Unpacking 'brutal' course setup at PGA Frisco
Beth Ann Nichols discusses conversations around the course setup at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, with the Mel Reid saying the setup is failing to showcase the abilities of the LPGA's best.
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Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
KPMG Women's PGA Championship showcases cutting-edge platform KPMG Performance Insights
Over the past quarter century, advanced analytics have transformed much of the sports world. Thanks to technology platforms such as the PGA Tour's ShotLink, Tour players, coaches, media and fans now have more performance data at their fingertips than they could ever possibly consume. Relative to other sports leagues, the LPGA was late to the analytics party, but has made up for lost time, thanks to the 2021 introduction of KPMG Performance Insights, which generates the sort of advanced analytics and performance data that had been missing from the women's game for years. LPGA athletes suddenly had a wealth of information to help them make small adjustments in their practice routines or tournament play that would translate into significant performance gains. Hole 17at Sahalee CC - KPMG Performance Insights Branding – 2024 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Since its inception, KPMG has been relentless in scaling up the platform. In 2022, for example, KPMG Performance Insights added a player dashboard (an example can be found here) with personalized portals that provide access to data and insights. In 2023, in support of KPMG ambassador and U.S. Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis, the company provided KPMG Performance Insights tools, such as analyzing 20,000 simulations to identify the optimal pairings for the matches. Those simulations went so far as to identify how players perform under pressure or on certain types of grass. Example of Player Dashboard. Last year KPMG Performance Insights went next level through the incorporation of AI-empowered predictive analytics that provided leading-edge insights for LPGA tournaments. Additionally, to enhance the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, KPMG partnered with T-Mobile to introduce KPMG CHAMPCAST presented by T-Mobile, which leverages ShotLink Pro 2.0 cutting-edge technology to create an immersive experience for fans watching at home or onsite. (An example of KPMG CHAMPCAST can be found here.) Advertisement 'The KPMG Women's PGA Championship is the most tech-forward event on the LPGA,' said Shawn Quill, National Sports Industry Leader at KPMG. 'Through KPMG Performance Insights and KPMG CHAMPCAST presented by T-Mobile, we're providing the players with real-time, shot-level data and analytics. With features like win probabilities, winning score projections, a dedicated player portal, 3D imagery, shot trails and individual shot highlights, players, fans and the media are able to get closer to the action than ever before.' KPMG CHAMPCAST presented by T-Mobile. As has been the case from the outset, KPMG continues to ramp up its platform by adding more features and benefits for players and fans. For the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship, KPMG is providing new, enhanced features through an AI-generated daily recap. Hole-by-hole AI course analytics that will help players decide how best to attack the difficult Fields Ranch East layout at PGA Frisco. This feature will provide players with information on the best way to play each hole and the trouble spots to avoid on the course. Advertisement Based on the KPMG Performance Insights Daily Recap (an example can be found here) from Thursday's first round, there is a 92% chance the cutline falls between +2 and +4. Players will be able to use this data to help them decide how aggressively they will need to play in the second round. As an example, KPMG ambassador Leona Maguire currently sits at even par through 18 holes. Based on insights from the report, a round of 75 Friday gives her a 95% chance to make the weekend. Additional insights from the recap show the relative difficulty of each hole from the first round. For example, hole 6 (a 446-yard par 4 with bunkers protecting the green) currently has a birdie or better percentage of 2% and a bogey or worse percentage of nearly 50%. As players head into their second round, they will know that a score of par on the sixth hole is actually helping them gain strokes on the field. Daily recap graphic. These are all great tools for LPGA fans and media, but they're invaluable to the LPGA players. Advertisement 'As part of our strategy, we are focused on setting the standard for excellence in women's golf,' Quill said. 'We are excited about our new KPMG Performance Insights Daily Recaps that include AI-powered course analysis, which provides players data on how each hole is playing, and AI-generated scoring targets, so the players can see the predicted cut line and winning scores. These powerful insights will equip the players so they can adjust their approach as they prepare for the next round.' This article originally appeared on Golfweek: KPMG Women's PGA Championship showcase advanced analytics platform
