing charitable initiative (KPMG Future Leaders Program) to inspire and develop new generations of female leaders.
“We are committed to elevating women on and off the golf course through the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and bringing this event to Hazeltine National Golf Club provides another world-class course on which the world’s best women golfers can compete,” said Lynne Doughtie, KPMG U.S. Chairman and CEO. “The KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit, which will be held on-site the day before the start of the Championship, is forging paths for the next generation of women leaders to move into the C-suite.”
The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship field of 156 includes the top eight finishers from the previous year’s LPGA Teaching & Club Professional National Championship, including PGA of America women members if they rank among the eight positions, plus the winner of the PGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship.
The Championship, which offers a purse among the highest in women’s golf, is operated by the PGA of America in close collaboration with the LPGA.
Designed by Robert Trent Jones in 1962 and enhanced by his son, Rees Jones in 2002 and 2005, Hazeltine National Golf Club takes its name from nearby Lake Hazeltine. The par-72 layout blends the rolling hills, lakes, mature woods and prairies of the Upper Midwest and is consistently ranked amongst America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses.
The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship continues the rich tradition of the LPGA Championship, which will be contested this year at Olympia Fields (Illinois) Country Club, June 29 – July 2.
“We’re thrilled to bring the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship to yet another prestigious venue with such a strong championship pedigree to test the best women golfers in the world,” said LPGA Chief Commercial Officer Jon Podany. “We’re also excited to return to the Twin Cities area where the fan support has been terrific at previous U.S. Women’s Opens and the Solheim Cup in past years.”
The LPGA Championship began in 1955, five years after the birth of the Ladies Professional Golf Association. Past champions include legendary players Mickey Wright, Betsy Rawls, Kathy Whitworth, Nancy Lopez, Juli Inkster, Annika Sorenstam, Se Ri Pak and Inbee Park.
With Hazeltine’s selection, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championships will visit a Midwestern site for a third consecutive year. The 2018 Championship will be conducted at Kemper Lakes Golf Club in Kildeer, Illinois.
For more information about KPMG, visit www.KPMG.com/WomensLeadership
For more information about the Ladies Professional Golf Association, visit www.LPGA.com
For more information about the PGA of America, visit www.pga.org
For more about the Championship, visit www.kpmgwomenspgachampionship.com
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