LPGA hits the NW in June with a major championship event

The LPGA for years was a big draw in the Seattle area with the Safeco Classic. But when that tournament left several years ago, the closest the LPGA Tour got to the Seattle area was in Portland. But that will change in June.

The 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is set for June 7-12 at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish and will bring together the stars from the LPGA Tour to the Seattle area again.

The tournament will feature a field of 156 players, including three-time champ Inbee Park. For Pacific Northwest golf fans, there will be some local flavor as former University of Washington star Sadena Parks is also expected to tee it up at the tournament. The field also includes LPGA teaching pros who qualified.

The four-round tournament is one of five major championships on the LPGA Tour and features a purse of $3.5 million.

Sahalee Country Club is no stranger with it comes to major championships. The course hosted the 1998 PGA Championship, the 2002 NEC World Golf Championship and the 2010 U.S. Senior Open. The schedule for the event calls for practice rounds on June 7-8 with the tournament taking place June 7-12. The championship round of the tournament will be broadcast on the Golf Channel and NBC.

Tickets are available for the tournament with $10 for practice rounds and weekday tournament rounds costing $20 each day. Weekend tournament rounds are $25 each day. A Good Any Day Flex Tickets is $30 for choice of one-day access. Weekly passes are $75.

See www.kpmgwomenspgachampionship.com for more.