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Minjee Lee's experience in the wind powers her to a four-shot lead at the Women's PGA Championship
Lee was at 6-under 210 after beginning the round three strokes behind Thitikul, the world's No. 2-ranked player who led alone at the end of each of the first two days. Lee went ahead to stay with a 2-foot par at the 405-yard 12th hole when Thitikul had her second consecutive bogey, and fourth of the day on way to a round of 76. 'She played absolutely an `A' game for sure,' Thitikul said. 'I never saw her miss today at all.' Advertisement When Lee did miss, she was 7-for-7 scrambling. Far from tree-lined Sahalee outside Seattle where the Women's PGA was last year, Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco is much more open and exposed to the ever-present Texas wind that was the strongest it had been all week. There were gusts of more than 30 miles per hour Saturday, with much the same forecast for Sunday. Temperatures were again in the mid-90s. Advertisement Nelly Korda, the world's top-ranked player, described the conditions as 'just brutal' after her round of 72 that began with back-to-back bogeys. She finished with five birdies and five bogeys and is tied for sixth at 2-over 218. Lee and Thitikul, seeking her first major title, were the only players still under par and will play together again Sunday. Lexi Thompson (75), after a triple-bogey start, was tied for third at 1 over with Hye Jin Choi (72) and Miyu Yamashita (73). Thitikul, from Thailand, had the only birdie Saturday among the 78 players on the 172-yard, par-3 eighth hole, which generally plays downwind and where only 29 percent of the tee shots all week have stayed on the green. That 13-foot birdie was her first of the day and got her to 5 under, two strokes ahead of Lee. But Thitikul's lead was gone after back-to-back bogeys on the back side. She pushed a 4-foot par chance past the hole at the 383-yard 11th, her first miss inside 5 feet this week. Then her drive at the 417-yard 12th hole went way right into a penalty area. It's safe to say, Tune in now on — LPGA (@LPGA) Lee, who won the 2022 US Women's Open and 2021 Evian Championship in France, was steady Saturday with eight consecutive pars before a 4-foot birdie at the 487-yard ninth hole. Her other birdies were an 18-footer at the 515-yard, par-5 14th and a 1½-foot at the bunker-surrounded 236-yard par 4 15th hole. While acknowledging that a four-stroke lead 'feels really big,' Lee isn't taking anything for granted. 'Obviously, major Sunday is a different story. This is round three, so I think, you know, I have to still dig deep and post a score, even with a four-shot lead,' she said. 'So I'm just going to put my head down and just work on the things that I can do and do it to the best of my ability.' Advertisement Thitikul's three-putt from 50 feet at No. 14 was her third bogey in a four-hole stretch. 'Definitely frustrated about the result today a little bit, like not really making putts like the first two days,' Thitikul said. 'Still on the positive side of that, just two players making under par after three rounds, and I'm one.' Semi-retired Thompson, in the second-to-last group, hit her tee shot into the fairway on the 517-yard par-5 first hole, a 207-yard drive into the wind. But she topped her second — it went only 117 — and shanked her next shot right, a ball that was never found for a penalty on way to a triple bogey. She followed with another bogey on the second hole, but had two birdies and only one bogey the rest of the way. After a rough start to her round, — LPGA (@LPGA) Thompson, playing for only the seventh time in 16 tournaments this season, won her only major in the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship, but her 13 top-five finishes in majors since 2013 are the most by any player and among her 20 top-10 finishes in those events. LPGA rookie Rio Takeda opened with a bogey 6 at the first hole after starting the round tied with Lee for second place. Takeda later had a pair of double bogeys. Grace Kim had the best round of the day with a 68 that included six birdies and two bogeys, moving up from a tie for 68th to tied for 10th. Minjee Lee and Andrea (71) had the only other under-par rounds. Kim, among 11 players who got to the weekend right on the 7-over cut, teed off at 6:55 a.m. local time, six hours before the final group did. Advertisement There was even a hole-in-one, Brianna Do acing the 150-yard fourth hole.
NBC Sports
3 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Lee's 3 under KPMG Women's Round 3 'remarkable'
Golf Central reacts to the impressive 3-under 69 that Minjee Lee posted despite brutal winds in Round 3 of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship before catching up with the 54-hole leader.
