Intimidating tree-lined fairways of Sahalee await Nelly Korda and rest of field in the Women's PGA

SAMMAMISH, Wash. (AP) — Inside her yardage book, Nelly Korda keeps the markings simple. The No. 1 player in the world denotes the spots she needs to avoid hitting by writing X’s.

At Sahalee Country Club, with Douglas fir, red cedar and hemlock trees framing every fairway and making each look like a hallway, there are likely to be a substantial amount of those X marks outside the short grass.

“I think every hole looks a little different. They’re all intimidating and great in their own way,” Korda said.

Korda is again the headliner this week as the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship tees off Thursday at Sahalee, the third major of the year on the LPGA Tour.

But she arrived in the Seattle area in a different place with her game than just a few weeks ago, when she showed up at the U.S. Women’s Open having won six of her previous seven starts, including a major at the Chevron Championship. At the time, no player in the world was on more of a roll than Korda and adding another major seemed probable, if not likely.

That didn’t happen. Korda missed the cut at Lancaster Country Club after an opening-round 80 that included a 10 on her third hole and watched as Yuka Saso went on to win the championship for a second time. When she returned last week at the Meijer LPGA Classic, Korda struggled to an opening-round 76 before shooting 67 in the second round, but missed out on playing the weekend by one shot.

“I’m just going to stay in my bubble this week and go out and try to execute my shots, be confident in what I have,” Korda said. “This golf course is already hard enough and if I’m going to put more pressure on myself, then I think it’s just going to make it even harder this week.”

Sahalee is the first course to host the tournament twice since the partnership between the PGA of America and LPGA began a decade ago and boosted the prominence and purse for this major championship. This year’s tournament has a record purse of $10.4 million.

The course measures just over 6,700 yards and water comes into play on only a handful of holes. It’ll play to a par 72, one stroke higher than 2016 as the 18th has been converted to a par 5. Players have noted the greens seem softer than 2016, although temperatures are supposed to push into the 80s for the first two rounds and dry out the putting surfaces.

But the favorite word for the week to describe the course seems to be “intimidating,” because of the tree-lined tunnels from which shots will emerge.

“It’s really tight for the tee shot. It’s I think a classic ball-striking course,” said defending champ Ruoning Yin, who won last year at Baltusrol.

One player who proved she can maneuver successfully through the trees is Brooke Henderson, who won the first of her two career majors in 2016 at Sahalee, beating Lydia Ko in a playoff.

At 18, Henderson was the youngest winner in the history of the event. She shot 65 in the final round to get into the playoff and birdied the first extra hole with a 7-iron from 155 yards to a couple of feet. The course unveiled a plaque this week from the location on the 18th fairway where Henderson hit that shot.

The memories are still fresh and came flooding back as Henderson, now 26 and 13th in the world ranking, made her way around the course.

“I love the huge towering trees and the tight fairways. It’s almost majestic. Feels very peaceful and amazing,” Henderson said.

At the same time, she was reminded of how claustrophobic Sahalee can feel and the importance of simply hitting the ball straight. Do that, and the place can feel downright serene.

“Every tee shot you have to really pay attention. Can never really take a break out here. Even the approach shots you got to know where the slopes are and where your misses are,” Henderson said. “But at the same time, if you’re playing well and you can kind of lean into the beauty that surrounds you and soak it in, it makes for a really nice walk around this place.”

