The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship gets under way on Thursday at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Georgia with two South African ladies, Ashleigh Buhai and Paula Reto, teeing it up alongside the best players from around the world including 2020 champion Sei Young Kim.
Buhai has been enjoying a consistent run of form on the LPGA Tour, including several top-25 finishes and one top 10 as a reward for the hard work she has put into her game this year. After missing the cut in the two Major championships played to date, the ANA Inspiration and US Women’s Open, Buhai will certainly be hoping for an improved performance this week.
2021 has been a quiet year so far as Paula Reto is concerned. Having only made it to the weekend on two occasions so far, Reto finds herself well down the Race to the CME Globe rankings. A lack of birdies has hampered her progress, resulting in Reto putting in a lot of work on her putting stroke in the hope that her luck on the greens begins to turn around.
Competing for a share of the $4.5-million purse, In-Bee Park will start as the tournament favourite having won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on three occasions.
Nelly Korda is coming off a victory in last week’s Meijer LPGA Classic, making her another of the title contenders this week together with sister, Jessica.
Lexi Thompson will look to exorcise the demons that crept into her game over the closing stretch at the US Women’s Open and stake her claim for Major victory No 2.
Brooke Henderson and Lydia Ko are two others with Major championship pedigree who have been performing well of late and are certainly worth keeping an eye on.
After last year’s runaway victory by five strokes, Sei Young Kim has an excellent chance of going back to back provided she can conjure up a similar score over the four rounds.
The action gets under way on Thursday at 1:10pm (SA time).
© Agence France-Presse
