At the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship held at Fields Ranch East, Midland, Michigan, several LPGA players, including Nelly Korda, raised concerns about the difficulty of the course setup. Korda, known for her speed on the LPGA circuit, took over three hours to complete the front nine, largely blaming the challenging hole placements for the slow pace. During a post-round press conference, she stated,

The hole locations are kind of in almost impossible positions, where not many people are hitting the greens, so obviously it’s going to take a lot more time.

This sentiment was echoed by other top players on the tour, sparking a broader conversation about the course’s difficulty and its impact on gameplay.

Stacy Lewis also commented on the issue, highlighting the difficulty posed by specific hole placements combined with weather conditions. She said,

Today it was just hole locations again, on the sides of hills. Then you throw the wind in there; there was no way to stop it on No. 8 again today. We should be playing the front of that tee, probably 120 yards … can’t hold the green,

drawing attention to how natural elements compounded the course’s challenges. Despite these frustrations from players, some golf insiders defended the conditions as typical for a major tournament.

Golf Experts Defend the Rigorous Conditions of Major Championships

Golf analysts Meg Adkins and Matthew Galloway addressed the growing complaints during an episode of The Mixed Bag podcast. Adkins emphasized the high skill level of the athletes competing, dismissing the idea that major championships should be adjusted to make players appear better. She remarked,

Minjee looked good. Jeeno looked good. Like, you had players who looked good in this setup. That is not the job of a major championship, that it gives me the sense of, ‘We need to manipulate how these courses are played to make the players look good. It’s like—no, you’re all incredible athletes, world-class athletes. I really, really struggle with that sentiment.

Galloway concurred, adding,

Yeah, it’s a major. Should be hard. It should be difficult.

Their views highlight the longstanding understanding that major golf events are meant to pose significant challenges to competitors.

Players like Minjee Lee illustrated this perspective by producing strong performances despite the conditions. Lee posted the tournament’s only bogey-free round on Saturday, finishing 4-under 68 after 72 holes. Even she acknowledged the wind’s impact but maintained,

It wasn’t even like the golf course layout itself. I mean, I think it was fine.

Nonetheless, statistics from the tournament revealed that the LPGA field indeed struggled with the demanding setup.

Course Difficulty Reflected in Tournament Scoring Statistics

The Saturday scoring average of 76.065 marked the highest round average recorded in an LPGA major in a decade, indicating widespread difficulty among competitors. The opening par 5 stood out as the hardest hole, with an average score of 5.603, the highest for a tournament’s opening hole over the past 30 years according to LPGA statistical expert Justin Ray. Such figures demonstrate that the Fields Ranch East course tested even the most accomplished players on the tour.

The debate arose around whether the course was excessively challenging or if the players were simply unprepared for such a test. Historical data suggests that longer courses on the LPGA Tour have contributed to rising scores, with 2022 statistics pointing to a clear impact of distance on player performance. The current conditions at Fields Ranch East, measuring about 6,600 yards, correspond with trends toward tougher setups in major tournaments.

Longstanding Debate Over LPGA Course Setups and Mel Reid’s Proposal

The discussion about the appropriateness of LPGA course setups is not new. In 2001, Annika Sorenstam became the first LPGA player to shoot a round of 59 at the Standard Register Ping at Moon Valley Country Club, Phoenix. Sorenstam hit 13 birdies, reached every green in regulation, and required just 25 putts on the 6,459-yard course. Reflecting on her milestone, she remarked,

It is a mental barrier. I feel like if somebody breaks it, it’s like, Well, now we know it’s possible.

While that record still stands, scoring disparities between the LPGA and PGA Tours persist, with the PGA Tour frequently recording significantly lower rounds over the years.

By 2019, the average length for LPGA courses was approximately 6,400 yards, but major events often stretched that distance to between 6,600 and 6,800 yards, leading to ongoing debate about the fairness and appropriateness of such setups. Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee has been vocal about this topic, pointing out the challenge posed by longer courses for female players.

In 2025, Mel Reid offered a practical suggestion to address these concerns during discussions about the Fields Ranch East layout. Reid proposed,

We need to narrow the fairways, move the players up to play in between 6,200 and 6,400 yards, all while beefing up the rough to display the accuracy and other strengths of these athletes.

Her recommendation aims at balancing difficulty with fairness by emphasizing precision over pure distance, which she believes better showcases the skill of LPGA competitors.

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is scheduled to return to Fields Ranch East in 2031, providing an opportunity for organizers, players, and experts to reflect on this ongoing debate and determine how to best prepare the course for future championships.

The Implications of the Debate on LPGA Course Design and Player Preparation

The discussion sparked by Nelly Korda and fellow players regarding course conditions at the 2025 Women’s PGA Championship underscores a broader tension in professional golf. Balancing the integrity of a major championship’s challenge with the players’ ability to perform effectively remains complex. While some view the tough setup as an essential aspect of major tournaments, others argue for course modifications that better align with the players’ physical capabilities and skillsets.

As the LPGA continues to grow and evolve, incorporating feedback from athletes like Stacy Lewis, Minjee Lee, and Mel Reid will be essential in shaping course designs that both test and respect the competitors. The results from Fields Ranch East serve not only as a reflection of current challenges but also as a pivotal moment for future adjustment in tournament strategies and preparations within women’s professional golf.