Minjee Lee perseveres to pick up third major title with PGA Championship win
'A lot of patience out there today. Obviously, I had ups and downs today,' Lee said. 'It's a battle against myself pretty much, especially with how tough the conditions were this whole week, not just today. Just amplified because it's major Sunday.'
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.
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With a record $12 million purse that was up from $10.4 million a year ago and matched the US 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 US 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.
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While still windy like it had been all week at 15-20 miles per hour, there weren't the constant gusts of 30 m.p.h. or more that had made the playing conditions so difficult Saturday.
Thitikul 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).
Lee's lead Sunday never got under two, and she preserved that with a clutch 8-foot par putt at the 170-yard 13th hole to stay at 3 under. That came about the same time Wannasaen rolled in a 14-foot eagle putt at the 235-yard par-4 15th hole to get to 1 under, though the 21-year-old from Thailand then missed the green and bogeyed the 455-yard 16th.
'Pretty much I saw every single leaderboard and knew exactly where I was pretty much all of today,' Lee said. 'Just really played within myself today.'
Nelly Korda
, the world's top-ranked player, and semi-retired
Lexi Thompson
both closed with 76s.
Thompson, in the second-to-last group for the second day in a row, finished tied for 12th at 293. The 30-year-old, who played for only the seventh time in 16 tournaments this season, has gone 11 years since her only major win in the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Korda tied for 19th at 6-over 294 and still hasn't won this year after winning seven times last season.
Jimenez wins another Champions event
Miguel Angel Jimenez
won the Kaulig Companies Championship in Akron, Ohio, for his fourth PGA Tour Champions victory of the season, rallying to force a playoff and beating
Steven Alker
with a 20-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole.
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Two strokes down after playing partner Alker birdied the par-5 16th, Jimenez made a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-4 17th and an 18-footer on the par-4 18th.
Tied for the lead entering the round at Firestone South, the 61-year-old Jimenez and 53-year-old Alker each shot 2-under 68 to finish at 10-under 270 in the major championship. They each parred the 18th on the first playoff hole, with Jimenez missing an 18-foot birdie try and Alker holing a 3½-footer to send it back to tee for a second extra hole.
Before Jimenez's winning putt, Alker missed a 20-foot birdie try after a recovery shot from the trees right of the fairway.
Jimenez won his third major title after taking the Regions Tradition and the Senior British Open — both in 2018 — and earned a spot next year in The Players Championship at the TPC Sawgrass. The Spanish star has 17 career victories on 50-and-over tour.
Jimenez beat Alker by two strokes in the Trophy Hassan II in February in Morocco, then won the Hoag Classic in March in Newport Beach, Calif., and the Principal Charity Classic in a playoff three weeks ago in Des Moines, Iowa.
Stewart Cink
was third at 8 under after a 66.
Steve Flesch
was another stroke after a 65.
The US Senior Open begins Thursday at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo.
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Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Women's PGA Championship winners
1955 Beverly Hanson, United States 1956 Marlene Hagge, United States 1957 Louise Suggs, United States 1958 Mickey Wright, United States 1959 Betsy Rawls, United States 1960 Mickey Wright, United States 1961 Mickey Wright, United States 1962 Judy Kimball, United States 1963 Mickey Wright, United States 1964 Mary Mills, United States 1965 Sandra Haynie, United States 1966 Gloria Ehret, United States 1967 Kathy Whitworth, United States 1968 Sandra Post, Canada 1969 Betsy Rawls, United States 1970 Shirley Englehorn, United States 1971 Kathy Whitworth, United States 1972 Kathy Ahern, United States 1973 Mary Mills, United States 1974 Sandra Haynie, United States 1975 Kathy Whitworth, United States 1976 Betty Burfeindt, United States 1977 Chako Higuchi, Japan 1978 Nancy Lopez, United States 1979 Donna Caponi, United States 1980 Sally Little, South Africa 1981 Donna Caponi, United States 1982 Jan Stephenson, Australia 1983 Patty Sheehan, United States 1984 Patty Sheehan, United States 1985 Nancy Lopez, United States 1986 Pat Bradley, United States 1987 Jane Geddes, United States 1988 Sherri Turner, United States 1989 Nancy Lopez, United States 1990 Beth Daniel, United States 1991 Meg Mallon, United States 1992 Betsy King, United States 1993 Patty Sheehan, United States 1994 Laura Davies, England 1995 Kelly Robbins, United States 1996 Laura Davies, England 1997 Christa Johnson, United States 1998 Se Ri Pak, South Korea 1999 Juli Inkster, United States 2000 Juli Inkster, United States 2001 Karrie Webb, Australia 2002 Se Ri Pak, South Korea 2003 Annika Sorenstam, Sweden 2004 Annika Sorenstam, Sweden 2005 Annika Sorenstam, Sweden 2006 Se Ri Pak, South Korea 2007 Suzann Pettersen, Norway 2008 Yani Tseng, Taiwan 2009 Anna Nordqvist, Sweden 2010 Cristie Kerr, United States 2011 Yani Tseng, Taiwan 2012 Shanshan Feng, China 2013 Inbee Park, South Korea 2014 Inbee Park, South Korea 2015 Inbee Park, South Korea 2016 Brooke Henderson, Canada 2017 Danielle Kang, United States 2018 Park Sung-hyun, South Korea 2019 Hannah Green, Australia 2020 Kim Sei-young, South Korea 2021 Nelly Korda, United States 2022 Chun In-gee, South Korea 2023 Ruoning Yin, China 2024 Amy Yang, South Korea 2025 Minjee Lee, Australia Note: Known as LPGA Championship from 1955-2014.
