2026 KPMG Women's PGA Championship Winners, Losers

Welcome to the first installment of my weekly column (name to be determined) where I’ll be diving into a myriad of golf topics from women's golf — where I caddied for six-plus years on the LPGA — to amateur golf — where I still hold my 40-year-old dream of attempting to be competitive against college kids — or anything else in the golf world I find interesting. With the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship now in the rearview, I thought it would be worthwhile to dive into my winners and losers from Hazeltine. 

Winners

Dewi Weber

The breakout, underdog story of the championship was Dewi Weber, who made her way into contention on Sunday. The free-swinging Dane recovered after a stumble midway through the back nine of the final round to place T-3 for not only her best finish in an LPGA event (let alone a major), but the best finish by any Danish player in a women’s major. The top-five finish also came with some hefty financial benefits that Weber said ”takes some stress — honestly a lot of stress away from my life.” In one week, Dewi earned just less than her career LPGA earnings to this point, a major lift for any veteran, journeywoman pro. A new wrinkle for Dewi is she now has a shot at the Solheim Cup, but it won’t be easy. Dewi has fully committed to the LPGA and is not a member of the Ladies European Tour, which you need to be to represent Europe in the Solheim Cup. Dewi would need to win one of the co-sanctioned LPGA/LET events this summer, or find a way to win an LET event and take up membership, similar to Matilda Castren in 2021. 

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Ina Yoon

After a T-4 at the Chevron earlier this season, Ina Yoon made a clutch birdie on the 18th at Hazeltine to finish solo-second at the KPMG and earn the largest paycheck of her career. The South Korean also moved up 22 spots to 17th in the world. While the weekend wasn't exactly what she wanted, Ina was grateful for the experience as she continues to learn what it takes to win at the highest level. Based on what I’ve seen this year, I wouldn't be surprised at all if she picks off a win before season’s end. Ina has been resilient in the aftermath of a scandal that left her suspended from the KLPGA for three years, a situation that was less cheating and moreso a young player being led down the wrong path by poor advice from those around her. Ina is a prolific driver of the ball with a rhythmic swing that's a joy to watch. Look for her to be one of the top Koreans going forward. 

Alison Lee

Despite battling some neck pain over the weekend, Alison Lee continued the great form that led her to the 36-hole lead at last month’s U.S. Women’s Open and quietly racked up her best finish in a major with a T-5 at the KPMG. It appears the discomfort slowed down her swing, helping her find a better tempo to compete at Hazeltine. Alison clearly has the U.S. Solheim Cup team in her sights and keeps moving up both the points list and the world ranking, giving her two chances to make the team headed to Amsterdam in the fall. I just hope she has a lay-flat seat for her neck on the trip to Europe in July for the last two majors. 

Brittany Henderson

Wait, don't you mean Brooke Henderson, who finished T-3 for her best major finish since 2024? Nope, I definitely mean Brooke’s sister, Brittany, her longtime caddie who had to put down the bag for a stretch this season for the birth of her first child. Sahalee, named after the pair’s breakout win at the 2016 KPMG at Sahalee Country Club, was born in the early hours Thursday morning before the first round. Congrats to Brooke, Brittany, and her husband, Zach, on the new addition to the family. My question: Do new aunts play with more perspective, too? 

Losers 

Hazeltine and the PGA of America 

I think I'm good with seeing Hazeltine on my TV screen for a while. Between the KPMG and the U.S. Amateur in 2024, I’ve gotten my dose of the Jones family's attempt at brutalism. I don't think the PGA of America put its best foot forward with the setup of this championship. The brutally long par 5s never tested players from a risk/reward perspective, and players wore out their 6- and 7-irons after playing a mix of par 4s and 3s from similar lengths. Also, can we stop making arbitrary par 4s drivable for the sake of entertainment? The PGA moved the 16th tee Saturday up to 240 yards and put the pin in the easiest hole location on the green to turn one of the hardest holes on the course into a glorified par 3. I hope we see a better attempt at setup next year at Congressional. I’m also ready to see Davis Love III and Scot Sherman get to work at Hazeltine, despite the PGA of America holding them back until after the 2029 Ryder Cup. 

TV Windows

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols was once again beating the drum in frustration over the women teeing off at 9 a.m. and playing in threesomes to hit their allotted NBC window early on Sunday afternoon ahead of the PGA Tour broadcast. I understand the frustration. I have also lived in this reality for so long that I've just come to accept it. I’d rather the women finish their major championship with all the attention on them earlier in the day than compete against the PGA Tour. The greater golf world will never clear the way for women to have all the spotlight, but it's time for LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler to get creative with a network partner and give the ladies the exposure they deserve. 

‍Charley Hull, Minjee Lee, and Hannah Green

These top 10 players in the world all missed the weekend at Hazeltine. Charley is the most surprising after such a strong finish at the recent U.S. Women’s Open, and will need to bounce back if she wants to continue the recent streak of English champions at the AIG Women's Open at Royal Lytham in a few weeks. With only one top 10 so far this season, Minjee is the least surprising. Hannah got off to a stellar start to the season and was arguably the hottest women's golfer until Nelly Korda began her string of victories. However, battling a two-way miss with the driver kept Green from producing the same magic from her maiden major victory during her last visit to Hazeltine in 2019.