FRISCO, Texas – Minjee Lee began the final round of the KPMG Women`s PGA Championship with a four-stroke lead and monitored leaderboards throughout the course. Even after facing some early bogeys, she remained at the top all day to secure her third major championship title.
“I was fully aware of my position in terms of scores,” Lee stated. “To be clear, I was definitely nervous starting the day. I even wondered if the heat was contributing to my increased heart rate… I might have appeared composed, but I wasn`t as relaxed as people might have assumed.”
Lee concluded with a 2-over 74, maintaining at least a two-stroke lead throughout the final round. Her total score of 4-under 284 was three strokes ahead of Auston Kim and Chanettee Wannasaen, who were the only other players to finish under par on the challenging, wind-swept Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco.
Lee, the 29-year-old Australian who resides in nearby Irving, Texas, marked her 11th career victory. She joins fellow Australians Karrie Webb (seven major wins) and Jan Stephenson (three major wins) as the only women from the country to win three major titles.
While Lee recorded three bogeys in a four-hole stretch mid-way through the front nine, her playing partner, Jeeno Thitikul, the world`s No. 2-ranked player, bogeyed both par-5 holes among the first three. Thitikul, still aiming for her first major win, shot a 75 on Sunday, finishing at 1-over 289, tied for fourth place with Chisato Iwai (71).
Lee, currently ranked 24th, received $1.8 million from the record $12 million prize purse. This amount was an increase from $10.4 million the previous year and matches the U.S. Women`s Open for the highest prize money in women`s golf. She also earned $1.8 million for her four-stroke victory in the 2022 U.S. Women`s Open.
Both Kim and Wannasaen shot rounds of 68, which were the best scores of the day and matched the lowest rounds of the entire tournament (only two 68s were recorded in the first three rounds combined). Kim`s round was bogey-free, but she managed only pars after a sequence of three consecutive birdies to conclude her front nine.
“I`m truly happy with how I handled myself, my emotions, and all the adversity,” Kim commented. “There was clearly a lot riding on today, but I was in a chasing position. I believe that definitely helped reduce some of the pressure in the moment.”
While the wind persisted throughout the week at 15-20 mph, the consistent gusts of 30 mph or more that had made Saturday`s playing conditions particularly difficult were absent on Sunday.
Thitikul held the sole lead after the first and second rounds. However, the 22-year-old from Thailand dropped down the leaderboard after shooting a 76 on Saturday, a day when Lee carded the only bogey-free round by any player up to that point.
Lee`s victory marks the 16th different winner in 16 LPGA tournaments held this year. Notably, top-ranked Nelly Korda, who secured seven wins last year, was not among the winners this week, finishing tied for 19th at 6-over 294 after a final-round 76.
In a potentially decisive moment, Lee maintained a two-stroke lead by making a crucial 8-foot par putt on the 170-yard 13th hole, staying at 3 under par. Around the same time, Wannasaen sank a 14-foot eagle putt on the 235-yard par-4 15th to reach 1 under, although the 21-year-old from Thailand then bogeyed the 455-yard 16th after missing the green.
Lee displayed a subtle fist pump after sinking a 9-foot birdie putt at No. 14, the only par 5 on the back nine, and followed it with another birdie at No. 15. She was the sole player in the tournament with two rounds in the 60s, having shot 69s on Thursday and Saturday.
Lee stated, “I simply tried to keep my approach very straightforward out there. The wind made it incredibly difficult. Some of my drives were quite poor, but I managed to recover with up-and-downs, making bogeys instead of much higher scores. I believe I managed my game extremely well today. I knew holes 14 and 15 presented birdie opportunities, so I focused on remaining patient and aiming for pars until reaching those holes.”
Lee`s first bogey occurred at the par-5 third hole after her third shot landed in a deep greenside bunker. She then had back-to-back bogeys on the 441-yard fifth and 434-yard sixth holes. Her first birdie of the round didn`t come until the ninth hole, bringing her score to 4 under par at the turn, three strokes ahead of Thitikul and Kim at that moment.
Kim started the final round nine strokes behind Lee, which was two strokes more than the record comeback for a women`s major. Several players have achieved such a comeback, including Lee herself when she won the 2021 Evian Championship in France by rallying from a seven-stroke deficit for her first major title.
The 24-year-old Kim began her round strongly with a 5-foot birdie putt on the 528-yard par 5 first hole. She narrowed Lee`s lead to within two strokes after three consecutive birdies to finish her front nine, including a tee shot on the 157-yard eighth hole that stopped just a foot from the cup.