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Brooke M. Henderson, of Canada, putts on the green on the 18th hole during a practice round for the Womens PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Isabella Fierro, of Mexico, hits off the ninth tee during a practice round for the Womens PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Albane Valenzuela, of Switzerland, and Sarah Schmelzel, left, react to a photo on the eighth hole during a practice round for the Womens PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Albane Valenzuela, of Switzerland, hits off the ninth tee during a practice round for the Womens PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Roberta Liti, of Italy, holds out her ball on the seventh green during a practice round for the Womens PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Stephanie Meadow, of Northern Ireland, hits off the fifth tee during a practice round for the Womens PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Alexandra Forsterling, of Germany, smiles on the fourth green during a practice round for the Womens PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Charley Hull, of England, talks with her caddie on the fourth green during a practice round for the Womens PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Mone Inami, of Japan, hits out of the bunker on the fourth hole during a practice round for the Women's PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Hinako Shibuno, of Japan, right, measures the fifth hole during a practice round for the Women's PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Chisato Iwai, of Japan, smiles while working on the green of the 16th hole during a practice round for the Women's PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Cydney Clanton hits a shot on the fairway of the 14th hole during a practice round for the Women's PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Jin Hee Im, of South Korea, walks the fairway of the 16th hole during a practice round for the Women's PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Yuka Saso, of Japan, walks with her caddie to the green of the 17th hole during a practice round for the Women's PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Nelly Korda hits out of a bunker on the 18th hole during a practice round for the Womens PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Nelly Korda, left, walks past Sophia Popov, of Germany, as they work on the 18th hole during a practice round for the Womens PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Ayaka Furue, of Japan, hits off the ninth tee during a practice round for the Womens PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Lucy Li hits off the ninth tee during a practice round for the Womens PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Nelly Korda hits out of a bunker at the 18th hole during a practice round for the Womens PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Yuka Saso, of Japan, tees off at the 18th hole during a practice round for the Women's PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Lydia Ko, of New Zealand, tees off of the 15th hole during a practice round for the Women's PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Brooke M. Henderson, of Canada, shoots out of a bunker on the 18th hole during a practice round for the Womens PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Nelly Korda tees off at the 18th hole during a practice round for the Womens PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Sammamish, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks barely budged on Wall Street Thursday as markets wait for a key report on inflation.

The S&P 500 was mostly unchanged and stocks in the benchmark index were roughly split between gainers and losers. The index is hovering near the all-time high it set last week.

The Nasdaq rose 0.3% and is just below its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 87 points, or 0.2%, as of 12:34 p.m. Eastern.

Walgreens Boosts Alliance plunged 25.3% for the biggest drop in the S&P 500. It reported results that fell shy of forecasts and cut its outlook. The company said it could close hundreds more stores in the next three years.

Jeans maker Levi Strauss plunged 16.5% after its latest quarterly revenue results fell short of analysts' expectations, along with its current earnings forecast for the year.

Spice maker McCormick rose 4.1% for one of the biggest gains in the market after beating analysts’ earnings forecasts.

Treasury yields fell in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 4.29% from 4.33% late Wednesday. The yield on the two-year Treasury fell to 4.72% from 4.75%.

An update from the government said the American economy expanded at a 1.4% annual pace from January through March. The figure is a slight revision from a prior estimate of 1.3%. It marks the slowest quarterly growth since spring 2022.

The report also backed data from previous economic reports that show consumers are getting squeezed by persistent inflation and high interest rates. Consumer spending, which has been fueling economic growth, grew at just a 1.5% rate, down from an initial estimate of 2%, according to the report.

The main upshot from the report is that "the economy remained resilient in the first quarter but that private sector demand growth was cooling led by more consumer prudence," said Gregory Daco, EY chief economist, in a note.

The slowdown in consumer spending could help further ease inflation, but too much of a slowdown could result in a more painful hit to the economy. The Federal Reserve is trying to time its efforts tame inflation back to its 2% target without slowing the economy so much that it slips into a recession.

The stock market has been listless throughout the week ahead of the next influential inflation report on Friday. The government will release its latest personal consumption expenditures index, or PCE. It is the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation.

Economists expect the the report to show a modest easing of inflation to 2.6% in May, following a 2.7% reading in April. That's down from the PCE's peak of 7.1% in the middle of 2022. Other measures of inflation, including the consumer price index, have also eased significantly over the last two years.

The latest updates on inflation could influence the central bank’s decision on when to begin cutting interest rates, which remain at their highest level in more than 20 years and which are having an impact worldwide. Wall Street is betting that the central bank will start cutting interest rates at its September meeting.

FILE - An entrance to the New York Stock Exchange is shown on June 26, 2024, in New York. Shares have fallen in most world markets on Thursday, June 27, 2024, ahead of a key U.S. inflation report due Friday. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

A passerby looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm Thursday, June 27, 2024 in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

A person walks past an electronic stock board showing the exchange rate of U.S. dollar and Japanese yen at a securities firm Thursday, June 27, 2024 in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

A person walks past at an electronic stock board showing Japan's stock prices at a securities firm Thursday, June 27, 2024 in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

A person walks past at an electronic stock board showing financial indexes including Japan's Nikkei 225 index, green, at a securities firm Thursday, June 27, 2024 in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

Workers wait to cross a street in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm Thursday, June 27, 2024 in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

The Fearless Girl statue stands in front of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 in New York. Shares have advanced in Europe and Asia after a rebound for Nvidia offset weakness on Wall Street. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)