Minjee Lee of Australia steadied herself after a bumpy begin, carded a ultimate spherical of 74 and captured the KPMG Ladies’s PGA Championship on Sunday in Frisco, Texas.
Lee started the day with a four-stroke benefit over Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul and was by no means significantly threatened. She completed 4-under-par 284 for the week, with key birdies at Nos. 14 and 15 of PGA Frisco’s Fields Ranch East course offering some necessary cushion.
“I simply mentioned, ‘Simply persist with my recreation plan,’” Lee mentioned. “I do know it’s a battle towards myself just about, particularly with how powerful the situations had been this complete week, not simply as we speak. Simply amplified as a result of it’s main Sunday. Yeah, simply be affected person and take each shot because it comes.”
Lee bagged her third profession main following the 2021 Evian Championship and the 2022 U.S. Ladies’s Open. The 29-year-old moved up the all-time majors leaderboard, tying names like Nancy Lopez, In-gee Chun of South Korea, Anna Nordqvist of Sweden and Lydia Ko of New Zealand together with her third win.
The one two Australian girls to succeed in the milestone earlier than Lee had been Karrie Webb (seven) and Jan Stephenson (three).
“It’s actually cool, particularly being solely a few us or a couple of of us performed it thus far. … It’s only a actually particular feeling,” Lee mentioned.
Auston Kim and Thailand’s Chanettee Wannasaen every shot 4-under 68 Sunday to tie for second at 1 beneath par.
Thitikul, ranked No. 2 on the planet, held the lead after every of the primary two rounds earlier than a Saturday 76 knocked her behind Lee. She bogeyed Nos. 1 and three to begin off on the fallacious foot, settled for a final-round 75 and tied for fourth at 1 over with Japan’s Chisato Iwai (71).
Lee frolicked within the bunker at Nos. 3 and 5 on her strategy to two early bogeys, and she or he dropped her third shot at No. 6.
After following up a birdie on the par-5 ninth gap with one other bogey at No. 10, Lee protected a two-shot margin with three straight pars, together with a 9-foot putt on the par-3 thirteenth.
That’s when she started to interrupt away. She rolled in one other 9-footer on the par-5 14th gap for birdie, and at No. 15 — a par-4 measuring simply 235 yards — Lee practically drove the inexperienced and putted her second stroke to inside 6 ft of the flagstick, establishing one other birdie.
A ultimate bogey at No. 16 didn’t bitter her temper. After finishing a two-putt par on the ultimate gap, she dropped her putter, positioned her palms on her head and acquired a Champagne bathe from pals and fellow Australian gamers.
“Just about I noticed each single leaderboard and knew precisely the place I used to be just about all of as we speak,” Lee mentioned. “I checked the scores and I then I simply come again to every shot and attempt to execute it the perfect that I might.”
Not solely did this mark Lee’s third main, nevertheless it was her first win of any form since October 2023.
Her brother, PGA Tour participant Min Woo Lee, despatched her a particular congratulatory message.
“I’m so happy with you,” Min Woo Lee mentioned. “The final couple years have been powerful and I’m so glad to see you again within the winner’s circle. I’m happy with you and love you.”
Kim, a 24-year-old from Florida, had by no means completed higher than T30 at a serious earlier than Sunday and has but to win on the LPGA Tour.
Kim shot three rounds of par or higher this week. She birdied Nos. 1, 7, 8 and 9 Sunday to shoot up the leaderboard however stopped there, ending with all pars on the again 9.
“Clearly the end result was actually good, however I’m actually proud of how I dealt with myself, my feelings, and all of the adversity,” Kim mentioned. “The course is enjoying actually, actually powerful, however I really feel like this week my group and I had been very locked in, and we centered on all the best issues. The end result took care of itself.”