Women's PGA Championship 2017: Tee Times, Dates, TV Schedule, LPGA Prize Money
World No. 1 So Yeon Ryu will start late in the opening round of the 2017 PGA Women's Championship at the Olympia Fields Country Club in Illinois on Thursday.
Ryu has one of the later tee times as she aims to cement her place atop the rankings. She will be joined by Suzann Pettersen and Gerina Piller late on the first day.
Top players, including Ryu and defending champion Brooke Henderson, will compete for shares of the $3.5 million prize money available at the tournament, per the LPGA official website.
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The same source also provides a full list of the tee times for Round 1.
Before a preview, here are the schedule and viewing details for the tournament:
Date: Thursday, June 29
TV Info: NBC Golf Channel June 29-30, 12:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. ET. NBC Saturday, July 1-2. 3 p.m.-6 p.m.
Sky Sports 4, 5:30 p.m. BST.
Live Stream: NBC Sports App. Sky Go.
Preview
Ryu seized top spot in the Rolex rankings after winning at the 2017 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G on Sunday. As the LPGA official website noted, Ryu is now the "third player from the Republic of Korea to reach No. 1 in LPGA history, joining Inbee Park and Jiyai Shin."
It means she has laid down a marker to Henderson as the Canadian bids to retain her title from a year ago. First though, Ryu must handle a difficult pairing when she tees off at 2:40 p.m. ET on Thursday, per Randall Mell of NBC's Golf Channel.
Specifically, Mell pointed to Pettersen's pedigree in this event: "Pettersen is seeking her third major championship title. She won this event in 2007, when it was the McDonald's LPGA Championship."
Mell also noted how another highlight will occur after Ryu's start time. He identified the star-studded trio of Lydia Ko, Lexi Thompson and Inbee Park, all former Major winners, as a group to watch when they take to the tee at 2:50 p.m. ET.
Ultimately, though, a lot of attention will naturally focus on Henderson. After all, the 19-year-old achieved a milestone by winning in 2016, per Amy Rogers of the LPGA official website: "She became the second youngest major winner in the history of the LPGA Tour when she won at 18 years of age."
Just like Ryu, Henderson is arriving in Illinois in fine form. Both players should be in the final reckoning come the later rounds, even if the field is loaded with other quality golfers, such as Ariya Jutanugarn, Ryu's closest rival in the Rolex rankings.
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