LPGA Legend Slams Women's PGA Setup Amid Slow Play Controversy

Newsweek

22-06-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Just weeks ago, Lexi Thompson had to post a personal message on Instagram after receiving backlash at the U.S. Women's Open. Critics blamed her for the slow pace following her rounds with Charley Hull and Nelly Korda.
Thompson addressed it, saying: "I'll be the first one to say I'm not as fast as my playing partners the two days, but I'm also the last person that wants to be out there for six hours."
Sadly, the issue is haunting golfers again, and this time it's the Women's PGA Championship under fire.
The first two rounds at Field Ranch East saw major delays. Players battled not just the brutal Texas heat and swirling winds, but also a course setup that many say made good golf nearly impossible.
LPGA legend Stacy Lewis was one of them, who missed the cut after rounds of 78 and 76.
"Today it was just hole locations again, on sides of hills," she told Golfweek's journalist on Friday.
BRADENTON, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 07: Stacy Lewis of the United States looks on from the third green during the second round of the Founders Cup presented by U.S. Virgin Islands 2025 at Bradenton Country Club...
BRADENTON, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 07: Stacy Lewis of the United States looks on from the third green during the second round of the Founders Cup presented by U.S. Virgin Islands 2025 at Bradenton Country Club on February 07, 2025 in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by) More
Getty Images
"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".
Lewis, a two-time major winner and former Solheim Cup captain, believes the setup is hurting the pace and viewers' engagement.
"We had such a good run with this championship at very good golf courses and then we come here," she said.
"The issue of this all too is, make us look good. We're trying to get more people to watch women's golf... and setups like this, they don't help us. This is when we have our biggest stages, network TV and all of that, and we're making very good players look silly".
Major winner Stacy Lewis wasn't alone
Brooke Henderson also called out the eighth hole, saying, "It's a very firm green and the wind is very strong right to left and down, so it's very tough to hold the green".
Nelly Korda, who sits tied for 6th at 2-over after a gritty even-par 72 on Saturday, echoed the frustration.
"There is just like no momentum in it," she said, referencing the long waits between holes. "You don't want to be spending 20 minutes and getting up to the next tee... it's another 15 minutes."
Korda has seen this before. At last year's Annika Tournament, she won despite a final round that dragged into near darkness due to delays.
"You just kind of have to go with it," she continued. "Everyone is going through it... you just have to be really creative and really patient."
U.S. Women's Open champion Maja Stark also weighed in, particularly on the par-3 eighth.
"I was trying to go long and right of that pin, but it was howling right to left... you don't want to get stuck in the bunkers because they're so deep," she said. "It's very annoying when it's like that, but it's just the mindset switch you need to have".
It's surprising to see these issues persist, especially after the LPGA's recent policy overhaul. But with new CEO Craig Harmon set to take over in July, there's hope that course setup and pace-of-play enforcement will finally align with the tour's ambitions.
As of Saturday, Minjee Lee lead the championship at 6-under after a third-round 69. Jeeno Thitikul, who led early, slipped to second at 2-under. Lexi Thompson, Miyu Yamashita, and Hye-Jin Choi are tied for third at 1-over.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda is part of a four-way tie for sixth at 2-over, alongside Leona Maguire, Yealimi Noh, and Chisato Iwai.
More Golf: Tommy Fleetwood Breaks Silence After Jab Over Zero PGA Tour Win