Each summer, 156 of the world’s best female golfers come together to compete in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, one of five majors on the LPGA Tour schedule.
Formerly known as the LPGA Championship, this longstanding major dates back to 1955 and is rich in history. Past champions include the likes of LPGA Founders Marlene Hagge and Louise Suggs, as well as some of the game’s greatest players in Kathy Whitworth, Nancy Lopez and Annika Sörenstam.
Much like these trailblazers who took the competition to new heights, KPMG became the lightning rod for increased exposure, financial compensation and leadership opportunities when it became the official Title Partner of the tournament in 2015.
In honor of the tournament’s 10th anniversary this week, here’s a look back at some of the top highlights from the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship:
Making A Statement
In partnership with KPMG, PGA of America, LPGA and NBC, the first of its kind major championship officially teed off in 2015, and it immediately made waves in the golf world.
First, the purse drastically increased from $2.25M to $3.5M. This commitment to investing in the players ultimately proved to be the catalyst for seven other LPGA tournaments to increase their purses that year as well.
In an effort to bring the LPGA Tour to major caliber courses in top markets, the 2015 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship took place at Westchester Country Club in New York. The private club had hosted over 40 PGA TOUR events prior to the LPGA major taking place.
With the venue and purse in place, KPMG helped facilitate increased coverage of the event. In addition to Golf Channel coverage, the tournament received six hours of dedicated network TV coverage on NBC.
KPMG’s influence also extended off the course, as the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm hosted its first KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit during tournament week. The summit provided rising leaders from various sectors the opportunity to network and learn from accomplished industry leaders, such as former Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice and LPGA Tour star and KPMG Brand Ambassador Stacy Lewis.
Given all the ways KPMG had elevated this major championship, it was only fitting that the competition produced a historic victory. LPGA Hall of Famer Inbee Park won by five strokes at 19-under-par and became just the second player after Annika Sörenstam to achieve the feat of winning the major three years in a row.
HARRISON, NY – JUNE 14: Inbee Park of South Korea poses with the trophy after her five-stroke victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on the West Course at the Westchester Country Club on June 14, 2015 in Harrison, New York. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images for KPMG) *** Local Caption *** Inbee Park
Championship Pedigree
Following the success of the 2015 edition of the tournament, KPMG continued to raise the bar over the course of the following nine years of competition.
The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship has taken place at iconic venues including Olympia Field Country Club (2017), Hazeltine National Golf Club (2019), Congressional Country Club (2022), and Baltusrol Golf Club (2023). Those venues alone have combined for 14 U.S. Opens, seven PGA Championships, four U.S. Women’s Opens and a Ryder Cup.
These historic venues require players to be at the top of their games, and the champions have certainly fit that bill. Notable winners include Brooke Henderson (2016), Danielle Kang (2017) and current World No. 1 Nelly Korda (2021).
JOHNS CREEK, GA – JUNE 27: 2021 KPMG Women’s PGA Champion, Nelly Korda poses with the KPMG trophy after the final round for the 2021 KPMG Women’s Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club on June 27, 2021 in Johns Creek, Georgia. (Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America)
There are many luxuries that come with being a champion, but KPMG has made it a point to provide all players with a world class experience year in and year out. For example, in 2019, the tournament ensured that every player in the field received a Cadillac courtesy car to drive all week. KPMG took things a step further in 2020, becoming the first title sponsor to cover entry fees for all players. Then in 2021, the KPMG Performance Insights Program launched, which changed the way players, caddies, coaches, media and fans experience women’s golf by providing access to advanced statistics and critical information for all stakeholders to be able to evaluate player performance. The program was enhanced in 2022 with the addition of Strokes Gained and a Player Dashboard.
Scaling the Summit
As an industry leader in professional services, KPMG has remained steadfast in its commitment to supporting women in workplaces and boardrooms across the world.
At the annual KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit, top women in business, politics, and sports share their expertise with women leaders aspiring to reach the C-suite. Past speakers include the likes of former President of the PGA of America, Suzy Whaley; Vice President of Fitness Programming and Head Instructor at Peloton, Robin Arzón; and four-time Olympic medalist in beach volleyball, Kerri Walsh Jennings. Female leaders within KPMG also get the chance to share their insights with attendees.
In addition to the speakers, the KPMG Inspire Greatness Award is presented each year to an industry visionary who has exemplified a personal commitment to the community to empower future generations of women, and who recognizes golf as a relationship development tool. Previous honorees include film director Patty Jenkins, award-winning journalist Robin Roberts and retired Four-Star U.S. Navy Adm. Michelle Howard.
Retired Four-Star U.S. Navy Adm. Michelle Howard is presented with the 2018 KPMG Inspire Greatness Award.
To further support this next generation of business leaders, KPMG launched the Future Leaders Program in 2016. Funded by the proceeds from the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit, the KPMG Future Leaders Program annually awards 22 deserving female high school seniors the opportunity to enhance their personal growth throughout their college experience with annual scholarships, ongoing development and support, mentorship and an introduction to golf.
Finally, in 2019, KPMG launched the Women’s Leadership Summit Study platform, which explores a new topic each year. The first study, “Advancing the Future of Women in Business: A KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit Report,” revealed that 81% of women leaders believe women must be more adaptable in situations than men in order to lead successfully and advance in their careers. Coverage of the report was featured in Forbes, TODAY and CNBC.
A Lasting Legacy
Since KPMG signed onto the major championship in 2015, the tournament purse has seen a 360% increase. KPMG’s concerted effort to increase its tournament purse has also been a major driving force in the tour’s overall purse growth of 109% in that time.
Not only have the players had the opportunity to compete for more money, but they’ve gotten the chance to do it in front of more viewers. Since 2015, there has been a 73% increase in total hours of live TV and streaming coverage via NBC, Golf Channel and Peacock. The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship set a new mark in 2023 when it became NBC’s most streamed women’s golf event ever and secured the most live championship coverage in history with 26 total hours. This year, fans will have the opportunity to watch more than 26 hours of coverage.
Off the course, KPMG has used its expertise to foster a new generation of female business leaders. Over 2,500 rising leaders have attended the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit since the first event in 2015. Of those attendees, 69% have been promoted since the inception of the program, with 38% moving on to the C-suite. Additionally, $6.2M in scholarships have been given to 188 total Future Leader recipients since 2016.
Looking back at 10 years of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, it’s evident how much of an impact this tournament has had both on the women’s golf and corporate landscapes. With the latest edition of the tournament taking place this week, it’s only a matter of time before KPMG changes the game again.
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