Hazeltine is the first of several courses typically used for men's majors that the Women's PGA will visit soonGETTY IMAGES
The KPMG Women's PGA Championship teed off this morning at Hazeltine National Golf Club just outside Minneapolis, and the fact that the LPGA was "able to lock in a major championship at a venue typically reserved for the PGA Tour should do wonders in continuing to grow the game," according to Dane Mizutani of the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. Everything from the "picturesque drive up to the clubhouse to the larger-than-life feel of the actual golf course" has proved this is "indeed the perfect place to host this year’s Women’s PGA Championship." That has been the "resounding theme this week no matter who was sitting at the dais, with pretty much everyone" agreeing that this feels "like a major championship." Golfer Danielle Kang said playing at Hazeltine "shows that we’ve come a long ways to be here" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 6/20). In Minneapolis, Jerry Zgoda notes the Women's PGA Championship in coming years will head to "men’s major championship venues" such as Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey in '23 and Congressional Country Club near DC in '27. Golfer Stacy Lewis said that she "appreciates everything about this week’s championship, from what she calls 'the builds' around the adjacent ninth and 18th greens to drinks and snacks set out for players around the golf course." She added, "You drive in here and it feels big, from the clubhouse to the range to the practice areas. ... That’s what a major championship should be" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 6/20).
