SAMMIMISH, Wash. – There’s something mystical about Sahalee Country Club. The towering trees so tall and resplendent that it’s easy to get lost in the beauty of the place. That is, of course, until it’s time to thread the needle of these so-called Sa-hallways.
Sandra Palmer, a recent inductee at the World Golf Hall of Fame, taught for a number of years here and joked about the need to walk single file around the tree-lined gem. This marks the second time that Sahalee has played host to the KPMG Women’s PGA, and once again, the biggest names in the game are towering among the majestic cedars, hemlock and Douglas firs.
Here’s a look at five things to note from Round 2 of the 70th KPMG Women’s PGA:
'Believe it'
Sarah Schmelzel putts on hole eighteen during the second round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
American Sarah Schmelzel vaulted to the top of the board after a 5-under 67, the low round of the week so far. Her aggressive play off the tee paid off handsomely as she recorded six birdies on the day to take the clubhouse lead at 6-under 138. Major champions Jin Young Ko, Lexi Thompson and Hinako Shibuno trail by two.
Schmelzel, 30, grew up playing one of the few tree-lined courses in Phoenix, Moon Valley Country Club. She was there in March 2001 when Annika Sorenstam carded the only 59 in LPGA history. Schmelzel’s parents have been members there since the late ’90s, and one of the guys in the bag room called her father and told him to bring the kids out. Something special was brewing.
“I don’t remember much of it other than the atmosphere,” said Schmelzel, who was pulled out of school. “But from at that point forward, I went out to Moon Valley every year that the Safeway was there and went and watched Annika and followed her around. She’s been so inspiring to my career, really just the way she worked really hard, the way she still works really hard, and the way she carries herself.”
Schmelzel, who is looking for her first LPGA title, had a stretch of four top-8 finishes early in the 2024 season that included a career-best second place at the Blue Bay LPGA in China.
Since then, it’s been a bit of a drought, with five missed cuts. Schmelzel said swing coach Chris Mayson has been instrumental not only on the technical side of her game, but the mental as well.
“I was kind of in that perfection frame of mind, like what do I need to do to play well?” said Schemzel of her mindset coming into this week. “He said, you’re going to play well. Relax and it’s going to happen. Believe it.”
'It's all about patience'
Lexi Thompson of the United States looks over a putt on the eighth hole during the second round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club on June 21, 2024 in Sammamish, Washington. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
After three birdies on the back side (her front) to start the second round, Lexi Thompson looked in command of what could be one of her last major championship starts. A double-bogey on the par-5 second, however, put a dent in the day followed by a bogey on the fourth and eighth holes.
The up-and-down round ended at even par, keeping Thompson still in the mix and in a good frame of mind at day’s end.
“It’s all about patience,” she said. “Coming into each and every day out here, you know you’re going to hit some bad shots that maybe get penalized by the trees and you have to take your medicine with either pitching out or just getting it back in position.”
Thompson announced her plans to step away from full-time golf at the end of 2024 at the U.S. Women’s Open last month. Two weeks later, she lost in a playoff at the Meijer LPGA Classic and now sits in prime position to make a run at a second major championship title.
“I was hoping for it,” said Thompson when asked if she saw a run like this coming. “That’s a better answer. I had the few weeks off before Michigan and I worked extremely hard. I was out at the golf course in Florida summer for five to seven hours a day just trying to figure out something that just clicked.”
Photos: LPGA star Lexi Thompson, who will retire at 29, through the years
Thompson struggled earlier in the year with a wrist injury that moved into her thumb. Her entire right hand would throb. The pain has been relieved in recent weeks thanks to treatment and some “pretty good painkillers.”
Cinderella returns
Hinako Shibuno of Japan walks to the 14th hole tee box during the second round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club on June 21, 2024 in Sammamish, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Hinako Shibuno put her manager, Mimi Taya, on the bag last month after her caddie went back to Japan. Taya planned to quit her second job after the U.S. Women’s Open, but then Shibuno finished second at Lancaster Country Club so Taya stayed put.
When it comes to the sudden turnaround in her game, Taya said it 100 percent comes down to the last-minute change she made with her shafts going into the opening round of the Women’s Open. The softer shafts have led to more control for the 2019 AIG Women’s Open winner.
Shibuno’s second-place finish to fellow Japanese player Yuka Saso at the Women’s Open was massive news back in Japan, where she’s a mega-star. To put it in perspective, Taya said golfers in Japan know Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama. But non-golfers know the name Shibuno.
The player known as the “Smiling Cinderella” jumped up 131 spots in the Rolex Rankings after her runner-up at the U.S. Women’s Open. She’s now 62nd.
Her second consecutive 70 included an all-time up-and-down from the hazard on the second hole.
“I opened the face and it was – I shot like a bunker shot,” she said, “and a little hard contact with the ball.”
Another Ko back in the mix
Jin Young Ko of South Korea hits an approach shot on the 14th hole during the second round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club on June 21, 2024 in Sammamish, Washington. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Former World No. 1 Jin Young Ko hasn’t won on the LPGA since May 2023 at the Cognizant Founders Cup. She hasn’t won a major since she won two in 2019 (ANA Inspiration and Evian Championship). After a second-round 68 that included 15 greens and 29 putts, Ko finds herself square in the mix. She called Sahalee a “fun” test.
“If I win the major, I’m going to cry on the green,” said Ko, laughing, “like lay down and then crying.”
Member's bounce?
Brooke Henderson poses with her plaque on the 18th hole fairway during the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club on Tuesday, June 18, 2024 in Sammamish, Washington. (Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America)
Earlier this week, Brooke Henderson was honored at Sahalee with a plaque on the par-5 18th to commemorate the 7-iron she stuffed from 155 yards to seal a victory playoff over then No. 1-ranked Lydia Ko at the 2016 KPMG. The club also made her an honorary member.
Henderson, who put a new putter in the bag this week just as she did eight years ago, shot 73-72 to sit seven back of Schmelzel. Ko, who missed the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open, shot 75-73.
