FRISCO, Texas – Minjee Lee, starting the final round of the KPMG Women`s PGA Championship with a four-stroke advantage, diligently monitored every leaderboard on the course. Despite some early challenges with bogeys, she successfully maintained her position at the top throughout the day, ultimately securing her third major championship victory.
Reflecting on her approach, Lee commented, “I knew exactly where I was in terms of like the scores. But I just want to be clear. Like I definitely was nervous starting the day. I wasn`t really sure if it was the heat that was making my heart beat more. … I looked calm, but not as calm as everybody thinks.”
Lee concluded her round with a 2-over 74, ensuring she held at least a two-stroke lead from start to finish on Sunday. Her final score of 4-under 284 put her three strokes ahead of Auston Kim and Chanettee Wannasaen, who were the only other competitors to finish under par at the challenging, wind-swept Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco.
This victory marks the 11th career win for the 29-year-old Australian, who also resides in nearby Irving, Texas. She joins legendary Australian golfers Karrie Webb (seven major wins) and Jan Stephenson (three major wins) as the only women from the country to claim three major titles.
While Lee experienced a stretch of three bogeys over four holes on the front nine, her playing partner, world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, also struggled, bogeying both par 5s early in her round. Thitikul, still seeking her first major title, carded a 75, finishing tied for fourth at 1-over 289 alongside Chisato Iwai, who shot a 71.
Lee, currently ranked 24th globally, took home the winner`s prize of $1.8 million. This amount comes from the record-setting $12 million purse for the tournament, an increase from $10.4 million the previous year and matching the U.S. Women`s Open for the largest prize fund in women`s golf. Lee also received $1.8 million for her four-stroke victory at the 2022 U.S. Women`s Open.
Both Auston Kim and Chanettee Wannasaen delivered impressive rounds of 68, which were the best scores recorded on the final day and equaled the lowest rounds of the entire tournament (only two 68s were shot combined over the first three days). Kim`s round was bogey-free, though she managed only pars after a burst of three consecutive birdies on her front nine.
Kim reflected on her performance, stating, “I`m really happy how I handled myself, my emotions, all the adversity. There is obviously a lot on the line today, but I was chasing. I think that definitely helps. Took a lot of pressure off in the moment.”
While the wind persisted throughout the week at 15-20 mph, the conditions on Sunday were less severe than the constant gusts exceeding 30 mph that made play particularly difficult on Saturday.
Jeeno Thitikul had held the outright lead after both the first and second rounds but dropped back after shooting a 76 on Saturday. In contrast, Lee was the only player to complete a bogey-free round prior to Sunday`s final round.
Lee`s win makes her the 16th different player to triumph in the 16 LPGA tournaments held this year. Notably, world No. 1 Nelly Korda, who dominated with seven victories last year, was not among the winners, finishing tied for 19th at 6-over 294 after a closing 76.
A critical juncture in the final round occurred on the 170-yard 13th hole, where Lee made a crucial 8-foot par putt to maintain her two-stroke lead. Around the same time, Chanettee Wannasaen holed a spectacular 14-foot eagle putt on the 235-yard par-4 15th, reaching 1-under for the tournament, but she immediately dropped a shot by bogeying the 455-yard 16th.
Lee subtly pumped her fist after making a 9-foot birdie putt on the par-5 14th hole, the only par 5 on the back nine. She followed this with another birdie on the 15th hole. Lee was the only player in the field with two rounds in the 60s, posting 69s on both Thursday and Saturday.
Discussing her strategy in the challenging conditions, Lee explained, “I just tried to be really simple out there. It was just so tough with the wind. Some of the drives that I hit were really terrible out there, but I was able to get up and down, make bogey, not have a score that was too large to come back from. I think I managed myself really well out there today. I knew the 14th and 15th holes would be birdie opportunities, so just tried to stay patient and just try to make pars until those holes.”
Lee`s first bogey of the day came at the par-5 third hole after her third shot landed in a deep greenside bunker. This was followed by consecutive bogeys on the 441-yard fifth and 434-yard sixth holes. She didn`t card her first birdie until the ninth hole, making the turn at 4-under par, holding a three-stroke lead over Thitikul and Kim at that point.
Auston Kim began the final round nine strokes behind Lee. While a nine-stroke comeback would have been historic, the record for a women`s major comeback is seven strokes, set by Minjee Lee herself at the 2021 Evian Championship where she won her first major title.
The 24-year-old Kim started strongly, making a 5-foot birdie putt on the opening 528-yard par-5. She narrowed the gap to within two strokes of Lee after her sequence of three straight birdies on the front nine, a run highlighted by her tee shot on the 157-yard eighth hole stopping just a foot away from the cup.
Marcus Blakely