Chris Tritabaugh has been the Golf Course Superintendent at Hazeltine National Golf Club since 2013. He worked the 2016 Ryder Cup, the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship and is currently preparing for another Major, the 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, which is one of the LPGA’s five major championships. 

Tee Times recently caught up with Tritabaugh and asked him about what to expect at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Tee Times:  What has it been like being Superintendent for such a well-known course that has held numerous championships?

Chris Tritabaugh:  Well, it’s a lot of fun, obviously. You know, we have a membership that has been cultured by this idea of hosting championships. So, every day that they play golf out here, they want that championship experience. They want the course to play like it does during a championship and look like it does during a championship and so we do our best to give that to them and I think we do a pretty good job of it.

We produce that kind of a golf course all the time, but then on occasion these championships come, and we really get to show how special this course is not just our members, but the world. I think it’s a great source of pride for myself and my team, as well as our membership because they look at it and they say, “Hey, look, that’s my club. I play there all the time and I get that shot and I play to that hole, and I hit from that bunker.”

I’m from Minnesota. I grew up in Albany, which is about 90 minutes from here, so for me to be at Hazeltine and have hosted four major championships here during my career and hopefully a fifth with the Ryder Cup in 2029. I have a lot of pride here, and being a hometown guy makes it very special. I think that’s one of the coolest things about this job. I’m very fortunate to be in this position.

TT: How did your staff grow for this championship?

CT: We have our Hazeltine staff of 30 to 35 on a daily basis. Then the week of the championship we’ll add 20 to 30 volunteers, who are almost all golf course superintendents, and assistant golf course superintendents from Minnesota, throughout the country and even internationally. We have some coming from Canada and we have one individual coming from Thailand.

TT:  Did you make changes to the course for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship versus daily play?
CT: No, of the three events that I’ve been a part of, the Ryder Cup, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and the U.S. Amateur, this is the event that plays the course in the most similar way to where membership in play. The yardage is about the same as our members play. The setup and height of the rough is virtually the same as what our members play. It’s essentially the same as how it was in 2019.

TT: What are some of the challenges that the course will present the players?

CT: Length for sure. They’ll be playing almost 6,800 yards, which is a pretty long course. The rough will be tough. We’ll maintain it about three inches of rough. We’ll mow it on Sunday and again on Wednesday before play. But the rough will grow quite a bit, so what the players encounter on Sunday will be an inch or so longer, about four inches.

The greens will be quick. We’re looking at a good solid green speed. It looks like the weather’s going to remain kind of cool, and the wind is going to be mostly west to northwest. I think this golf course plays a little bit tougher in that wind. Some of the harder holes are into the wind with that kind of breeze. So, I think it’s going to be a good all-around challenge.

TT: With the build out for the championship, the PGA is basically building a town next to the course, how does that impact what you’re doing?
CT: The PGA of America and their operations team does a great job of organizing, orchestrating, and setting up all that. Really for us, it’s not too much of a burden. Of course it’s busy and there’s a lot of traffic on our roads and a lot of different people driving around in different places, but mostly we’re able to concentrate on the stuff inside the ropes, the PGA handles everything outside the ropes. There are some moments where what’s happening outside the ropes intersects with what we’re doing inside, but overall, it’s great and it just adds to the whole experience.

TT: What do you expect the winning score to be?

CT: The winning score in 2019 was Hannah Green at -9. I think the rough is going to be a little tougher than it was in 2019. We’ve had better growing conditions here in June, so I think a rough will be tougher and it looks like there may be some rain leading up to the championship. I think it’s going to be a little bit slower, which will make it play a little bit longer. I’m going say that the winning score is going be 5 under par.

Thanks Chris, we appreciate you taking time to share your thoughts with us. We’ll see if you nailed the final score.