News
5 Things We Learned: Friday at the Women’s PGA
![](https://www.golfwrx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/SCC.08.25.15.T.102.jpg)
Not every shot comes off as planned, and not every golfer makes it to the weekend. As we see below, sometimes you do what has to be done, even if it means a complete 180. Sahalee is not your typical championship course. When it arrived on the major championship scene in 1998, it claimed a solid champion in Vijay Singh. It also claimed great outcry, for the narrow nature of its fairways. Workability of shots was lost, some claimed. Few recovery options from beneath those trees, others cried. Well, that’s golf in the Pacific Northwest, at least at Sahalee.
The 2024 Women’s PGA is the second at the venerable club, eight years after Brooke Henderson won her first major title in a playoff. As often happens with the grand events, a mix of veterans and hopetobees has arrived in the final groups. The next 36 holes of play will bring drama and great viewing. How did we get here? Have a look at our five things we learned from day two at the 2024 Women’s PGA Championship.
Do you have this shot in the bag? ?#KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/naihqnxfPs
— KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (@KPMGWomensPGA) June 22, 2024
1. First in the house: Sarah Schmelzel
I wrote about Cheyenne Knight making a move on Sunday. I was incorrect. It was Sarah Schmelzel who jumped up on Friday. The South Carolina alumna from Arizona etched six birdies against a single bogey on day two, to jump from one under to six deep, and from 14th to 1st position.
Schmelzel will tee it up in the day’s final game, tied with Amy Yang. In March, Schmelzel posted a second-place finish at Blue Bay, her best result on tour. She tied for 15th in last year’s PGA Championship; her best major finish as a professional was also at the PGA. In 2019, she came 14th. Sahalee would be a wonderful place for a double breakthrough (first LPGA and Major titles) but there are 36 fairways along the path, and much learning ahead.
How much learning? We couldn’t find video of her on Twitter, until we went back to her time as a USG Gamecock. Odds are, we’ll see a few reels on that platform today!
Sarah Schmelzel has no problem finding the fairway. She has shot par or better the last two rounds. #NCAAGolf pic.twitter.com/3TWubMUHPp
— Gamecock Women’s Golf (@GamecockWGolf) May 23, 2016
2. Next to the top: Amy Yang
If there were a trivia question about most top-five finishes in LPGA majors, without a major title on the resume, well, you know where I’m headed. Three at the Chevron; five at the US Open; two at the PGA; three at the British. That’s 13 top-five finishes for Amy Yang since 2010. If we add top-ten results, she has eight more.
How has Amy Yang not won a major championship? None of us around the coffee shop has any idea. She has five LPGA titles to her credit, and she seems to be the sort of disciplined golfer that wins major titles. On Friday, Yang drilled home four birdies for 68, and joined Sarah Schmelzel at the top of the pyramid. She and Schmelzel will be joined by Hinako Shibuno in the day’s final triumvirate. Yang’s card has been clean since the 4th green on day one. Continued pursuit of that scoring system will no doubt bring her again to the top five. Perhaps she can finally be the top one in Washington state.
Amy Yang finishes her round in STYLE! ?
She is tied for the lead heading into Moving Day! #KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/yUCFNKjifn
— KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (@KPMGWomensPGA) June 22, 2024
3. Lexi hangs tough
Lexi Thompson has a pair of major titles on her resume. As she heads toward an announced retirement, she no doubt looks back with both smiles and frowns. Great champions always look back and see “I dids” and “What ifs.” If you’re not pulling for Amy Yang to break through, or Sarah S to double break through, you should be pulling for Lexi T to head off with one more major title.
Lexi stood seven-under par as she turned to Sahalee’s first nine holes, her second of the day. Four holes later, she had lost three shots, to double and single bogeys at two and four. Birdie at six, and bogey at eight, and Thompson was in for even-par 72, but not out of the running. She’ll peg her ball on Saturday in the penultimate trio, alongside Jin Young Ko and Hae Ran Ryu. Thompson’s quest is simple: make some birdies and avoid the bogeys.
It will be tough to catch Sarah Schmelzel but Lexi Thompson is up for the task after her second round! #KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/XKfxCIqHAz
— KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (@KPMGWomensPGA) June 21, 2024
4. Jin Young and Hinako rise to podium
Both JIn Young Ko and Hinako Shibuno are major champions. Each also has a set of nearly-dids on their resumes. Last month, Shibuno came second at the US Open. Ko hasn’t found the magic since a ninth-place tie at Chevron in 2023, but is too good a major-championship golfer to stay away for long.
