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What Everyday Golfers Can Learn From The Last 10 KPMG Women’s PGA Champions
By Brendon Elliott, PGA
Published on
The last 10 winners of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship offer a simple road map for better golf: patience, power, precision, speed control and trust under pressure.
The best major champions usually leave us with more than a trophy photo. They leave lessons.
The last 10 KPMG Women’s PGA champions include Minjee Lee, Amy Yang, Ruoning Yin, In Gee Chun, Nelly Korda, Sei Young Kim, Hannah Green, Sung Hyun Park, Danielle Kang and Brooke Henderson. Different players. Different courses. Different winning styles. But for everyday golfers, the themes are surprisingly useful.
Here are 10 lessons you can take from the last 10 champions and use in your own game.
2025: Minjee Lee
Play The Smartest Shot, Not The Perfect One
Minjee Lee’s major success has always been tied to control, patience and a polished all-around game.
- What to do: When you are between clubs, choose the one that avoids the worst miss. You stop chasing perfect and start building smarter pars.
- Drill: On your next round, pick three holes where your goal is simply to leave the ball on the correct side of the green.
2024: Amy Yang
Stay Patient Longer Than Everyone Else
Amy Yang’s win was a reminder that major championships often reward the player who keeps making good decisions after everyone else gets impatient.
- What to do: Build a pre-shot routine you can repeat when pressure rises. Your body gets a familiar signal even when your nerves are not calm.
- Drill: Before every shot, take one breath, choose one target and make one committed swing.
2023: Ruoning Yin
Trust Your Ball-Striking
Ruoning Yin’s game shows the value of confident, repeatable ball-striking.
- What to do: Stop changing swing thoughts every few holes. Consistency comes from commitment, not constant tinkering.
- Drill: For nine holes, play with one swing cue only.
2022: In Gee Chun
Protect Your Lead With Process
Winning with a lead is hard because your mind wants to jump ahead.
- What to do: Break the round into three-hole sections. You stay present instead of thinking about the final score.
- Drill: After every three holes, reset your target goal for the next three.
2021: Nelly Korda
Athletic Balance Creates Power
Nelly Korda’s swing is powerful because it is balanced, not because it is forced.
- What to do: Finish every full swing in balance. A balanced finish usually means better rhythm and better contact.
- Drill: Hit 10 range balls holding your finish until the ball lands.
2020: Sei Young Kim
Scoring Runs Start With Confidence
Sei Young Kim has long been known for the ability to go low.
- What to do: When you have a wedge, pick a specific landing number. You make aggressive swings to smart targets.
- Drill: On the range, hit wedges to three different carry numbers, not just three different clubs.
2019: Hannah Green
Survive The Hard Moments
Hannah Green’s 2019 win at Hazeltine showed how much grit matters late in a major.
- What to do: Practice 4-footers after you are tired. Those are the putts that feel heavy at the end of a round.
- Drill: End every practice session by making five straight 4-footers.
2018: Sung Hyun Park
Commit Fully Under Pressure
Great players do not always feel calm. They commit anyway.
- What to do: Choose your shot shape before you step in. You reduce indecision over the ball.
- Drill: Before each tee shot, say the shape out loud: straight, fade or draw.
2017: Danielle Kang
Believe You Can Belong
Danielle Kang’s breakthrough showed that confidence is a skill too.
- What to do: Replace negative self-talk with a simple performance phrase. Your mind stops becoming another hazard.
- Drill: Use one phrase all round, such as “smooth and committed.”
2016: Brooke Henderson
Speed Matters
Brooke Henderson’s game has always had a strong speed and power component.
- What to do: Train speed without losing balance. You learn to swing faster without swinging harder.
- Drill: Make three practice swings at 80 percent, then one at 95 percent, then hit the ball at 85 percent.
Final Thought
The last 10 KPMG Women’s PGA champions did not win the same way.
That is the lesson.
There are many ways to play great golf. But every major champion needs patience, commitment, speed control and the ability to trust a plan when the pressure gets louder.
Those are skills every golfer can build.
PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. Read his recent “The Starter” on R.org and his stories on Athlon Sports. To stay updated on his latest work, sign up for his newsletter and visit OneMoreRollGolf.com.
