‘Thought We Were Friends’: Amidst Gearing Up For $9,000,000 Major, LPGA Tour Stars Poke Fun at Each Other

The LPGA season is set to get extremely busy down the road, with four majors taking place over the next two months. The hectic stretch for players kicks off with the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, with the biggest names on the Tour teeing it up at the Baltusrol Golf Club.

However, despite the frenzied few days of golf that lay ahead of them, two LPGA stars found the time to have some fun, albeit at the behest of each other. Let’s dive in to find out more!

LPGA stars hilariously take potshots at each other ahead of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

Fresh off her latest win, Ireland’s Leona Maguire is currently eyeing her first-ever major win at the Women’s PGA Championship. During the final round of the recently concluded Meijer LPGA Classic, Maguire came from behind to pick up her second LPGA Tour title, even producing four birdies and an eagle in her final six holes.

Hoping to repeat her heroics in the coming days, Maguire got down to practice at Baltusrol in the wee hours of the day on Wednesday, as evidenced by fellow LPGA Tour compatriot Anna Nordqvist’s social media update. “I thought we were friends @leonamaguire,” wrote Nordqvist, sharing a photo of the Irish golfer practicing at a distance from her in her Instagram story. “Clearly needed space this am at 6:20 with two people on the range.”

In another story, the Swedish player shared a snap of Maguire from up close, writing, “She must like me after all.” The Meijer LPGA Classic winner later reshared the pictures, referring to herself and Nordqvist as “early birds.”

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While Maguire gears up to nab her first, Nordqvist is hoping to win the fourth major of her career. Her last major victory had come at the Women’s British Open in 2021.

What to watch out for at the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship?

With 43 of the top 50 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking in the 156-player field this year, the 69th edition of the Women’s PGA Championship promises great thrills and excitement to fans. The tournament will be held from June 22–25 at the Baltusrol Lower Course, a venue that has hosted 11 other major professional events in the past.

This year, the field is playing for a $9,000,000 prize purse, matching the amount of money on offer during the previous year’s edition. South Korea’s In Gee Chun, who won the title at the Congressional last year, will be playing to defend her title. Back then, she had won by one shot against second-placed Lexi Thompson and Minjee Lee, both of whom are part of this year’s stacked field as well.

2021 winner Nelly Korda returns to action once again following her struggles with a back injury. World No. 1 Jin Young Ko has her eyes set on a third major win. This week, Ko will also be hoping to overtake legend Lorena Ochoa for the most number of weeks spent at the top of  theworld rankings. Golfing prodigy Rose Zhang, who had a fairytale professional debut at the Mizuho Americas Open, is also a big fan favorite in the tournament.

The eventual winner of the trophy will walk away with $1,350,000 in earnings. Meanwhile, the runner-up will pocket $848,929 in winnings.

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Which golfer are you rooting for to win the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship? Let us know in the comments!