Shibuno will tee off in Saturday’s final game, while Ko will be one group ahead. Shibuno has posted four birdies against two bogeys, each of the first two day. If she keeps up with that pattern, she’ll reach minus-eight by Sunday evening. Depending on course conditions and weather, that might be enough. As for Ko, Thursday’s four-birdie, four-bogey card was replaced by one that contained five birdies and one solitary miscue. More of the later, will give her the opportunity to add major title number three to her Wiki.
Hinako Shibuno with the absolute dart ?
Check out the rest of Round 1 on @GolfChannel! pic.twitter.com/5c3SGtVNHv
— LPGA (@LPGA) June 21, 2024
5. The ones we shall miss
Inexplicably, Nelly Korda once again suffered through an undesirable round in a major title. She began round two with four consecutive bogeys, and added a fifth at the sixth hole. She did not make her first birdie until the closing green; it served to bring her one shot shy of the cut line. She will be back, and soon, and all in golf hope that she is able to sort out the current malady. Golf needs Nelly.
Miss Korda wasn’t the only surprise struggler at Sahalee. Pornanong Phatlum, Nasa Hataoka, US Open challenger Wichanee Meechai, and Carlota Ciganda were there in the end, staring across the gate at the weekend. Sahalee is an acquired taste, bowling-alley narrow in spots, and symbolic of the extraordinary trees that inhabit the region. If your driving game isn’t on, recovery from the hardwood is nigh impossible.
Nelly Korda played this from the bunker perfectly ??#KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/NisDs2fPdw
— KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (@KPMGWomensPGA) June 21, 2024
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Courses
Open Championship courses you can play (and when the best time to book is)
![](https://www.golfwrx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/royal-troon-golf-club-004-1.jpg)
The final major of 2024 is nearly here as the top golfers head to Scotland’s southwestern coast to battle for the claret jug at Royal Troon. Golf’s original major dates all the way back to 1860 and has been played at 14 different courses throughout the United Kingdom (yes, this includes Northern Ireland) providing countless memories including celebrations, heartbreak, and unique moments that will never be forgotten (looking at you Jordan Spieth).
With The Open teeing off less than a week from now, we wanted to highlight some of The Open Championship’s finest links courses that should play when you make the journey to golf’s homeland:
- Old Course at St. Andrews
- Carnoustie
- Muirfield
- Royal Portrush
- Royal Troon
- Royal Birkdale
- Royal St George’s
Old Course at St. Andrews
Do we even need to say anything else? The “Home of Golf”, host of 30 Open Championships, the most coveted tee time in the WORLD, there are a million reasons to have St. Andrews on your links golf bucket list. From the double greens, to the tee shot over the Old Course Hotel, to the walk up 18th fairway with the town buildings framing a picturesque scene (especially at dusk), every golfer should make the voyage to St Andrews at least once in their life.
Carnoustie
![](https://www.golfwrx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Carnoustie-Championship-15th.jpg)
Carnoustie – Championship Course
Roughly 25 miles north of St. Andrews lies the devious links of Carnoustie, often recognized by the large white Carnoustie Golf Hotel as the backdrop of the 18th green. While the course has only hosted The Open 8 times, it is considered to be one of the hardest layouts in The Open rota (just ask Jean Van de Velde) although not that long, playing just under 7000 yards from the tips.
Muirfield
Located right next to this week’s host of Scottish Open (The Renaissance Club), this fantastic links layout has hosted the prestigious Championship 16 times since 1892. The narrow fairways and penal rough requires precise shots off the tee while avoiding the devious pot bunkers is a must. The course is set away from the coastline so you won’t get the sweeping ocean views, but a round at Muirfield is one the premier tee times in all of Scotland (so make sure you book early – 12-18 months at least).
