Australia’s Minjee Lee is a serious champion for the third time as she gained the Ladies’s PGA Championship by three pictures at Fields Ranch East close to Dallas, Texas.
At simply 29 years outdated, Lee turns into solely the fourth Australian golfer after Karrie Webb, Peter Thomson and Jan Stephenson to boast three main crowns following her 2021 Evian Championship and 2022 US Ladies’s Open triumphs.
Lee is simply the fifth lively LPGA participant to have gained three majors alongside Lydia Ko, Yani Tseng, In Gee Chun and Anna Nordqvist, edging her nearer to a Corridor of Fame profession when her taking part in days are performed.
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It was her eleventh profession victory on the LPGA Tour and she or he joins Webb, Stephenson and present world quantity eight Hannah Inexperienced as Australians to have gained the Ladies’s PGA.
Lee completed the event -4, with solely two different gamers in a position to be higher than par throughout the 4 rounds in sizzling, agency and windy Texan circumstances, to say the huge $US2.4 million ($A3.7 million) winner’s cheque.
The Perth product, who resides in Dallas in america, strung collectively rounds of 69, 72, 69 and 74 to complete away from Thailand’s Chanettee Wannasaen and America’s Auston Kim who each surged with closing rounds of 68.
LEADERBOARD: Ultimate scores from the Ladies’s PGA Championship
Lee was swarmed on the 18th inexperienced by her fellow Australian LPGA gamers, who relished the chance to douse their countrywoman in champagne earlier than she took a swig to rejoice.
The ultimate spherical was Lee’s worst of the event nevertheless it needn’t matter as she used the four-shot buffer she began the day with to her benefit.
There have been nervy moments within the push to the end line with bogeys on the third, fifth and sixth opening the door for her rivals.
She steadied with a birdie on the ninth to achieve the flip in 39, however a bogey on the tenth had hearts racing once more.
Lee slammed the door shut on her rivals with back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15 – a bogey on the sixteenth was irrelevant thereafter earlier than she parred the ultimate two holes.
“A number of persistence on the market right this moment. Clearly I had ups and downs right this moment, and I simply felt like some pictures had been going my manner and a few pictures weren’t,” Lee mentioned.
“I knew there have been some alternatives coming down the stretch to make some birdies and shut the hole slightly bit. Yeah, I simply performed my best.”
She added: “Yeah, just about I noticed each single leaderboard and knew precisely the place I used to be just about all of right this moment.
“I checked the scores and I then I simply come again to every shot and attempt to execute it the very best that I might. So, yeah, simply actually performed inside myself right this moment I feel.”
MJ Lee – Full Championship Presentation | 03:53
She gathered momentum from an essential par save on the thirteenth along with her putter standing up when the strain was on in a second of vindication for an enormous change in gear.
Lee suffered the frustration of tumbling out of rivalry with a closing spherical of 78 eventually yr’s US Ladies’s Open after beginning the ultimate spherical with a three-shot lead.
Her putter was recognized as a difficult side of her sport, and initially of this yr she made the change to the broomstick putter.
Lengthy thought to be top-of-the-line ball strikers on the planet, the renewed confidence on the greens helped Lee return to her finest after virtually two years and not using a win and her world rating standing at twenty fourth initially of the week, having beforehand been as excessive as quantity two on the planet.
Minjee storms to the lead in PGA Champs | 01:02
Requested whether or not she needs she had made the putter swap sooner, Lee emphatically mentioned “no, I don’t. However it’s working for me now and that’s nice”.
Lee’s PGA Tour participant little brother Min Woo filmed a message for the tv protection from the Vacationers Championship, referring to that journey again to the highest.
“Congrats, Minjee, for successful the KPMG Ladies’s PGA Championship. I’m so pleased with you,” he mentioned.
“The final couple years have been robust and I’m so glad to see you again within the winner’s circle. I’m pleased with you and love you.”
Webb dialled into the published whereas Lee was taking part in the again 9, and the seven-time main champion provided perception into what the march to the 18th inexperienced could be like.
“Effectively, I feel she’s simply hanging robust,” Webb mentioned of Lee.
“I used to be on the market the primary three days and it’s simply actually difficult circumstances. Course setup isn’t straightforward in any respect. She’s simply hanging robust. She’s received such an ideal mentality for a serious championship.”
Webb was then requested in regards to the psychological influence of holding a sizeable lead within the closing spherical of a serious, one thing she is properly versed in.
“I feel it’s virtually extra uncomfortable than for those who had been tied for the lead and even one forward,” Webb mentioned.
“I feel particularly with the circumstances that they knew they had been going to be confronted with right this moment. I feel that simply makes that psychological problem much more so. And it’s onerous since you don’t need to play conservatively. You need to attempt to play the best way you’ve the final three days; however you additionally don’t — the best way that course is setup, it virtually doesn’t reward taking up an excessive amount of threat. It additionally then makes it actually difficult to carry the greens for those who play too conservatively.
“I feel she’s performed rather well right this moment. Minjee, you possibly can’t actually learn her. You’ll be able to’t inform if she’s taking part in properly or badly, which I feel is nice. She’s not exhibiting any destructive physique language to her taking part in companions, which might be making them really feel like she feels in management even when in inside she’s nonetheless very nervous.”
Gabriela Ruffels and Grace Kim (+10) had been the following better of the Australians in a tie for thirty sixth, whereas Karis Davidson and Steph Kyriacou (+12) had been in a tie for forty seventh.
Hannah Inexperienced (+16) and Hira Naveed (+25) had been the opposite Australians to make it to the weekend motion.