The 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship feels less like a golf course and more like a battlefield against heat and total disarray. With an increased purse money of $12 million, the golf world was excited to see how things would pan out, only to be disappointed. You see, slow play has been a major issue since the first round, with some groups taking over six hours to finish 18 holes. Long delays, especially on par 3 holes and narrow sections of the course, have caused frustration. So much so that Charley Hull and Stacy Lewis had to chime in with their thoughts. Now, Nelly Korda does too.
For Nelly Korda, the timing of this major couldn’t be more crucial. Still recovering from a heartbreaking runner-up finish at the U.S. Women’s Open, she came back with redemption on her mind, but the conditions aren’t doing her any favors. Still, her performance has been consistent so far; currently, she is tied for 6th, but slow play, which is her biggest pet peeve by the way, could stand between her and the trophy. Usually calm and disciplined, Korda has burst out her frustration while experiencing the troubling pace of play.
When asked in the post-third-round presser how she stays mentally focused and patient during long delays in tough weather conditions, Korda replied, “Well, there is nowhere to go, so just patience.” When you’re stuck on the course with no option to leave or escape the delays, the only thing you can do is be patient. But when it keeps happening, it becomes a real problem. “I mean, I feel like I’ve—we’ve had lots of situations in the past, like a year, where, like, we’ve had to wait a long time, so unfortunately, we’re kind of used to it,” she continued.
We all know this is not the first time slow play is ruining the show on the LPGA Tour. Last year, at the LPGA’s Annika Tournament, Korda experienced the same slow play, and she reflected on how this annoys the fans, and the final round ran late, and players had to finish in near darkness after a long delay before the 18th hole. Though she won, the tournament was a total wreck, similar to this year’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
“You don’t want to be spending 20 minutes and getting up to the next tee, and then you’re 15 minutes and getting up to the next tee, and it’s another 15 minutes,” Korda continued, talking about the recurring issue. “There is just like no momentum in it.” The slow pace, caused by the tough course setup and extreme heat, disrupted player rhythm and made it hard to stay focused. But you just have to adapt it, especially at stages like these.
“You just kind of have to go with it. Everyone is going through it, everyone is dealing with it, and everyone is playing the same golf course,” she added. The slow play is there, but Korda is not the only one struggling with it; it’s a common issue, so instead of getting agitated, she chose to stay calm and focus on her play. “You just kind of have to be really creative and really patient,” Korda added. Patience is truly the key, and it was pretty evident at Erin Hills when her group (Lexi Thompson, and Charley Hull) was apparently being accused of slow play on the first day, with Hull even being visibly frustrated, but no such visual proof of Nelly was circulated in the media.
We all know slow play is not going to be fixed in just the blink of an eye; it will take time. Being patient is the only way to take home the trophy. But Korda was not the only one who experienced slow play.
Lexi Thompson feels the heat of slow play at KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
Just above Korda, Lexi Thompson is tied for third, but she hasn’t been immune to the slow-play troubles at Fields Ranch East. While Korda mentioned the frustration of long waits, Lexi shared that her group was actually put on the clock.
“We were warned and then put on the clock for maybe two to three holes, two and a half holes,” she said, meaning officials start timing every shot to make sure players aren’t falling behind. And honestly, that kind of pressure can throw off even the most experienced pros. “We were playing slowly. It took three hours to play the front nine,” she added, especially on a course like Fields Ranch East, where tricky winds and tough pin positions already make things hard enough.
“It’s super windy, and you have to back off shots because of gusts and everything like that,” she explained. The firm greens, tight pin placements, and strategic hole layouts meant players often couldn’t go for the flag. Instead, they had to play it safe, lay up, or pitch out, which naturally made rounds longer and tested everyone’s patience.
Now the question is, can Nelly Korda rise above the chaos, push through the delays and heat, and walk away with the trophy she’s been chasing? All eyes are on her as the weekend unfolds.
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