Damaged greens at LPGA event raise eyebrows. Here’s what happened

Only a handful of pictures trickled out over social media earlier this week — not nearly enough of a sample size to understand the totality of what LPGA players were facing in Shanghai.

But then the tournament started, the broadcast cameras turned on, highlight reels cut and sent to the world. Indeed, the greens at Qizhong Garden Golf Club are in rough shape. Probably the roughest you’ve seen in your time watching pro golf this year. 

The LPGA itself released this statement:

We are aware of the course conditions at the Buick LPGA Shanghai. The golf course superintendent, tournament team and the LPGA rules officials have worked diligently against extreme heat conditions this season in preparation for this week’s event. We will continue to monitor the situation and care for the course appropriately throughout the week.

They’re right about extreme heat conditions. Typical high temperatures in Shanghai in September float between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. But this year, from the last week of August through the first week of October, Shanghai saw 23 days with a high of at least 95 degrees. 

What that heat has done to the greens isn’t totally clear from 6,000 miles away, but the visuals weren’t great from the first round of the event Thursday. Some areas are clearly baked dry and others show uneven surfaces. Some greens are so ravaged that it would seem difficult to find a place to cut the hole. 

This is the second time in the last month the LPGA has battled damage from Mother Nature. In September, the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship was shortened from 54 holes to just 18 — leading to its cancelation — after heavy thunderstorms made the course unplayable.

The shape of this week’s greens didn’t completely deter scoring, as 57 players still shot under par. Of the handful of top performers who conducted post-round press conferences, none were asked to talk about the greens, though Minjee Lee did reference them. 

“I feel like with how the greens are, the condition, I think I managed pretty well, to make, what, seven birdies,” she said. 

Lee was putting a positive spin on things through 18 holes. One of her birdie looks that didn’t fall was this one, from just nine feet, which she left one foot short.