Hannah Green earned a wire-to-wire victory here in 2019. The Ryder Cup was played here in 2016. Payne Stewart lifted the U.S. Open trophy here in 1991. Now Hazeltine gets another major to host: the 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. The third major of women’s golf is scheduled from June 25-28, and defending champion Minjee Lee is back to defend her title. Let us learn a bit about this beautiful course.

The Club was made for major championships

Totton P. Heffelfinger was a former USGA president. When he founded Hazeltine, he had one thing in mind: a course built for national championships. Robert Trent Jones designed it. The club was established in 1962, and by 1966, it had already hosted the U.S. Women’s Open. And it was Sandra Spuzich who won the first-ever U.S. Women’s Open here.

The course also held the 1991 U.S. Open, and before that, Rees Jones altered the course’s layout. That week, Payne Stewart prevailed over Scott Simpson in a playoff. And then in 2016, Team USA finally won the Ryder Cup after an eight-year drought. Then Hannah Green finally took home the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA title at this very course as her first major and LPGA Tour victory.

Hazeltine has also hosted many amateur events. Like the 1994 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, won by Tim Jackson; the 1999 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship, captured by the University of Georgia (with Luke Donald of Northwestern taking the individual title); and the 2001 U.S. Men’s State Team Championship, won by the Minnesota team.

In 2006, the U.S. Amateur Championship was held here for the first time, and Richie Ramsay defeated John Kelly 4&2 in the 36-hole final. Notably, Ramsay became the first Scot to win the title in more than a hundred years. The 2024 U.S. Amateur was also held here, and, celebrating his 21st birthday, Josele Ballester became the first Spaniard to claim the Havemeyer Trophy.

The Ryder Cup will return to Hazeltine in 2029, and with this return, the course will become the first U.S. venue to host a Ryder Cup for a second time.

The unique feature of Hazeltine Golf Club: Heritage Hall

The Hazeltine Golf Course has a Heritage Hall that honors the championships held here. It is a 75-foot-long hall between Hazeltine’s Golf Shop and the member dining facility. This hall has a substantial historical collection of artifacts dating back to the club’s founding.

Here you can relive each of the championships by seeing the display of memorabilia. The story of each championship is featured with a plaque that gives a brief description. Here, you can also find replicas of the PGA Championship Trophy, Ryder Cup Trophy, U.S. Amateur Havemeyer Trophy, U.S. Open Trophy, and U.S. Women’s Open Trophy (pictured).

The reputation of Hazeltine is built upon both its history of championships and the difficulty it offers to golfers. Every one of the 18 holes on the 6,760-yard course demands pinpoint accuracy. The mission of Hazeltine is simple:

“A golf club rich in tradition, dedicated to hosting championship golf and delivering exceptional experiences.”

With Hannah Green, Nelly Korda, Minjee Lee, and more stars in the field, it will be interesting to see who takes home the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship title this year.