Latest news with #PGAFrisco
ABC News
8 hours ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Women's PGA Championship: Australian Minjee Lee one stroke back after first round of third major of 2025
Minjee Lee has matched the searing heat with a sizzling start to the PGA Championship in Texas, women's golf's third major of the year. Drinking litres and litres of water and taking refuge under an umbrella, Lee collected seven birdies in a first-round three-under-par 69 at PGA Frisco. Australia's dual major winner is just one shot behind Thai superstar Jeeno Thitikul and one ahead of American Yealimi Noh, Japan's Rio Takeda and South Koreans Somi Lee and Haeran Ryu, who share third at two under. "I putted really great today. I made a lot of birdie putts and a whole bunch of up-and-down par putts as well," Lee said. "My iron game was pretty solid as well, but I think I need to sharpen up my drives a little bit. But I felt quite good today. "I was clutch under, like, 14 feet." Lee at one point reached five under for a two-stroke buffer following back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th holes, but dropped shots on 16 and 18 to open the door for Thitikul to snare the first-round lead. The Perth ace was nevertheless happy to just be back in the clubhouse after a gruelling morning battling the conditions. "I just kept telling my caddie, 'Can you give me another water, can you give me another water?' So, I don't know. I don't think we could have enough out there. It's really hot," Lee said. "It's the same for everyone. I mean, if it's tough for me, it's going to be tough for pretty much the whole field. "Just try and use my umbrella to shade the sun and the more wind we have, it's a little bit cooler, so just try and hydrate and eat well on the course." Thitikul started slowly, slipping to two over with a double-bogey six on the fifth hole. Do you have a story idea about women in sport? Email us abcsport5050@ But that was her lone blemish before reeling off six birdies in her last 13 holes to sit pretty atop the leaderboard. Nine players shot one under to be tied for seventh, with Steph Kyriacou the next best of the Australians after opening with an even-par 72 to be well-placed in joint-16th position. Grace Kim is one shot further back after starting with a 73, with Karis Davidson (74), 2019 PGA champion Hannah Green (74), Robyn Choi (74) and Hira Naveed (75) also inside the cut line. But Gabriela Ruffels (77) and Cassie Porter (78) have ground to make up to play the weekend. World number one Nelly Korda posted a first-round 72, three days after aggravating a neck injury during a practice round. While Korda said it did not hurt hitting shots, the two-time majors champ felt pain "just with rotation" of her neck and that it was hard to get comfortable sleeping at night. "It's better, yeah. Getting better every day, which is nice," she said. "Just because I injured it last year, whenever I do injure my neck, it takes a little bit longer than normal. "I kind of tweaked it before my round with Ariya [Jutanugarn] in Vegas this year, during the night I couldn't move then, so thankfully it wasn't as bad as that day … Just takes me like a week to kind of recover when I tweak my neck now." AAP
8 hours ago
- Sport
Jeeno Thitikul stays patient and goes on a birdie streak to take first-round lead at Women's PGA
FRISCO, Texas -- Jeeno Thitikul walked off the fifth green after a double bogey in the first round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship reminding herself to stay patient and that some missed shots are going to happen. 'Majors, you're going to miss anyway,' said Thitikul, who's No. 2 in the women's world ranking. 'A way to bounce back, it's more important.' Thitikul certainly found a way to do that on a hot and windy Thursday, finishing with a 4-under 68 for a one-stroke lead over Minjee Lee (69). Haeran Ryu, Rio Takeda and Somi Lee all shot 70. That only hole over par for Thitikul was followed by a par before she made five birdies in a six-hole stretch, with a 60-footer on the par-3 eighth hole in the middle of three in a row. 'My putter went really well," said the 22-year-old from Thailand, who is seeking her first major title. "In the front nine we had a lot of breeze going, and more than the back nine, but like (made) putts 7, 8, 9, which boosts the confidence up making the turn to the back nine.' Thitikul, who lives in the Dallas area, needed only 25 putts on the Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco. Her makes measured 199 1/2 feet. Only 15 of 156 players broke par, with no bogey-free rounds on a day when temperatures reached the mid-90s Fahrenheit and it felt even hotter. There were also the ever-present Texas winds on a more open layout after last year's Women's PGA at tree-lined Sahalee outside Seattle. Maja Stark, who three weeks ago won the U.S. Women's Open, shot a 3-over 75. Defending champion Amy Yang finished with a 76, and was one of the last players off the course on a day with six-hour rounds. Thitikul played with top-ranked Nelly Korda (72) and No. 3 Lydia Ko (75). Korda, who reaggravated a neck injury with a shot out of the rough during a practice round Monday, opened with seven consecutive pars in a round that had two birdies and two bogeys. Ko was the only in the group to make a birdie at the 513-yard, par-5 first hole, but didn't make another the rest of the day. While Korda said she doesn't feel pain hitting shots, the two-time major champion said she has pain 'just with rotation' of her neck and that it is hard to get comfortable to sleep at night. 