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Miguel Angel Jimenez outlasts Steven Alker to win 2025 Kaulig Companies Championship
Miguel Angel Jimenez and Steve Alker put on a show Sunday at the 2025 Kaulig Companies Championship worthy of a major tournament. It took two extra holes at Firestone Country Club, but Jimenez scored a come-from-behind victory for his fourth win on the PGA Tour Champions this season and third major championship. "It's very special," Jiménez said. "I've been playing very well. This week, I win here and put my name on the side of all great names through the history of the golf tournament here on this beautiful golf course." After starting together at 8 under, Jiménez and Alker each finished 10 under in stroke play, as each man shot a 2-under round of 68. Alker looked to be in control after he sunk a birdie on the 16th hole, only to see Jiménez erase a two-stroke lead with birdies on 17 and 18. "It was a nice finish, no?" Jimenez said. "I had to make birdie birdie to have a chance." Both men parred the first playoff hole, before the Spaniard sank a birdie on the second to win. It was Alker's ninth top-six finish in 10 starts this season. The New Zealand native is second behind Jimenez in the Charles Schwab Cup standings. With the win, Jimenez earned an exemption into the 2026 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
Yahoo
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KPMG Women's PGA 2025: Minjee Lee wins third career major championship
A champion was crowned in Frisco on Sunday as LPGA pros competed in the final round 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship, the third major in 2025 for the women. Minjee Lee and Jeeno Thitikul were in the final pairing but it didn't shape up to be a Sunday duel as Lee was over par but able to fend off all challengers at a golf course that the No. 1 player in the world called "almost impossible" at times. Advertisement Golfweek provided updates, scores and highlights from the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship: KPMG Women's PGA 2025 live leaderboard Here's a look at the top of the final 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship leaderboard. Minjee Lee wins 2025 KPMG Women's PGA for third career major Lee was 2 over in her final round but she was able to fend off all challengers during Sunday's final round. Auston Kim and Chanettee Wannasean each posted 4-under 68s but were only able to get to 1 under. Lee did card three birdies but also posted five bogeys, but it was enough during a windy week in Frisco, Texas. She is the third Aussie to win three LPGA majors. Lee is the first Australian to win the KPMG Women's PGA Championship since Hannah Green in 2019. She's the third Australian to win three or more major championships, joining Karrie Webb and Jan Stephenson. Lee is now the 31st player in LPGA history to win three or more major championships. Minjee Lee earns $1.8 million for KPMG victory Earlier in the week tournament officials announced a purse increase to $12 million, matching the U.S. Women's Open for the highest prize fund on tour. For perspective, just four years ago the KPMG purse was $4.5 million. Lee earned $1.8 million for her victory. Advertisement At the 2022 U.S. Women's Open, she earned the biggest paycheck in women's golf history to date when she earned $1.8 million. (Later that same season, the winner of CME Group Tour Championship in November earned $2 million.) -Beth Ann Nichols Minjee Lee poses with the trophy after winning the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Minjee Lee posts back-to-back birdies down the stretch Lee is still 1 over overall in her final round but she has made consecutive birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 to get to 5 under and take a four-shot lead down the stretch in Frisco. Auston Kim has posted a final-round 68 and is the clubhouse leader at 1 under. Lee won the 2022 U.S. Women's Open and the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship. A KPMG victory would be her third major title and 11th LPGA win. Maja Stark breaks putter in frustration Three weeks after Maja Stark hoisted a trophy on a major championship Sunday, she broke her putter at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. As the wind and heat made for an unrelenting cauldron of pressure, Stark's frustrations boiled over late in the final round. Advertisement -Beth Ann Nichols Early bogeys not derailing Minjee Lee Minjee Lee has bogeyed three of the first six holes but still leads the KPMG by two. The two-time major winner began the day four strokes ahead of Jeeno Thitikul. In the past 15 years, eight players have held an advantage of four strokes or more entering the final round of an LPGA major and all but one went on to win. Jeongeun Lee6 was the lone exception after leading the 2021 Evian by five. Minjee Lee waves to the gallery after putting out on the second hole during the final round of the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. -Beth Ann Nichols Minjee Lee now the lone golfer under par at the KPMG After Jeeno Thitikul bogeyed two of her first three holes, Minjee Lee became the lone golfer in Frisco in red numbers. Lee is 1 over herself after three holes but at 5 under, she holds a five-shot lead. Leaders are on the course Just after 9 a.m. ET, Lee and Thitikul took to the course to start their final round. Lee parred the par-5 opening hole while Thitikul bogeyed it, opening a five-shot lead for Lee. What will the weather be like Sunday at the KPMG Women's PGA? Players have dealt with brutal heat and strong winds to go along with painfully long rounds during this week's KPMG. Unfortunately, it's going to be another scorcher on Sunday. Advertisement High temperatures will reach the mid-90s, with heat index creeping close to 100. Steady winds will be blowing at 15 mph from the south and could gust up to 30-40 mph at times. How much money does the winner get at the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA? The total purse for this year's KPMG Women's PGA is a record-breaking $12 million, with $1.8 million going to the winner. How to watch the final round of the KPMG Women's PGA 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. streaming on Peacock 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. on NBC This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Minjee Lee wins KPMG Women's PGA 2025 for third career LPGA major
