Minjee Lee wins the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for her 3rd major title
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Minjee Lee closed with a 2-over 74 but never gave up the lead Sunday in the final round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship to win her third major title.
While Lee had three bogeys in a four-hole stretch on the front nine, she had started the day with a four-stroke lead over Jeeno Thitikul. And the world's No. 2-ranked player, also in that final group, bogeyed both par 5s that are among the first three holes on Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco.
Lee, ranked 24th, finished at 4-under 284, three strokes ahead of Auston Kim and Chanettee Wannasaen, the only other players to finish under par.
Kim and Wannasaen both shot 68 to match the best rounds of the day and the tournament after only two 68s combined the first three rounds. Kim played without a bogey, but had only pars after three consecutive birdies to wrap up her front nine.
With a record $12 million purse that was up from $10.4 million a year ago and matched the U.S. Women's Open for the most price money, Lee took home $1.8 million. That matches the $1.8 million Lee got for her four-stroke win in the 2022 U.S. Women's Open at Pine Needles.
The 29-year-old Australian who is a Texas resident, living in nearby Irving, got her 11th career win. It was her first this season, making it 16 players to win 16 LPGA tournaments this year.
While still windy like it had been all week at 15-20 mph, there weren't the constant gusts of 30 mph or more that had made the playing conditions so difficult Saturday.
Thitikul, still in search of her first major title, had the solo lead after the first and second rounds. But she fell behind shooting a 76 on Saturday, when Lee had the only bogey-free round for any player until then. Thitikul then hit her first shot of the final round into the right rough on way to a 75 to finish at 1 over 289, tied for fourth with Chisato Iwai (71).
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dalton's stellar sports career dimmed by back injury
With a sporting career inspired by Cathy Freeman, fellow Olympic gold medallist and multi-sports star Chloe Dalton has been forced to retire due a back injury. Part of the champion women's sevens rugby team at the 2016 Rio Games, Dalton also played AFLW for both Carlton and GWS over seven seasons, running out for 32 games. Demonstrating her versatility and skill, she also played in the WNBL before switching her focus to rugby sevens. Requiring back surgery after an injury ended her 2024 season with the Giants, Dalton said she's failed to recover sufficiently to resume her career. "Retired. After a second back surgery nine months ago, my body hasn't bounced back to the point where I can play footy again," the 31-year-old posted on social media. "It's been a tricky process trying to come to terms with the fact that my sporting career has finished through injury." Dalton posted a series of photos and told the story of her sporting journey; how she was determined to win an Olympic gold medal after watching Freeman's triumph at the Sydney Games. When realising she wasn't good enough to make the Australian basketball team she set her sights on sevens. "I went onto Google and typed in lists of Olympic sports," Dalton wrote. "Rugby sevens would be in the Olympics for the first time in 2016. I had just 2.5 years to learn how to play rugby and secure myself a ticket on that plane to Rio. "... That seven year old girl got to stand on the podium and have her very own Olympic gold medal put around her neck." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chloe Dalton (@chloeedalton) Dalton said that she then saw AFLW on television and, although she didn't know the rules, wanted to play. Joining the Blues in 2018, she was part of Carlton's grand final team a year later. She decided to switch back to sevens to compete at the Tokyo Olympics but shattered her cheekbone four weeks out from the Games. After launching The Female Athlete Project, which is a platform to highlight the sporting achievements of women, she then resumed her AFLW career with GWS but injuries restricted her to just 16 games across four seasons. After announcing her retirement the Giants congratulated Dalton her achievements and contribution. "Chloe's impact both on and off the field for the Giants has been profound and she'll leave a lasting legacy with her teammates, coaches and staff," GWS women's football boss Alison Zell said.
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Minjee Lee wins third major at KPMG Women's PGA and is now halfway to LPGA Hall of Fame
FRISCO, Texas – Clara Lee couldn't watch. After daughter Minjee made three bogeys in the first six holes, the former teaching pro couldn't help but think back to last year's U.S. Women's Open, where Minjee held a three-stroke lead on the back nine at Lancaster Country Club, only to collapse into a share of ninth. Clara tried to stay positive, but when Minjee got on the greens, mom walked away and texted a friend to get the results. 'Just watching her, I'm 10 years older this week,' joked Clara as Minjee hoisted her third major championship trophy at the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Advertisement Fields Ranch East course, the new Home of the PGA of America and a staple in the big-event lineup for years to come, provided a merciless test to the best women in the world. Behind her shades, 29-year-old Lee looked chill in the suffocating Texas heat, but as she battled unrelenting winds on a vast, Texas plain, she wanted the world to know that all was not as it appeared. 'I just want to be clear,' said Lee. '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 I was not as calm as everybody thinks.' Winless since the fall of 2023, Lee's resurgence of late can be traced back to one club: the longer putter. She put it in play at the start of the season at the urging of longtime coach Ritchie Smith. Lee's strokes gained putting rank in 2024 was a dismal 137th. She ranked fifth on tour this season coming into the week, and finished first in the field at PGA Frisco. Minjee Lee reacts on the 18th green after winning the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. 'Just changing to the broomstick has given me a lot more freedom, I think,' she said. 'I was just – I guess I just had a lot of thoughts, and just I was overthinking probably about just the conventional way of putting. Advertisement 'I think just taking my hands a little more out of it and using the broomstick has really been helping me.' An 8-foot par putt on the 13th, followed by birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 put Lee squarely in command down the stretch. She held a three-stroke lead over Auston Kim (71) and Chanettee Wannasaen (71) coming into the 72nd hole, where a host of players and caddies made their way to the back of the green with bottles of champagne. 