'It's better, yeah. Getting better every day, which is nice,' she said. 'Just because I injured it last year, whenever I do injure my neck it takes a little bit longer than normal. ... Just takes me like a week to kind of recover when I tweak my neck now.' Korda opened with seven pars, including at the 317-yard, par-4 seventh hole, where she hit a 294-yard drive into a valley just short of the green. Her initial pitch from there ricocheted off the edge of the green and rolled back down the slope to where she was. Korda hit her next shot to 2 feet. That fifth hole for Thitkul started with a drive out of bounds and a penalty. Her birdie streak began with a nearly 18-footer at No. 7 before the long one at the eighth. She rolled in a 35-foot birdie at No. 17, and just missed making another one more than twice that long on the 434-yard, par-4 18th. Two-time major winner Lee, a 29-year-old Australian who also lives in North Texas, hasn't won since 2023. She opened Thursday with a bogey and finished with two bogeys over the last three holes. In between, she made seven birdies. 'I feel like they were pretty soft bogeys. ... Well, on 16, that was a bit soft and obviously the first hole is a par 5. I should be making birdie or par at the least,' Lee said. 'Obviously there will be bogeys, but I think for me, I just try to stay patient. If I make a bogey I just try it back it up with something better than that. Can't get ahead of yourself, especially in this kind of weather. I think it's more just the heat that's draining your focus.' Lee bogeyed the 425-yard 12th hole, where she drove into thick rough to the right and from there went into the left rough. She saved par at the par-3 13th by blasting from a bunker to 5 1/2 feet and had consecutive birdies to get to 5 under — the lowest by anyone in the first round. Then came her late bogeys, missing a 7-foot par on the 16th and hitting her approach on the 18th into a bunker.
France 24
10 hours ago
- Climate
- France 24
Jeeno Thitikul edges clear as heat takes toll at Women's PGA
The 22-year-old, who is chasing her first major victory after seven top-10 finishes, reeled off six birdies to move into a one-shot lead. Jeeno's only blemish on an otherwise flawless opening round was a double-bogey six at the par-four fourth hole of PGA Frisco's 6,404-yard Fields Ranch East layout. The rising Thai star, who has already amassed 18 wins as a professional including five on the LPGA Tour, said she had taken a patient approach after shrugging off her early double-bogey disappointment. "I think like all the majors, I have told myself just to be really patient," Jeeno said after her round. "I definitely know that I'm going to miss a shot or make a bogey during the day. "Don't be like, moody ... I told myself be patient and focused on the next shot." Jeeno was one shot clear of Australia's Minjee Lee, who had a roller coaster round that included seven birdies and four bogeys en route to a three-under-par 69. Lee was satisfied with her round but admitted the searing temperatures in the high 90s (Fahrenheit) were challenging. "I just kept telling my caddie, can you give me another water, can you give me another water," Lee said. "I don't think we could have enough (water) out there. It's really hot." Japan's Rio Takeda, South Korea's Lee So-mi and American Yealimi Noh were a further shot back after carding two-under-par 70s. World number one Nelly Korda, meanwhile, is four off the pace after an opening level-par 72. Korda also admitted she had found the heat a struggle. "It's hot; I'm still cooling down right now," Korda said. "I'm pretty happy with my first round in the conditions. "It definitely takes a toll on you, the Texas heat." Auston Kim, who posted a one-under-par 71, said the heat had been more of a challenge than anything the twists and turns of the PGA Frisco layout had offered. "I think the most difficult thing is dealing with the heat," Kim said. "There were times I had to lock in really hard just because the heat is taking a toll on you. You kind of want to just get into a daze and it's hard to focus. "The heat was probably the hardest part, and then hitting the fairways. I had to chop it out of the rough twice today, including on the last hole.
Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Jenno Thitikul stays patient and goes on a birdie streak to take first-round lead at Women's PGA
FRISCO, Texas — Jenno Thitikul walked off the fifth green after a double bogey in the first round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship reminding herself to stay patient and that some missed shots are going to happen. 'Majors, you're going to miss anyway,' said Thitikul, who's No. 2 in the women's world ranking. 'A way to bounce back, it's more important.' Thitikul certainly found a way to do that on a hot and windy Thursday, finishing with a 4-under 68 for a one-stroke lead over Minjee Lee . Haeran Ryu, Rio Takeda and Somi Lee all shot 70. That only hole over par for Thitikul was followed by a par before she made five birdies in a six-hole stretch, with a 60-footer on the par-3 eighth hole in the middle of three in a row. 'My putter went really well," said the 22-year-old from Thailand, who is seeking her first major title. "In the front nine we had a lot of breeze going, and more than the back nine, but like putts 7, 8, 9, which boosts the confidence up making the turn to the back nine.' Thitikul, who lives in the Dallas area, needed only 25 putts on the Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco. Her makes measured 199 1/2 feet. Thitikul played with top-ranked Nelly Korda and No. 3 Lydia Ko . Korda, who reaggravated a neck injury with a shot out of the rough during a practice round Monday, opened with seven consecutive pars in a round that had two birdies and two bogeys. Ko was the only in the group to make a birdie at the 513-yard, par-5 first hole, but didn't make another the rest of the day. While Korda said she doesn't feel pain hitting shots, the two-time major champion said she has pain 'just with rotation' of her neck and that it is hard to get comfortable to sleep at night. 'It's better, yeah. Getting better every day, which is nice,' she said. 'Just because I injured it last year, whenever I do injure my neck it takes a little bit longer than normal. ... Just takes me like a week to kind of recover when I tweak my neck now.' Korda opened with seven pars, including at the 317-yard, par-4 seventh hole, where she hit a 294-yard drive into a valley just short of the green. Her initial pitch from there ricocheted off the edge of the green and rolled back down the slope to where she was. Korda hit her next shot to 2 feet. That fifth hole for Thitkul started with a drive out of bounds and a penalty. Her birdie streak began with a nearly 18-footer at No. 7 before the long one at the eighth. She rolled in a 35-foot birdie at No. 17, and just missed making another one more than twice that long on the 434-yard, par-4 18th. Two-time major winner Lee, a 29-year-old Australian, hasn't won since 2023. She opened Thursday with a bogey and finished with two bogeys over the last three holes. In between, she made seven birdies. 'I feel like they were pretty soft bogeys. ... Well, on 16, that was a bit soft and obviously the first hole is a par 5. I should be making birdie or par at the least,' Lee said. 'Obviously there will be bogeys, but I think for me, I just try to stay patient. If I make a bogey I just try it back it up with something better than that. Can't get ahead of yourself, especially in this kind of weather. I think it's more just the heat that's draining your focus.' Lee bogeyed the 425-yard 12th hole, where she drove into thick rough to the right and from there went into the left rough. She saved par at the par-3 13th by blasting from a bunker to 5 1/2 feet and had consecutive birdies to get to 5 under — the lowest by anyone in the first round. Then came her late bogeys, missing a 7-foot par on the 16th and hitting her approach on the 18th into a bunker. golf: /hub/golf
The Advertiser
11 hours ago
- Climate
- The Advertiser
Some like it hot: Minjee Lee sizzles at LPGA golf major
