As feel-good vibes go, they were everywhere for Aussie Karis Davidson.
Most importantly there was the 7-under 65 she shot in the afternoon wave of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club. While it didn’t match the sizzling 63 that Ina Yoon had tossed down in the morning, Davidson’s eight-birdie, one-bogey effort had a glow to it that was owed to a number of accompanying factors that ignited smiles.
Most prominently, the presence of a hero in the crowd – the iconic countrywoman, Karrie Webb.
A World Golf Hall of Fame member, Webb more poignantly is a wondrous mentor and builder of a foundation that supports these next generations of Australian women golfers. Webb was thrilled last year when a protégé of sorts, Minjee Lee, won this major championship. So to be in the gallery when one of her scholarship winners, Davidson, thrust herself high onto the leaderboard, was sweet.
Especially given that Webb was accompanied by two youngsters from her foundation who’ll be playing next week in the North South Amateur in Pinehurst, N.C. Proudly dressed in the Aussie colors – yellow and green – the two girls gushed about Webb’s dedication to this foundation and Davidson echoed those sentiments.
Karis Davidson made 8 birdies today on her way to an opening-round 65! 👏#KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/mPCSsGfU5w
— KPMG Women's PGA Championship (@KPMGWomensPGA) June 25, 2026
“It was a huge help,” said Davidson of Webb’s guidance and the trips she made to the U.S. to spend time with her at tournaments like this.
“I learned a lot coming over and seeing Karrie. She does so much for Golf Australia. I think it’s excellent. It’s so fun getting dressed up and watching the Aussie pros and you learn a lot, so that was a really awesome experience when I got to do it twice.”
What adds even more layers to the feel-good atmosphere is the fact Davidson, 27, is arguably playing the most consistent golf of her career. She is riding a stretch of 15 cuts in a row (and only Nelly Korda, 31, and Celine Boutier, 20, have more) and her career-best finish (T-5 in the Aramco Championship) and highest major finish (T-22 in the recent U.S. Women’s Open) have come this year.
“I think I’ve been working on myself, like mentally finding out what I enjoy off the course,” she said. “I think that has really helped me on the course, because now I feel like I can enjoy it more.”
Oh, and then Davidson remembered this little nugget – her good friend and fellow Aussie, Hannah Green, won this KPMG Women’s PGA Championship when it was held here at Hazeltine in 2019.
Omens, perhaps? Davidson wasn’t getting ahead of herself. But she was embracing the good vibes.
