Sahalee's New Closing Hole Sets Stage For Exciting Sunday

In its second go-around as host of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Sahalee Country Club is being played as a par 72, and not a par 71, as was the case eight years ago, when Brooke Henderson won. The reason for that? The dogleg 18th has been changed from a 420-yard par 4 to a 517-yard par 5.

The hole bends to the left, which beforehand required a player to move a tee shot hard from right to left in order to have a decent shot at hitting the green in two. Now, there are more options to playing the hole. A player cannot fall asleep on the layup; the entryway into the green is guarded by a giant tree along the left side.

"I personally love par-5 finishing holes. Can be very exciting,” said Lydia Ko, a runner-up to Henderson in 2016. “Somebody can make an eagle. I don't know what they're planning to do with moving the tees, etc., but I think that just creates a lot of excitement and there tends to be a lot of people normally around the 18th with the hospitality and everything. So it's great as a fan perspective to see a lot of birdies as well... I personally like the changes.”

Henderson hit a 7-iron to 3 feet to dramatically win a playoff in 2016 – this week a plaque was unveiled from where she struck the shot – so you’d think that she would not want to see anything about the hole change. But she likes the new closing hole.

“You know, 18 used to be a really tough tee shot,” she said. “You had to hit a big draw or hook it around the corner to be in play and give yourself a good opportunity to hit the green. It was a very tough hole. Now being a par 5, it's very exciting. I think it'll be a great finishing hole for all the fans.”