Minjee Lee has matched the searing heat with a sizzling start to the PGA Championship, women's golf's third major of the year in Texas. Drinking litres and litres of water and taking refuge under an umbrella, Lee collected seven birdies in a first-round three-under-par 69 at PGA Frisco. As the afternoon starters battled extreme winds as well as the soaring temperatures, Australia's dual major winner was safely in the clubhouse in second spot, just one shot behind Thai superstar Jeeno Thitikul. "I putted really great today. I made a lot of birdie putts and a whole bunch of up-and-down par putts as well," Lee said. "My iron game was pretty solid as well, but I think I need to sharpen up my drives a little bit. But I felt quite good today. "I was clutch under like 14 feet." Lee at one point reached five under for a two-stroke buffer following back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th holes, but dropped shots on 16 and 18 to open the door for Thitikul to snare the lead. The Perth ace was nevertheless happy to just be back in the clubhouse after a gruelling morning battling the conditions. "I just kept telling my caddie, 'Can you give me another water, can you give me another water?' So, I don't know. I don't think we could have enough out there. It's really hot," Lee said. "It's the same for everyone. I mean, if it's tough for me it's going be tough for pretty much the whole field. "Just try and use my umbrella to shade the sun and the more wind we have it's a little bit cooler so just try and hydrate and eat well on the course." Thitikul started slowly, slipping to two over with a double-bogey six on the fifth hole. But that was her lone blemish before reeling off six birdies in her last 13 holes to sit pretty atop the leaderboard. World No.1 Nelly Korda shot an even-par 72, three days after aggravating a neck injury during a practice round. While Korda said she doesn't feel pain hitting shots, the two-time major champion said she has pain "just with rotation" of her neck and that it is hard to get comfortable sleeping at night. "It's better, yeah. Getting better every day, which is nice," she said. "Just because I injured it last year, whenever I do injure my neck it takes a little bit longer than normal. "I kind of tweaked it before my round with Ariya (Jutanugarn) in Vegas this year, during the night I couldn't move then, so thankfully it wasn't as bad as that day. ... Just takes me like a week to kind of recover when I tweak my neck now." Minjee Lee has matched the searing heat with a sizzling start to the PGA Championship, women's golf's third major of the year in Texas. Drinking litres and litres of water and taking refuge under an umbrella, Lee collected seven birdies in a first-round three-under-par 69 at PGA Frisco. As the afternoon starters battled extreme winds as well as the soaring temperatures, Australia's dual major winner was safely in the clubhouse in second spot, just one shot behind Thai superstar Jeeno Thitikul. "I putted really great today. I made a lot of birdie putts and a whole bunch of up-and-down par putts as well," Lee said. "My iron game was pretty solid as well, but I think I need to sharpen up my drives a little bit. But I felt quite good today. "I was clutch under like 14 feet." Lee at one point reached five under for a two-stroke buffer following back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th holes, but dropped shots on 16 and 18 to open the door for Thitikul to snare the lead. The Perth ace was nevertheless happy to just be back in the clubhouse after a gruelling morning battling the conditions. "I just kept telling my caddie, 'Can you give me another water, can you give me another water?' So, I don't know. I don't think we could have enough out there. It's really hot," Lee said. "It's the same for everyone. I mean, if it's tough for me it's going be tough for pretty much the whole field. "Just try and use my umbrella to shade the sun and the more wind we have it's a little bit cooler so just try and hydrate and eat well on the course." Thitikul started slowly, slipping to two over with a double-bogey six on the fifth hole. But that was her lone blemish before reeling off six birdies in her last 13 holes to sit pretty atop the leaderboard. World No.1 Nelly Korda shot an even-par 72, three days after aggravating a neck