Hazeltine hosting top LPGA pros for KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

CHASKA, Minn, (FOX 9 - In less than two weeks, the best female golfers in the world will descend on the Twin Cities for the LPGA’s third major championship of the tour season.

Women’s PGA Championship returns to Hazeltine

What we know:

Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska is the 2026 site for the KMPG Women’s PGA Championship, June 25-28. It’s the latest major championship to come to Minnesota.

"It’s great, it’s wonderful to have 156 of the world’s best come back to Hazeltine. Seven years ago, we had the 2019 KMPG PGA Championship and it’s very exciting. This is what the club loves to do, part of our mission statement and we’re blessed to have them return," Kyle Brandt, head PGA professional at Hazeltine, said earlier this week at media day.

It also means two major golf events are in Minnesota in the span of the month. At the end of July, TPC Twin Cities in Blaine is hosting the PGA’s 3M Open.

‘Hazeltine is built for major championships’

Why you should care:

This year’s KMPG Women’s PGA Championship is the 11th major Hazeltine has hosted. They’re also celebrating 60 years of women’s golf at the club, with the first major they hosted being the 1966 U.S. Women’s Open.

Hazeltine has become a standard when it comes to venues hosting major events. The club says it’s their mission statement to host majors, even club members are on board when they sign membership agreements. About 300 members will be volunteering at the event.

They’ve got the support from the tour, members and the infrastructure to host major events.

"When we sign our membership agreements, we all agree to investing in these championships, including being involved. We all volunteer, it’s our mission statement to host championship golf an it’s really in our DNA," said Greta Siedow, a former Hazeltine employee who is now the general chair for the KMPG Women’s PGA Championship.

Here are the other majors Hazeltine has hosted, in addition to the 2019 and 2026 Women’s PGA Championship:

• U.S. Women’s Open (1966 and 1970)
• U.S. Open (1970 and 1991)
• 1983 U.S. Senior Open
• 2002 PGA Championship
• U.S. Amateur (2006 and 2024)
• Ryder Cup (2016 and 2029)

Hazeltine will become the first American venue to host a Ryder Cup twice. It’s also hosted several other USGA-sanctioned events, and the NCAA Tournament.

"Hazeltine represents so much. It’s the actual course and true test of champions, and that has it. It also has the support of the community, their leadership, their board, their membership that want to make this a championship operation and make this course a destination for championships," said Terry Clark, CEO of the PGA of America. "It also has a lot of the infrastructure to meet the modern game and the number of fans. All those come together and it stands out."

The tournament

The backstory:

The field will consist of the best 156 players on the LPGA Tour. They’ll face every test imaginable from water to lightning-fast green and rough as thick as three inches. Brandt says they can make the course as difficult as it needs to be for major championship standards.

"It starts from the first tee all the way to the last putt. We’ve got narrow fairways, we’ve got some big bunkers, we can be as long as we need to be but can also trim it back a little bit. The ladies are going to play 6,500 to 6,700 yards, which is our normal gold tee. We can stretch it all the way back to 7,500 yards," Brandt said.

The PGA is constantly making efforts to grow the game of golf. More than eight million women played golf in 2025. At this year’s tournament, up to four kids 15-and-under can get in free with one ticketed adult.

Nelly Korda chasing history?

Dig deeper:

The LPGA features five major tournaments every year. Nelly Korda, the No. 1 player in the world, won the first two in the Chevron and most recently the U.S. Women’s Open. That featured a thrilling finish as she nearly missed a two-foot putt that would’ve forced a playoff. She comes to Hazeltine with a chance to continue the season-long grand slam.

"Nelly is on such a great ride right now, and the opportunity to come here and what that could be here is amazing. It’s an easy one to say that we’re excited to see Nelly at the top of her game," Clark said.

In her way are Hannah Green, who won the 2019 tournament when Hazeltine last hosted it, and defending champion Minjee Lee, among a host of others.

The tournament gives Minnesota golf fans a chance to watch the best in the women’s game compete at the highest level.

"Just come out and celebrate women’s golf. It’s a great experience to root along 156 of the best in the world," Brandt said.