First-time major winners. Sudden-death playoffs. Veteran revivals. Record-breaking scores. Viral LPGA hoodies. This season has already been jam-packed with historic moments and entertaining highlights -- and it's only June.
This week, 156 of the best women golfers will tee it up in the third major of the year at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club. The tournament returns to A-Town on Thursday after a more than 40-year break as the players compete for a $4.5 million purse -- one of the biggest in women's golf.
It's only been a few weeks since 19-year-old Yuka Saso forced a sudden-death playoff at the U.S. Women's Open and became the first person, man or woman, from the Philippines to win a major. And it's only been a few months since rookie Patty Tavatanakit claimed her first win on tour at the ANA Inspiration in April.
Just as first-time major winners are finding their place on the leaderboards this year -- which many in the LPGA credit to the overall strength and growth of the tour -- it's the veterans this week who are calling out fresh perspectives and new sources of inspiration to help them get back on top.
As the LPGA major season passes the halfway point, veterans like Inbee Park and Danielle Kang are ready to defend their major titles. Whereas Michelle Wie West, who joined the LPGA in 2009, wants to redeem herself this week after a devastating missed cut at the event in 2019.
Here's what to watch for this week in Atlanta:
Inbee Park draws inspiration from Phil Mickelson
The last time Park won a major was at the 2015 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. And even though the 20-time tour winner has claimed seven majors over the course of her nearly 15-year professional career, she knows that this week's major will present some of the hardest challenges she has faced on the course.
"It's probably going to play a little long, and I'm going to be hitting a lot of long clubs that I have to concentrate on," Park said this week. "Obviously, nobody says it's easy to hit long clubs, but you've got to work with what you have."
This week's championship venue, the Highlands Course at Atlanta Athletic Club, is all about length. And with recent summer rain in the area, the golf ball is likely to not run as fast down the fairways. Park, who ranks 148th on the LPGA in driving distance (243.69 yards), knows that this will be a mental and physical test.
"The par-3s are really strong on this golf course, long and most of them have hazards on the par-3s. You have to play well on the par-3s. I think par-3 is definitely going to be a big key for this week," she said.
But just like any good test, Park is studying up and finding inspiration to dig deep.
Although there's an age difference of almost two decades, Park said she's looking to six-time major champion Phil Mickelson and his recent win at the PGA Championship at age 50 as an extra boost of inspiration and courage when presented with this week's challenges.
"Definitely it's a good inspiration," Park said. "When Phil Mickelson wins at his age ... you see someone play like that, it's always a great thing to watch, it's like magic. It definitely gives you a lot more courage to go out and play well. So yeah, I'm really excited for the week."
Michelle Wie West starting fresh at KPMG
Two years ago, Wie West's future in golf was uncertain.
Fighting wrist and hand pain, Wie West shot an 84-82 at the 2019 KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Hazeltine National, missing the cut. Many questioned whether Wie West would ever return to the game.
After a long hiatus that consisted of physical recovery and personal growth (including marrying Jonnie West and giving birth to her daughter, Makenna), Wie West returns to this major for the first time since that painful performance. But this time, she wants everyone to know that she's playing for something more.
"I'm grateful. I'm grateful to be back out here. I know I'm on borrowed time. I know that every shot matters to me more than anyone can ever imagine," Wie West said.
In her return to golf this season, with this week being her sixth start, Wie West has made only one cut, two weeks ago at the LPGA Mediheal Championship. Despite missed cuts, Wie West continues to be at the forefront of conversations as she pushes for diversity and inclusion in the game with her LPGA #HoodieForGolf movement. And, ultimately, she is just happy to be out on the course again with a new perspective.
"I really didn't think I'd ever touch a golf club ever again, so to be back out here playing for fun, and more on top of that to be competitive again, that's just wild to me, and I'm just eternally grateful for the opportunity to do this again," Wie West said.
.@MichelleWieWest x @24Bazemore
— LPGA (@LPGA) June 22, 2021
A star-studded pro-am pairing at the @KPMGWomensPGA 🤩 pic.twitter.com/lWS5WnSfey
After her pro-am round on Tuesday, where she played with her friend and Golden State Warriors player Kent Bazemore, Wie West added that she still holds herself to high expectations, even with her new mindset.
"I still carry the same expectations for myself, but it does have a different feel to it knowing that you might have not played ever again. So just coming out with a fresh start, a fresh perspective on everything, it really makes it a lot more fun," she said.
Danielle Kang credits coach Butch Harmon for success
When Kang won her first major title in 2017 at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, she knew that her game had shifted. She also knew that the shift came right after she started working with famed golf coach Butch Harmon.
"I do give him a lot of credit because there are people that you meet in your life, there's those key moments, KPMG 2017, when I met him, things shifted," Kang said. "I missed eight out of nine cuts in a row before I went to him. Then I finished third, first, sixth, 12th. ... Whatever it is that he's doing has helped me become or magnify what I'm good at, and he just focuses on a lot of positives. As a golfer, it's really hard to do."
After her historic first win in 2017, Kang said she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Since that win, Kang has won four more times on tour -- with back-to-back wins last season. As she continues to find herself on the top of leaderboards and searches for her first win of the season, Kang emphasizes that Harmon expedited this journey.
When asked about what Harmon has taught her, Kang said, "The first thing that comes to mind is that 'it's OK.' That's the one lesson that he put in my head is that everything's fine. You've just got to keep working hard and be positive. Just believing in yourself and doing what you need to do and just trusting yourself."