By: Max Bechtoldt
At the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, three of the biggest names of the 2010s on the LPGA Tour made up the top three. Brooke Henderson came from behind to win her first major championship at only 19-years-old in a playoff over Lydia Ko. Ariya Jutanugarn came in third, just won shot behind Ko and Henderson.
Of the top-three finishers, only Ariya Jutanugarn had turned 21, and she only had about seven months earlier. Fast forward eight years and Jutanugarn, Henderson and Ko are among the most iconic players of the last 10 years. Each have at least 10 wins and two majors, while Ko is only one win away from clinching her spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame.
Of the three, Henderson is the only one with a major championship victory in the last five years, winning the 2022 Evian Championship. All are looking to get back into elite form in 2024. While Ko’s season started terrifically, it has slowed as of late with two consecutive missed cuts and her last top 10 coming in early March. Henderson has been really strong this year but hasn’t won an LPGA Tour event since January, 2023. Jutanugarn hasn’t won on the LPGA Tour since 2021, and has missed six cuts this season.
These three didn’t just play well in 2016, they dominated Sahalee. While Ko and Henderson shot -6, Jutanugarn shot -5. Nobody else scored better than -2. Henderson herself shot -6 on Sunday alone.
Even though all three have had struggles to different degrees over the last couple of seasons, they should get a big boost of confidence on a course they clearly know well.
