Sahalee Country Club preps for a women’s major, and the nation’s spotlight
You may have noticed some large flashing traffic signs along Sahalee Way announcing the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship tournament taking place from June 20 to 23. The tournament is being hosted by Sahalee Country Club for the second time in its history, and eight years after Sahalee first hosted this event.
Preparations for the tournament began 14 months ago for Sahalee staff, in partnership with PGA of America, which is charged with organizing the event. Together, the two organizations hammered out numerous details that hosting such a major golf tournament requires.
Up to 1,200 volunteers were involved across 40 different committees. One committee, for example, is in charge of transportation for the players. This transportation committee partnered with Lexus to coordinate a rental car for every player competing in the tournament.
Other important committees include registration, corporate hospitality, and corporate sales.
Tyler Dion, Sahalee’s General Chair for this tournament, said the most important part of the preparations was getting the membership excited for the event, and getting all the leaders to run the committees that support the tournament.
Securing corporate sponsorships was also a challenge, but the organizers were able to pull through. Large companies such as JPMorgan Chase and T-Mobile will have a large presence during the tournament.
Although there have been no special modifications to the golf course, Chief Championships Officer Kerry Haigh worked with the Director of Agronomy, Charlie Schauwecker, to make sure the course is in perfect condition for the tournament, and players are raving about it.
“They love how unique and challenging it is. One player even told me ‘This place could be our version of Augusta National’,” Dion said.
The total purse for this tournament will be $10.4 million, with the winner taking home $1.56 million, according to Dion.
Children under age 15 are allowed to attend the event for free as long as they enter with a ticketed adult.
“The PGA and Sahalee are aligned in our goal to grow the game of golf. It’s amazing to me how much these players love connecting with kids too. I can almost guarantee a child will have a lasting memory of attending this event, as the players are so connected to the fans – especially children,” Dion said.
To accommodate Sahalee residents, officials have provided six parking passes to each resident for friends or visitors to park within the Sahalee neighborhood over the four days of the tournament. Otherwise, access to the gated neighborhood will be severely limited. Regular ticketholders must park at Marymoor Park and use shuttles to access the course.
