Denmark’s No. 1 Player Accepts Special Exemption To 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

SAMMAMISH, Wash. -- Nicole Broch Larsen of Denmark, one of the leading players on the Ladies European Tour, has accepted a special exemption to compete in the 2016 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, to be held June 7-12, at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Washington.

Larsen, 23, is No. 8 on the 2016 Ladies European Tour (LET) Order of Merit (money list) and No. 77 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. Larsen is on track to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics and is currently Denmark’s top-ranked player.

In her third year on the LET, Larsen will be making her first appearance in the United States as a professional, playing in only her third major championship. Last year, Larsen competed in both the Ricoh Women’s British Open and the Evian Championship.

In 2015, Larsen was voted the LET “Players’ Player of the Year” after finishing third on the Order of Merit. She started playing golf at age nine and was selected to the Danish National Team at 14. She has represented Denmark since 2007.

She joins an elite field that includes three-time defending champion Inbee Park, World No. 1 Lydia Ko, and American contenders Lexi Thompson and Stacy Lewis.

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship — a collaboration between the PGA of America, KPMG and the LPGA Tour — continues the rich tradition of the LPGA Championship. Broadcast in partnership with NBC and Golf Channel, the Championship offers a purse among the highest in women’s golf. The event combines an annual major golf championship with the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit and an ongoing charitable initiative – all focused on the development, advancement, and empowerment of women on and off the golf course.

Golf Channel will televise all four rounds of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Thursday, June 9 and Friday, June 10, from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET; Saturday, June 11, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. ET; and Sunday, June 12, from 6:00-8:30 p.m. ET. NBC coverage of the final two rounds is Saturday, June 11, from 2:00-5:00 ET and Sunday, June 12, from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. ET.