It took Nelly Korda, one of the fastest players on the LPGA circuit, 3 hours and 9 minutes to play the front nine on Saturday in a twosome at the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Despite the sweltering heat and windy conditions, her complaint was against the course setup. At a post-round press conference, she said, “The hole locations are kind of in almost impossible positions, where not many people are hitting the greens, so obviously it’s going to take a lot more time.” Other LPGA pros voiced similar complaints.
“Today it was just hole locations again, on the sides of hills. Then you throw the wind in there; there was no way to stop it on No. 8 again today. We should be playing the front of that tee, probably 120 yards … can’t hold the green,” Stacy Lewis expressed in response to the slow play debate during the first round. Now, two golf insiders have dismissed the complaints, stating that such conditions are par for major championships.
Meg Adkins and Matthew Galloway sat down for a recent episode of The Mixed Bag and couldn’t help but indulge in this particular conversation. Discussing the complaints, Adkins began, “Minjee looked good. Jeeno looked good. Like, you had players who looked good in this setup. That is not the job of a major championship, that it gives me the sense of, ‘We need to manipulate how these courses are played to make the players look good. It’s like—no, you’re all incredible athletes, world-class athletes. I really, really struggle with that sentiment.” Galloway seemed to be on board with Adkins and added, “Yeah, it’s a major. Should be hard. It should be difficult.” And their comments aren’t entirely misplaced.
Take into account Minjee Lee, who recorded the only bogey-free round of the week on Saturday, finishing with a score of 4-under 68 after 72 holes. Or Jeeno Thitikul, who, though she finished the tournament at 1 over, finished her 3 rounds in the 70s. Additionally, Lee agreed that though the wind conditions made the course difficult to play, “It wasn’t even like the golf course layout itself. I mean, I think it was fine.” However, despite this dismissive attitude towards the complaints, the LPGA golfers did struggle at Fields Ranch East.
Take into account the Saturday stats, for instance. The scoring average on Saturday was 76.065, marking the highest round in a major championship on the LPGA in a decade. The opening par 5 was the most challenging, and according to LPGA stats expert Justin Ray, its average of 5.603 is the highest scoring average for an opening hole in the last 30 years on tour.
So, what is the problem here? Was the Fields Ranch East too difficult to play, or was the elite LPGA roster not ready for it? Well, long courses on the LPGA Tour have also resulted in higher scores, as per the 2022 stats.
The conversations around LPGA courses are age-old, and Mel Reid has a solution
In March 2001, Annika Sorenstam made history by becoming the first player in LPGA history to shoot a score of 59 during the Standard Register Ping at Moon Valley Country Club in Phoenix. That day, she recorded an impressive 13 birdies, hit every green, and needed only 25 putts on the 6,459-yard course. Reflecting on her achievement, Sorenstam noted, “It is a mental barrier. I feel like if somebody breaks it, it’s like, Well, now we know it’s possible.”
By 2022, the disparity in scoring opportunities between the LPGA and PGA Tour remained stark, with only six scores of 60 or better recorded on the LPGA, compared to 52 on the PGA Tour, which included 11 rounds of 59. Aside from that, Sorenstam’s 2001 Moon Valley Country Club record still stands!
The conversation around LPGA course setups continued to evolve, as many players and analysts raised concerns about the length and difficulty of the courses. In 2022, Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee highlighted that the average LPGA course length in 2019 was about 6,400 yards, while major championships often stretched to 6,600 to 6,800 yards.
Fast forward to 2025, and the discussion around course setups remained relevant as LPGA player Mel Reid addressed the challenges faced during the Fields Ranch East tournament. She explained how average distances for both the LPGA and PGA Tour influenced course setups, particularly at Fields Ranch, which played around 6,600 yards.
Reid suggested, “We need to narrow the fairways, move the players up to play in between 6,200 and 6,400 yards, all while beefing up the rough to display the accuracy and other strengths of these athletes.” The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is set to return to Fields Ranch East in 2031. Let’s see whose opinion on this particular matter stands heavier.
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