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Korean veteran looking to defend LPGA major title in Texas

Published: 17 Jun. 2025, 13:46

Amy Yang of Korea tees off on the 16th hole during the first round of the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, Michigan, on June 12. [GETTY IMAGES]

Korea's Amy Yang will try to defend her LPGA major title this week in Texas.

Yang will headline the Korean contingent of 26 players at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, which will start Thursday at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco in Frisco, northeast Texas. The par-72 course is famous for some of the largest greens the LPGA Tour will have this season, along with rolling hills and subtle slopes.

This will be the third LPGA major of the season. Mao Saigo of Japan won the Chevron Championship in April, and Maja Stark of Sweden captured the U.S. Women's Open earlier this month.

Yang, 35, earned her maiden major title at last year's tournament held near Seattle, qualifying for the Paris Olympics in the process. However, the 35-year-old has not won any event since. So far in 2025, Yang has not yet recorded a top-10 finish in 10 starts and missed the cut at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give last week.

Before winning last year's tournament, Yang had not had any top-10 finishes in 2024 and had missed two straight cuts.

Yang will try to become the first player to win consecutive KPMG Women's PGA Championship titles since fellow Korean Park In-bee did it in 2014 and 2015.

Ryu Hae-ran hits from the ninth tee during the final round of the LPGA Black Desert Championship on May 4 in Ivins, Utah. [AP/YONHAP]

Ryu Hae-ran, who picked up her third career LPGA win in Utah last month, is the top Korean at No. 5 in the latest world rankings, followed by seventh-ranked Kim Hyo-joo, who has an LPGA win and a Ladies European Tour win this season. Kim lost in a five-way playoff at the Chevron Championship.

Choi Hye-jin is in strong form, fresh off a runner-up finish at the Meijer LPGA Classic last week. In two tournaments prior to that, Choi tied for fourth at both the U.S. Women's Open and the Mexico Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba.

Three members of the Korean LPGA Tour — Hwang You-min, Kim Su-ji and Bang Shin-sil — qualified for this week based on their world ranking positions.

Hwang, world No. 47, and Kim, ranked 62nd, also played at the U.S. Women's Open, with Hwang finishing tied for 56th and Kim missing the cut. Bang, world No. 66, will be playing at her second LPGA major after tying for 40th at last year's Chevron Championship.

The field also features world No. 1 Nelly Korda, who will go for her first win of 2025 and third career major title.

YONHAP