THE 2018 KPMG WOMEN’S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP at KEMPER LAKES has put the North Suburban club in Kildeer back on the championship future sites list, who is next.    _____________________________________________________________________

THE GOG BLOG by RORY SPEARS, Director of Content and Creation. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy and or Linkedin, Facebook or Instagram

THE 2018 KPMG WOMEN’S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP is in the books, and Sung Hyun Park is the champion after a two-hole playoff and a final round of 69, 3 under par and a total of 10 under par for the championship.

The playoff started on 18 between three players, Ryu, Sung Hyun Park and Nasa Hataoka. Hataoka was eliminated on the first playoff hole when her birdie putt ran sharply past the hole. Ryu had already drained her 20 footer from the fringe for birdie. Then Park matched the birdie with an 18 footer of her own. That would prove as big as her par save on 16 during the final round.

The championship was decided on the second playoff hole when Ryu’s putt from just outside 20 feet slid past the edge of the cup. Park then used the entire hole to get her 9 foot putt to barely fall in the hole.

2018 KPMG Champion Sung Hyun Park with the championship trophy in the media center at Kemper Lakes.

Both players had time to think about their final putts when weather suspended play for about 20 minutes after both players reached the green on their second shots.

Ryu the third round leader after round 3 by three shots, had the championship won after 16 holes when she made a 25 foot birdie putt to take a two shot lead. But then taking a page from the Mike Reid in 1989, Ryu pounded her drive on 17 into the drink to make double bogey. While Park 2017 U.S. Women’s Open Champion salvaged a great par from the watery muck on the right side of the 16th green. her birdie putt on 17 lipped out and going for the win on 18 she ran the putt over the edge of the cup.

Last weeks winner on the LPGA Tour Hataoka shot the round of the championship carding a final round 8 under par 64, then she had to wait almost two hours for the playoff to begin.

Championship week included some highlights including thee hole-in-ones. Maria Stackhouse nailed the first one on the 17th hole during the Tuesday pro-am. During Round one there was two more. Lexi Thompson struck first when she made ace on the Par 3, hourglass shaped sixth hole. Thompson hit an 8-Iron from 166 yards to accomplish the feat. Later that day. Brittany Marchant used a 5-Iron from 175 yards on the Par 3, 17th hole. For that shot Marchant was rewarded with a 2018 Kia Sorento that can drive home if she wants. Thompson’s best round of the championship was the 4 under par 68 she shot on Sunday to help her finish at 3 under par and well out of the championship.

Click hear to hear interviews with runner up So Yeon Ryu and winner Sung Hyun Park, with interperter since she does not speak English.

In the history of the Women’s PGA Championship only three courses have surrendered two hole-in-ones in the same week, There have now been 23 hole-in-ones in the championships history.

TOURNAMENT SET UP DIRECTOR KERRY HAIGH set Kemper Lakes up at the longest yardage it played at all week. The 6,751 yards was 103 yards longer than Round 2 (6,648) that was the second longest yardage of the week. Round 1, at 6,635 was the shortest yardage of the week.

SPEAKING OF HISTORY,,,In Gee Chun and Carlota Ciganda landed the luck location in the locker room this week. The two players were given lockers on each side of the restored and preserved locker that the late Payne Stewart had in the 1989 PGA Championship. The luck did not rub off on Chun who missed the cut, but Ciganga at one point in round two was in 4th place, before falling back to finish in 33rd place..

HOUSEKEEPING, Kemper Lakes course owner Steve Jouzapaitis sat down for a 2 on 1 chat with BIG 3 partner Len Ziehm and Golfers on Golf to review the week and share some thoughts on what’s next for Kemper Lakes, that segment will appear here in the next day or two at Golfers on Golf, and a small part could run this coming Saturday on Golfers on Golf Radio Saturday Morning on Am 750 WNDZ.

Jouzapaitis spoke of the clubs master plan that has been underway for six years, that included a bunker renovation and other improvements by local architect Rick Jacobson and his former partner Doug Myslinski. The course came across looking very good on TV, and earned compliments from the NBC and Golf Channel television crews.

DQ, Lee-Ann Pace had to take a DQ in round two when she hit her Pitching Wedge on a stake after a shot into the rough. What she did not realize at the time, was that the club was damaged and she needed to take it out of play. After Pace hit two more shots with the club, she noticed the damage and alerted a rules official, who gave her the option to play in the last several holes and make an appeal to the rules committee, but she quit immediately and took the DQ.

OW, that hurts. Katelyn Dambaugh injured her should in the first round. When she reached a score of 8 over par playing in pain, she Withdrew from the championship.

The championship in 2019 moves to the site of the 2016 Ryder Cup, Hazeltine National Country Club in Chaska Minnesota.