FRISCO, TEXAS | With the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship being contested on the two-year-old Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco, pre-tournament information was hard to come by for the LPGA’s best players, most of whom were playing the Gil Hanse-designed layout for the first time.
“To be honest, there wasn’t a lot out there,” Lydia Ko said.
But that wasn’t a problem for world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, a Thai native who moved to the area two years ago and lives 20 minutes from the huge PGA Frisco complex. With her home course closed for renovation – TPC Craig Ranch, site of the PGA Tour’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson tournament – she practices at PGA Frisco regularly.
“I love being at home and love sleeping in my bed,” Thitikul said. “I mean really, really love it.”
Like many tour pros, she rents houses when she is playing on the road week to week, but she ran into a unique problem during the U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills.
“I was in an Airbnb in Wisconsin and the sun came into the window at 5 a.m. and woke me up. Here, I have my blackout curtain and it’s wonderful,” she said.
While enjoying competing at home, she became the go-to source for other players looking for a good place to eat after a long day on the course.
“Lots of requests, lots of choices,” Thitikul said.
If battling a new course in tournament conditions wasn’t enough challenge, the players had an additional foe, the traditional Texas heat. The high during Thursday’s first round was 95 degrees, and it was 94 on Friday, hardly drawing notice from locals but a shock to the system for out-of-town players and caddies.
“How do people live here?” asked Fred Rautmann, who was caddying for Hye-Jin Choi. “This is brutal.”
Officials passed out free bottles of water and the tournament had fans in the stands, but for those playing five hours on Fields Ranch East, the heat took a toll.
“When I came out of the clubhouse for my round, it was like ‘who turned on the heater?’” said Ko. “I knew Dallas was hot, but it was humid as well, so that was a bit of a shock.”
“I just keep telling my caddie, give me water, I need more water,” added Thitikul.
Every player in the field played once in the morning and once in the afternoon during the first two rounds. The leaders played in the afternoon on the weekend with temperatures still in the 90s.
“I won Singapore in the heat, so I think I can survive here,” Ko deadpanned.
Saturday’s combination of extreme heat, high winds and challenging course setup exacerbated a weeklong trend of long rounds, high scores and player complaints.
Saturday temperatures in the mid-90s and winds of 35 MPH produced a third-round scoring average of 76.065, the highest for an LPGA major round in 10 years. The par-5 first hole played to a scoring average of 5.6, the highest scoring average for an opening hole in an LPGA round in 30 years, KPMG Performance Insights lead data analyst Justin Ray posted on X.
There were 66 rounds over par in the third round, only two rounds under 70 and 11 rounds of 80 or higher. As a result, the round stretched beyond its network television window by more than an hour, with coverage of the finish moving from NBC to Peacock.
“I just think with the weather it’s just too firm,” said world No. 1 Nelly Korda, whose twosome took a little more than three hours to play the front nine in her round of 72. “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.”
Being the world’s No. 1 ranked player brings its off-course perks, and Korda talked about a few of them in advance of the KPMG Women’s PGA.
One of her latest was filming a cameo appearance in the forthcoming film “Happy Gilmore 2” along with Jack Nicklaus, Scottie Scheffler, Lee Trevino and other notable pros.
“I got to do it with Nancy Lopez which was super fun, and got to meet Adam Sandler,” Korda said. “That was way out of my comfort zone, but I’m really glad I did it. It was a fun day.”
The movie is scheduled for release on Netflix on July 25.
Last year, Korda attended the Met Gala in New York City, and she appeared in the 2025 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
“I think doing things out of my comfort zone can be fun and show me a different side,” she said.
Korda did not attend the Monday champions dinner after aggravating a neck injury during a practice session. She received treatment and, wearing medical tape on the back of her neck, said she was feeling better as the week went on.
“I hurt it last year in Vegas and it already feels better now than it did then,” Korda said before teeing off in the first round.
Amid the swirl of corporate logos LPGA players were wearing during the KPMG Women’s PGA, club professional Joanna Coe might have had the most distinctive getup – a white Merion Golf Club shirt and a white Merion hat.
The director of instruction at the famed Philadelphia-area club was one of 10 club pros who qualified for the Women’s PGA, and with birdies on Nos. 15 and 17, including a chip-in deuce on the par-3 17th, she posted an opening 76.
“Thanks,” she said, accepting congratulations on her late birdie run. “It’s just good to be out here.”
Her start at PGA Frisco was the sixth in the KPMG Women’s PGA for the six-time Mid-Atlantic PGA section women’s player of the year, who Monday-qualified for the ShopRite LPGA Classic earlier this month.
“I work at a great place with great people, so I’m glad I get a chance to do this,” said Coe, who missed the cut after shooting 79 on Friday.
The Fields Ranch East course previously hosted the 2023 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, which Steve Stricker won with a score of 19-under par while posting one of two 64s recorded over four days. During the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA, the course got its revenge.
There were a staggering 130 rounds over par and only 15 below. There were only two scores below 70 and 11 of 80 or higher. The average score in the first round was 75.77, and 15 of the 18 holes played over par.
“The seniors caught it on a rare week with little wind and new conditions. This is more the layout we expected to see,” said Paul Earnest, PGA director of golf and operations of Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco.
Club professional Heather Angell was disqualified after Thursday’s first round for signing for a score lower than she made on a hole, the first such disqualification at a women’s major this year.
In a pairing with Madison Young and Yu Lin, the players were keeping each other’s scores as is customary. Angell did not realize she had been marked for a 5 on the par-4 16th hole when she actually made a 6. She was disqualified under Rule 3.3b (3) for returning an incorrect scorecard.
In a social-media post, Angell said she didn’t do it on purpose and attributed the oversight in part to the extreme heat.
SCORING
Art Stricklin