FRISCO, Texas — Minjee Lee began the final round of the KPMG Women`s PGA Championship with a four-stroke advantage and closely monitored every leaderboard visible on the course. Even after experiencing some early bogeys, she successfully maintained her lead throughout the day to clinch her third career major championship.
“I knew exactly where I stood regarding the scores,” Lee commented. “But I want to be clear, I was definitely nervous at the start. I wasn`t sure if the heat was contributing to my increased heart rate… I might have appeared calm, but I wasn`t as serene as everyone thinks.”
Lee concluded with a final round score of 2-over 74. She managed to hold a lead of at least two strokes for the entire final round, finishing with a total score of 4-under 284. This placed her three strokes ahead of Auston Kim and Chanettee Wannasaen, who were the only other players to finish below par on the windy Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco.
The 29-year-old Australian, who is also a resident of Irving, Texas, secured her 11th victory on the LPGA tour. By winning her third major, she joins fellow Australians Karrie Webb (seven major wins) and Jan Stephenson (three major wins) in this elite group.
While Lee recorded three bogeys in a challenging four-hole sequence on the front nine, her playing partner, Jeeno Thitikul, the world No. 2, also struggled, bogeying both par 5s among the initial three holes. Thitikul, still seeking her first major championship, finished the day with a 75, tying for fourth place at 1-over 289 with Chisato Iwai (71).
Ranked 24th, Lee took home $1.8 million from a record-setting $12 million purse. This prize money increased from $10.4 million last year and now matches 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.
Kim and Wannasaen both delivered impressive rounds of 68, the best scores recorded on the final day and matching the lowest scores of the entire tournament (only two rounds of 68 were shot in the first three days). Kim played a bogey-free round but could only manage pars after making three consecutive birdies to close out her front nine.
Kim expressed satisfaction with her performance, stating, “I`m really pleased with how I managed myself, my emotions, and all the challenges.” She added that being in a chasing position likely helped alleviate some of the pressure during the critical moments.
Although still windy, with speeds between 15-20 mph, the conditions were not as severe as the previous Saturday, which saw constant gusts of 30 mph or more making play significantly more difficult.
Thitikul held the sole lead after the first and second rounds but dropped back following a 76 on Saturday. In contrast, Lee was the only player across the first three rounds to achieve a bogey-free score, which she accomplished on Saturday.
Lee`s win makes her the 16th different winner in the 16 LPGA tournaments played this year. Notably, world No. 1 Nelly Korda, who claimed seven victories last year, finished tied for 19th at 6-over 294 and is still seeking her first win of the season.
In a potentially pivotal moment, Lee maintained her two-stroke advantage by sinking a crucial 8-foot par putt on the 170-yard 13th hole to remain at 3-under. Around the same time, Wannasaen made a 14-foot eagle putt on the 235-yard par-4 15th, moving to 1-under, but then bogeyed the subsequent 455-yard 16th hole.
Lee followed her clutch putt with a subtle fist pump after converting a 9-foot birdie putt at No. 14, the lone par 5 on the back nine, and added another birdie at No. 15. She was the only player this week to record two rounds in the 60s, with scores of 69 on Thursday and Saturday.
“I focused on keeping things very simple out there. The wind made it extremely tough,” Lee explained. “Some of my drives were quite poor, but I managed to get up and down, make bogeys, and avoid scores that would be difficult to recover from. I believe I managed myself effectively today. I knew holes 14 and 15 presented birdie chances, so I tried to stay patient and make pars until I reached those holes.”
Lee`s first bogey came on the par-5 third hole after her third shot landed in a deep greenside bunker. She then carded back-to-back bogeys on the 441-yard fifth and 434-yard sixth holes. Her first birdie didn`t arrive until the ninth hole, allowing her to make the turn at 4-under, three strokes ahead of Thitikul and Kim at that point.
Kim started the final round nine strokes behind the leader, a deficit larger than the record comeback for a women`s major. Interestingly, Minjee Lee holds a major comeback win herself, having come from seven strokes back to secure her first major title at the 2021 Evian Championship in France.
The 24-year-old Kim began her round strongly with a 5-foot birdie putt on the 528-yard opening par-5. She narrowed the gap to within two strokes of Lee after her three consecutive birdies on the front nine, including a tee shot on the 157-yard eighth hole that finished just a foot from the cup.