Starting the final round in Frisco, Texas, Minjee Lee held a significant four-stroke lead at the KPMG Women`s PGA Championship. Despite facing early bogeys and keeping a close watch on every leaderboard, she successfully maintained her position throughout the day to claim her third major championship title.
Lee commented on her awareness of the competition, stating she “knew exactly where I was in terms of like the scores.” However, she admitted to feeling pressure. “But I just want to be clear,” Lee clarified, “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 the final round with a score of 2-over 74, successfully preserving a lead of at least two strokes from start to finish. Her cumulative score for the tournament was 4-under 284, placing her three shots ahead of Auston Kim and Chanettee Wannasaen. These two players were the only others to complete the event under par at the challenging, wind-affected Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco.
This victory marks the 11th professional win for the 29-year-old Australian, who is also a resident of nearby Irving, Texas. By securing her third major title, Lee joins an exclusive list of Australian women golfers with three or more major wins, alongside Karrie Webb (seven) and Jan Stephenson (three).
While Lee had a challenging stretch with three bogeys over four holes on the front nine, her playing partner, the world`s No. 2-ranked player Jeeno Thitikul, also struggled, bogeying both of the opening par 5s. Thitikul, still in pursuit of her first major, began her Sunday round by finding the right rough, ultimately carding a 75 to finish tied for fourth place at 1 over 289, level with Chisato Iwai (71).
Lee, ranked 24th globally, received $1.8 million from the unprecedented $12 million prize purse. This purse represents an increase from $10.4 million the previous year and equals the U.S. Women`s Open as the richest prize fund in women`s golf. Lee had previously won $1.8 million for her four-stroke victory at the 2022 U.S. Women`s Open.
Both Kim and Wannasaen posted scores of 68, which were not only the best rounds of the final day but also matched the lowest scores recorded throughout the entire tournament. Notably, only two rounds of 68 were shot collectively during the first three days. Kim`s round was bogey-free, although she recorded only pars on her back nine after making three consecutive birdies to finish her front nine.
Kim expressed satisfaction with her performance, saying, “I`m really happy how I handled myself, my emotions, all the adversity.” She acknowledged the pressure of the final round but felt that “chasing” the leader “definitely helps” by taking “a lot of pressure off in the moment.”
Although the wind was still present at 15-20 mph, similar to earlier in the week, the powerful and constant gusts exceeding 30 mph that made playing conditions exceptionally difficult on Saturday were absent.
Thitikul, the 22-year-old from Thailand, held the sole lead after the first and second rounds. However, her round of 76 on Saturday caused her to drop down the leaderboard. That day, Lee was the only player to complete a bogey-free round among all competitors.
Lee`s victory makes her the 16th different winner in the 16 LPGA tournaments held this year. In contrast, world No. 1 Nelly Korda, who achieved seven wins last year, finished tied for 19th place at 6-over 294 after a closing round of 76, and is not among the winners this season so far.
A pivotal moment in the round occurred on the 170-yard 13th hole, where Lee successfully sank a crucial 8-foot par putt to maintain her two-stroke lead and remain at 3 under par. Around the same time, Wannasaen made a 14-foot eagle putt on the 235-yard par-4 15th hole, boosting her score to 1 under. However, the 21-year-old Thai player then missed the green on the 455-yard 16th and made a bogey.
Lee displayed a subtle fist pump after sinking a 9-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole, the only par 5 on the back nine. She followed this success with another birdie on the 15th hole. Significantly, she was the only competitor during the week to record two rounds in the 60s, shooting 69 on both Thursday and Saturday.
Describing her approach to the challenging conditions, Lee said, “I just tried to be really simple out there. It was just so tough with the wind.” She admitted to hitting “terrible” drives but highlighted her effective recovery shots: “…but I was able to get up and down, make bogey, not have a score that was too large to come back from.” She felt she “managed myself really well out there today,” explaining her strategy to “stay patient and just try to make pars” until the birdie opportunities presented themselves on holes 14 and 15.
Kim began the final round trailing by a substantial nine strokes, which is two strokes more than the existing record for the largest comeback win in a women`s major championship (seven strokes). This record has been achieved by several players, including Lee herself when she won the 2021 Evian Championship in France by rallying from seven strokes back to secure her first major title.
The 24-year-old Kim started her round strongly, making a 5-foot birdie putt on the opening 528-yard par-5 hole. She narrowed Lee`s lead to just two strokes following her three consecutive birdies that concluded her front nine. A notable moment was her tee shot on the 157-yard 8th hole, which landed just a foot away from the pin.