'She's the longest friend I've had,' said Lydia Ko, 'so it's really special for me to be here for her win. 'I saw a stat that she didn't three-putt at all. That's crazy because I was doing a lot of that.' Lee becomes only the third Aussie to win three different majors, joining mentor Karrie Webb and Jan Stephenson. With victories at the 2022 U.S. Women's Open and 2021 Evian Championship, Lee is now one of five active players on the LPGA with three legs of the career grand slam, joined by Anna Nordqvist, In Gee Chun, Yani Tseng and Ko. Advertisement While she called the career grand slam her 'ultimate goal,' the LPGA Hall of Fame is what she dreamed of as a kid. 'That's why I wanted to be on the LPGA Tour,' said Lee, 'to, you know, win a bunch of tournaments and try to get into it. 'Seeing Lydia do it, I think I would really like to get there. We'll see how we go after this week.' For the record, Lee now has 14 of the 27 required to qualify. Lee's caddie, Michael Paterson, is new to her team this year and, fittingly, was on the bag for four of Karrie Webb's major wins. Paterson said smart golf got them into the winner's circle at 4-under 284. That, and Lee's ability to move on from the bad in as little as half a hole. Only three players finished the KPMG Women's PGA under par, the fewest number at this championship since 2003. Advertisement American stars Nelly Korda (T-19) and Lexi Thompson (T-12) played in the penultimate group and shot 76. World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul began the day four strokes behind Lee in solo second but finished in a share of fourth after a closing 75. Paterson praised his boss's attitude in the toughest scoring conditions of the year. 'The way she can just brush off a little bit of adversity and keep her chin up,' said Paterson, 'it's unbelievable.' Minjee Lee poses with the trophy after winning the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Lee's brother Min Woo left a message for big sis, telling her he was proud. He tried calling but she was too busy accepting the trophy so he chatted with mom. Though Lee is a resident of the Dallas area, her house was too far away from PGA Frisco to commute, so she stayed with friends in the area. Clara cooked for her every night and made omelets for the morning. She went to Costco to buy all the fruit, slicing up the kiwi and watermelon. Advertisement When Minjee won the U.S. Women's Open at Pine Needles, Clara was on a plane headed to South Korea. This marked the first major championship victory she was able to see in person. 'It was awesome, but I'm exhausted,' she said with a big smile. For Lee, this major hit different. This one, she felt like she deserved. 'I think it's very different, because I feel like I had a lot of doubt the past few years,' she said. 'Not with my long game, but more with my putting. 'I think the more I heard media and other people saying things about my putting, I think it got to me more and more over time. 'Yeah, I think this one just means a little bit more to me. I mean, obviously U.S. Open is my absolute favorite, but in terms of my most deserved I think this one is the one.' This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Minjee Lee wins third LPGA major championship at KPMG Women's PGA
Fox News
26 minutes ago
- Fox News
USA tops Haiti to cap perfect Gold Cup group stage
The United States men's national team beat Haiti 2-1 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sunday to finish the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup group stage with three wins from three games. Malik Tillman opened the scoring for the Americans early in the first half on Sunday. An error by U.S. keeper Matt Freese gifted the Haitians the equalizer just nine minutes later, but Patrick Agyemang put the hosts back in front with a quarter-hour left to play. "I think we showed a great fight today," Tillman told FOX Sports' Jenny Taft afterward. "We're happy to finish the group with three wins." The USMNT will play the loser of Sunday's nightcap between Mexico and Costa Rica in next weekend's quarterfinal. Here are three quick thoughts on Sunday's match. With the USMNT already qualified for the quarterfinals, coach Mauricio Pochettino made four changes to the starting lineup that beat Trinidad and Tobago and Saudi Arabia in the first two group stage games. The move didn't adversely impact the Americans' cohesion; they started on the front foot for the third straight game and went ahead on a well-worked attack finished by Tillman, who scored his third goal of the tournament off a pinpoint cross from Brenden Aaronson—one of the four new starters. Freese's gaffe disrupted that momentum and gave the physical visitors a spark, though that faded quickly as the match settled into a slog. Still, the U.S. caught a second wind in the second half; Tillman had two goals disallowed before Agyemang finally potted the winner off a beautiful pass by John Tolkin, who made his first start in place of Max Arfsten. Tillman continues to be the most productive and impressive American this summer, during which the German-born attacker is getting his first real run of playing time since joining the program three years ago. All three of Tillman's international goals have come in this Gold Cup. Off the field, the 23-year-old has also endeared himself to Pochettino and his staff, and the PSV man has taken full advantage of the opportunity presented by the absence of longtime first-choice wingers Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah, plus (dare we mention) Gio Reyna. The story of this summer has yet to be written for Tillman and his team, however. Now he has a chance to make an even bigger impression in the win-or-go-home contests to come. A tie would have been enough for the U.S. to top Group D, as the Saudis tied T&T on Saturday in a match played simultaneously. The Americans finished a perfect 3-0 in a Gold Cup group stage. But they could still face blood rival Mexico in next Sunday's quarterfinal. Even if El Tri tops the Costa Ricans later on Sunday, the Ticos would present the sternest challenge yet for Pochettino's squad. As promising as this Gold Cup has been for the U.S. so far, the real tests are still to come. Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports who has covered United States men's and women's national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.
