“Just a difficult golf course,” stated Lexi Thompson while alluding to the Sahalee Country Club after her second round of play at the 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Even so, she was able to finish tied at T3 with two others while registering a score of 4-under on Friday, unlike the 83 other golfers who missed the cut.
The cutline was projected to be at +5, all thanks to the “difficult” greens that the Sahalee Country Club boasts. For some, this figure meant that they had to leave the contest earlier than most and head home for their stint at the third major of the season came to an end. Curiosity naturally arises, then, about the various athletes who missed the cut at the championship.
Top players who can’t play on Moving Day at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
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1. Nelly Korda: The Friday round at KPMG Women’s PGA Championship marked the third missed cut of the current world No. 1 in a row. One can’t help but wonder what happened to the golfer who raked in six victories on the LPGA Tour from eight starts. Unfortunately, nothing seems to be going her way, as even the 25-year-old agreed to the same, “I just feel like that’s been my last three events, just nothing is really… A lot went my way at the beginning part of the year, and just giving it back.”
The 2-time major champ scored figures of 69-81 and carded a 6-over par 150 after the two days of play. Moreover, Friday’s score for Korda was the highest she ever registered as a professional, all thanks to eight bogeys, one double bogey, and a lone birdie at the par-5, 18th, resulting in a 9-over. “No words,” said an emotional Korda, “Just going to go home and try to reset.”
2. Megan Khang: A victory in the ongoing major championship would have cemented her place in the 2024 Paris Olympics. But as fate would have it, she missed the cut at the event, causing her to stay at No. 16 on the rankings. Her figure of 1.99 in Strokes Gained Tee-To-Green per round in majors for the last two years wasn’t enough to help her qualify for the Moving Day.
The American scored a total of 13 over par overall after the two days of play at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She failed to hit a single birdie over the two rounds while dishing out 13 bogeys, nine of which came on Thursday. Khang sure wasn’t able to carry forward her momentum that helped the athlete finish T2 at the Bay Course, Seaview, in the 2024 ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer.
3. Jenny Shin: “Not ideal,” expressed a disappointed Shin after missing her first cut since the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at the Pebble Beach Golf Links. That’s not all. The golfer seemed to be extra critical of herself this time around. “Maybe it’s because I hit too many balls last week, overthinking, to prep for this week? Maybe it just doesn’t fit my game, I don’t know. Had high hopes to play decent, but now I’m looking for things to do in the weekend.”
First MC since last year’s Us open at Pebble. Maybe it’s because I hit too many balls last week, overthinking, to prep for this week? Maybe it just doesn’t fit my game, I don’t know. Had high hopes to play decent, but now im looking for things to do in the weekend, not ideal.
— Jenny Shin (@JennyShin_LPGA) June 21, 2024
The South Korean professional registered a score of 76-78 over the two days of play, thereby finishing at 154 (+10). She holed a total of nine bogeys, not to mention a triple bogey 6 at the par-3, 5th hole, as well as two birdies. The pro sure wasn’t able to replicate her performance back at the 2023 edition of the women’s major where she finished T8.
4. Carlota Ciganda: The current rank of 30 on the Rolex standings failed to make a mark at the 3rd major of the season. Moreover, she missed her third cut of the season at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the first two of which came at the LPGA Drive-On Championship and the FIR Hills Seri Park Championship.
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Ciganda, over the two rounds, scored three birdies and 10 bogeys. This caused her to put up numbers of 78–75, totaling a nine-over 153. The Spanish pro also went ahead to card a double bogey at the par-4, 8th hole on Thursday. Guess Ciganda will have to wait a bit more to increase her tally of LPGA Tour wins to three while clinching her first major victory of her professional career.
5. Alison Lee: A win at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship would have pushed her inside the top 15 or even inside the top 10 on the Rolex Rankings. This would also have helped her qualify for the 2024 Olympics while carding her first major win in her decade-long career. But she is only fated to stay at No. 18 on the rankings ahead of the Paris Games, seeing as how she missed the cut at the event.
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She put up a figure of 15 over par 159 after Friday’s play, all thanks to her scores of 81-78. The American pro did so while holing 12 bogeys and 2 double bogeys on the par-4, 7th hole on Thursday and the par-5, 11th hole on Friday. Lee’s lone birdie on the par-3, 17th hole wasn’t enough to help her push past the +5 cutline, forcing her to go home early.
These are but some of the names who failed to make the cut at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club. However, there’s no need to worry, for there are a lot of golfers remaining who wish to claim the title for themselves. Who do you think would win the 2024 edition of the major?