Venue: Columbia Edgewater Country Club, Portland, Oregon (Northeast Portland, near the Columbia River and Portland International Airport). Designed by A.V. Macan and opened in 1925, this classic parkland-style course features tree-lined fairways, strategic bunkering (around 54 bunkers), water hazards on several holes, and well-regarded greens. For the LPGA it typically plays as a par-72 measuring approximately 6,497–6,541 yards (tournament setups vary slightly). It rewards accuracy, approach control, and putting more than pure power.
Dates and starting times: August 13–16, 2026 (Thursday–Sunday). This is a standard 72-hole stroke-play LPGA Tour event with a 36-hole cut to the top 65 and ties. The field is 144 players. Purse is $2 million ($300,000 and 500 Race to CME Globe points to the winner). First-round play began in the morning local time (Pacific); TV coverage on Golf Channel includes afternoon/evening windows in ET (e.g., 6–9 p.m. ET Thursday/Friday for early rounds, earlier on the weekend).
Weather conditions: Pleasant late-summer Pacific Northwest weather is expected. Forecasts call for partly to mostly sunny skies, daytime highs in the low-to-mid 80s °F (around 28–29°C), overnight lows in the upper 50s to low 60s °F, light winds (often northerly or variable at 0–5 mph), and little to no precipitation chance during the tournament. Conditions should be comfortable for players and spectators, with low humidity risk compared to hotter midsummer events. Some patchy smoke is possible but not expected to be a major factor.
Course conditions: Columbia Edgewater is known for excellent conditioning, with firm, true greens (often Poa annua), well-maintained fairways, and strong drainage. The club emphasizes frequent mowing, rolling, and topdressing. Expect a classic setup that emphasizes precision off the tee, controlled iron play into relatively modest-sized greens, and solid putting. Tree-lined corridors and water/bunker hazards punish wayward shots; scoring can get low when conditions are calm and receptive, as seen in recent editions.
Player matchups / featured groups: The field includes top Rolex-ranked players such as Jeeno Thitikul (world No. 2 range), Haeran Ryu, and others among the top 25, plus defending champion Akie (Aki) Iwai, recent winners, rookies, and amateurs. Examples of notable pairings from early rounds include groups featuring Nelly Korda, Amy Yang, Akie Iwai, Linn Grant, Jeeno Thitikul, Charley Hull, Rose Zhang, Lydia Ko, Nasa Hataoka, Yuka Saso, Lauren Coughlin, Brooke M. Henderson, Ruoning Yin, Lilia Vu, and more. Home-state or regional interest includes players with Oregon ties.
Tournament history: The Portland Classic is the longest-running non-major event on the LPGA Tour, dating to 1972. It has been held at Columbia Edgewater for many years (including stretches from the 1970s–2000s and regularly in recent seasons). Recent winners include: Akie Iwai (2025, –24, four strokes over Gurleen Kaur—her first LPGA title); Moriya Jutanugarn (2024, –22); Chanettee Wannasaen (2023, –26); Andrea Lee (2022); Jin Young Ko (2021); Georgia Hall (2020); Hannah Green (2019); Marina Alex (2018); Stacy Lewis (2017); and Brooke M. Henderson (2016). It has a reputation for producing first-time winners and low scoring in favorable conditions.
Recent player forms (key notes):
Akie (Aki) Iwai (defending champion): Strong 2026 season highlighted by a solo 3rd at the Amundi Evian Championship (–18) and other solid major finishes (e.g., T19 Women’s PGA); mixed results later in the summer but proven course form from her 2025 breakthrough here.
Top contenders such as Jeeno Thitikul, Haeran Ryu, and other highly ranked players bring consistent excellence and recent contention.
Additional strong form or course history belongs to players like Linn Grant, Grace Kim, Lauren Coughlin, Brooke Henderson, and various Japanese and Korean stars frequently in contention. Round 1 has already produced low scores, with M. Galdiano leading at –7 and a cluster at –6 (including Olivia Cowan, Grace Kim, Hye-Jin Choi, Leona Walsh, and Bianca Pagdanganan).
