FRISCO, Texas — Minjee Lee secured her third major championship title by maintaining her lead throughout the final round of the KPMG Women`s PGA Championship. She began the day with a four-stroke advantage and kept a close eye on leaderboards across the course. Despite encountering some early bogeys, she successfully held onto her position at the top all day.
Lee commented on her awareness of the scores, stating, “I knew exactly where I was in terms of like the scores.” However, she clarified that she felt nervous at the start of the day, unsure if it was the heat or the pressure affecting her heart rate. “I looked calm,” she admitted, “but not as calm as everybody thinks.”
Finishing with a 2-over 74, Lee completed the tournament with a total of 4-under 284. She maintained a lead of at least two strokes throughout the final round, ultimately finishing three strokes clear of Auston Kim and Chanettee Wannasaen. They were the only other competitors to finish the windy tournament under par at Fields Ranch East in PGA Frisco.
This victory marked the 11th career win for Lee, a 29-year-old Australian who resides nearby in Irving, Texas. With her third major title, she joins fellow Australians Karrie Webb (seven major wins) and Jan Stephenson (three major wins) in an elite group.
While Lee faced difficulties with three bogeys over four holes on the front nine, her playing partner, world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, also struggled, bogeying two early par 5s. Thitikul, still seeking her first major win, finished the day with a 75, placing her at 1 over 289, tied for fourth alongside Chisato Iwai (71).
Lee, currently ranked 24th, earned $1.8 million from the record $12 million prize purse. This year`s purse was an increase from $10.4 million the previous year and matched the U.S. Women`s Open for the highest prize money in women`s golf. Notably, Lee also received $1.8 million for her win at the 2022 U.S. Women`s Open.
Both Kim and Wannasaen delivered impressive rounds of 68, the lowest scores of the final day and matching the best scores of the entire tournament (previously only two rounds of 68 had been recorded). Kim`s round was bogey-free, though she carded only pars after a string of three consecutive birdies to finish her front nine.
Conditions remained windy, similar to the rest of the week with speeds between 15-20 mph, but lacked the continuous gusts of 30 mph or more that had significantly challenged players on Saturday.
Thitikul held the solo lead after the first two rounds but dropped back after shooting a 76 on Saturday. Lee had the only bogey-free round of the tournament up to that point on Saturday.
Lee`s win makes her the 16th different player to win in the 16 LPGA tournaments held this year. In contrast, world No. 1 Nelly Korda, who won seven times last year, finished tied for 19th at 6-over 294 after a final round 76.
A likely pivotal moment occurred at the 170-yard 13th hole, where Lee sank a crucial 8-foot par putt to maintain her two-stroke lead at 3 under. Around the same time, Wannasaen made a 14-foot eagle putt on the 235-yard par-4 15th, reaching 1 under, but then bogeyed the 455-yard 16th hole after missing the green.
Lee showed subtle emotion with a fist pump after sinking a 9-foot birdie putt on the 14th, the back nine`s only par 5. She followed this with another birdie on the 15th. Lee was the only player in the tournament to record two rounds in the 60s, shooting 69 on both Thursday and Saturday.
Lee reflected on her strategy, saying, “I just tried to be really simple out there. It was just so tough with the wind.” She acknowledged some poor drives but emphasized her ability to recover, stating she “was able to get up and down, make bogey, not have a score that was too large to come back from.” Lee felt she “managed [herself] really well” and focused on patience, targeting the 14th and 15th holes as birdie opportunities.
Lee`s first bogey occurred at the par-5 third hole after her third shot landed in a deep greenside bunker. She then recorded consecutive bogeys on the 441-yard fifth and 434-yard sixth holes. Her first birdie didn`t come until the ninth hole, allowing her to make the turn at 4 under, three strokes ahead of Thitikul and Kim at that point.
Kim began the final round nine strokes behind Lee, a deficit larger than the record for a comeback in a women`s major (seven strokes, achieved by several players, including Lee herself at the 2021 Evian Championship in France).
The 24-year-old Kim started strong with a 5-foot birdie putt on the 528-yard par-5 first hole. Her three consecutive birdies concluding the front nine brought her within two strokes of Lee. Notably, her tee shot on the 157-yard eighth hole came to rest just a foot from the hole.