Royal Portrush
![](https://www.golfwrx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Royal-Portrush-Hero-Landscape.jpg)
A view of the new 572 yards par 5, seventh hole designed by Martin Ebert on the Dunluce Course at Royal Portrush Golf Club the host club for the 2019 Open Championship in Portrush, Northern Ireland. © 2018 Rob Durston
Our next stop brings us across the Irish Sea to the northern coast of Northern Ireland and the popular Royal Portrush. Having hosted The Open only twice in its illustrious history, Royal Portrush is a golfer’s dream with 36 holes of pure links golf set against a gorgeous backdrop of the ocean and cliffs. The Open Championship will return to Portrush in 2025 and YOU CAN BE THERE to watch it all in person!
Royal Troon
![](https://www.golfwrx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/royal-troon-golf-club-004-1.jpg)
TROON – JULY 26: General view of the ‘Postage Stamp’ par 3, 8th hole taken during a photoshoot held on July 26, 2003 at the Royal Troon Golf Club, venue for the 2004 Open Championships, in Troon, Scotland. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
The host of this year’s Open Championship, Royal Troon is home to one of the best par-3 holes in all of golf, “The Postage Stamp.” A downhill 125-yard tee shot to a minuscule green surrounded by bunkers on all sides makes it one of the more challenging holes. Another hole that adds to the challenge is the 601-yard par 5 that used to be the longest golf hole in Open Championship history. This year will be the 10th Open Championship held at Royal Troon, the first since 2016 when Mickelson and Stenson had a battle for the ages in the final round.
Royal Birkdale
For the next course on the list, we have to head down to the northwest coast of England just outside of Liverpool. Consistently ranked in the Top 10 courses in all the UK, this 10-time host of The Open has hosted many other prestigious events such as Ryder Cups, Women’s Opens, and more! The course is laid out with fairways running through flat-bottomed valleys surrounded by high dunes which provide many blind shots throughout the course. The Open returns to Royal Birkdale in 2026 so it won’t be long before it is back in the spotlight.
Royal St. George’s
For the final course on our list, we are staying in England, but heading across to the southeastern side of the country to Kent. Royal St. George’s is 4th on the list of most Open Championships hosted with 15 (1 behind Muirfield) the most recent being Collin Morikawa’s victory in 2021. RSG is the only active course on The Open rota in this part of the UK, but two former hosts (Prince’s and Royal Cinque Ports) are within 3 miles of the property. The expansive course is laid out with holes separated by dunes with heavy rough, undulating fairways, and deep pot bunkers to challenge your game. While it may not be mentioned in the discussions of St. Andrews, Carnoustie, and the like, Royal St. George’s is still a Championship layout that is worth the trip across the pond.
With these big-name courses in such high demand, it is important to note that if you want to play them, you need to start planning your trip early. Golfbreaks by PGA TOUR, the world’s #1 rated golf tour operator, suggests planning and booking your trip at least 12-18 months in advance in order to secure a tee time at the courses you want. The UK & Ireland specialists at Golfbreaks by PGA TOUR have the knowledge to help tailor the perfect golf trip for your group so you can play big-name courses and hidden gems you might not have heard of. If you’re ready to start planning your bucket list trip across the pond, make life easier and go with Golfbreaks by PGA TOUR.
Editor’s note: This article is presented in partnership with Golfbreaks. When you make a purchase through links in this article, GolfWRX may earn an affiliate commission.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 ISCO Championship
![](https://www.golfwrx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/IMG_8560.jpeg.a9556a43a5e27e165efa1b0dcbf0ea2a.jpeg)
GolfWRX is staying stateside, traveling to Kentucky for the ISCO Championship at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky.
WITBs and custom putters are here for the viewing, including some very cool looks into the bags of some players whose setups we haven’t had the pleasure of shooting so far in 2024.
Check out all our photos from the Bluegrass State below!
General Albums
WITB Albums
- James Nicholas – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship
- Marcus Kinhult – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship
- Adrien Saddier – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship
- Stephen Stallings, Jr. – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship
- Espen Kofstad – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship
- Daniel Iceman – Kentucky PGA Section Champ – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship
- Cooper Musselman – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship
- Alex Goff – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship
- Angel Hidalgo – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship
Pullout Albums
- Kevin Streelman’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 ISCO Championship
- Cameron putter – 2024 ISCO Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying about the photos in the forums.
While you’re here, check out BK’s breakdown of the WITB of Davis Thompson, last week’s winner.
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News
Morning 9: Bradley new Ryder Cup captain | Luke Clanton’s hot streak
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