injury during a practice round. While Korda said she doesn't feel pain hitting shots, the two-time major champion said she has pain "just with rotation" of her neck and that it is hard to get comfortable sleeping at night. "It's better, yeah. Getting better every day, which is nice," she said. "Just because I injured it last year, whenever I do injure my neck it takes a little bit longer than normal. "I kind of tweaked it before my round with Ariya (Jutanugarn) in Vegas this year, during the night I couldn't move then, so thankfully it wasn't as bad as that day. ... Just takes me like a week to kind of recover when I tweak my neck now." Minjee Lee has matched the searing heat with a sizzling start to the PGA Championship, women's golf's third major of the year in Texas. Drinking litres and litres of water and taking refuge under an umbrella, Lee collected seven birdies in a first-round three-under-par 69 at PGA Frisco. As the afternoon starters battled extreme winds as well as the soaring temperatures, Australia's dual major winner was safely in the clubhouse in second spot, just one shot behind Thai superstar Jeeno Thitikul. "I putted really great today. I made a lot of birdie putts and a whole bunch of up-and-down par putts as well," Lee said. "My iron game was pretty solid as well, but I think I need to sharpen up my drives a little bit. But I felt quite good today. "I was clutch under like 14 feet." Lee at one point reached five under for a two-stroke buffer following back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th holes, but dropped shots on 16 and 18 to open the door for Thitikul to snare the lead. The Perth ace was nevertheless happy to just be back in the clubhouse after a gruelling morning battling the conditions. "I just kept telling my caddie, 'Can you give me another water, can you give me another water?' So, I don't know. I don't think we could have enough out there. It's really hot," Lee said. "It's the same for everyone. I mean, if it's tough for me it's going be tough for pretty much the whole field. "Just try and use my umbrella to shade the sun and the more wind we have it's a little bit cooler so just try and hydrate and eat well on the course." Thitikul started slowly, slipping to two over with a double-bogey six on the fifth hole. But that was her lone blemish before reeling off six birdies in her last 13 holes to sit pretty atop the leaderboard. World No.1 Nelly Korda shot an even-par 72, three days after aggravating a neck injury during a practice round. While Korda said she doesn't feel pain hitting shots, the two-time major champion said she has pain "just with rotation" of her neck and that it is hard to get comfortable sleeping at night. "It's better, yeah. Getting better every day, which is nice," she said. "Just because I injured it last year, whenever I do injure my neck it takes a little bit longer than normal. "I kind of tweaked it before my round with Ariya (Jutanugarn) in Vegas this year, during the night I couldn't move then, so thankfully it wasn't as bad as that day. ... Just takes me like a week to kind of recover when I tweak my neck now." Minjee Lee has matched the searing heat with a sizzling start to the PGA Championship, women's golf's third major of the year in Texas. Drinking litres and litres of water and taking refuge under an umbrella, Lee collected seven birdies in a first-round three-under-par 69 at PGA Frisco. As the afternoon starters battled extreme winds as well as the soaring temperatures, Australia's dual major winner was safely in the clubhouse in second spot, just one shot behind Thai superstar Jeeno Thitikul. "I putted really great today. I made a lot of birdie putts and a whole bunch of up-and-down par putts as well," Lee said. "My iron game was pretty solid as well, but I think I need to sharpen up my drives a little bit. But I felt quite good today. "I was clutch under like 14 feet." Lee at one point reached five under for a two-stroke buffer following back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th holes, but dropped shots on 16 and 18 to open the door for Thitikul to snare the lead. The Perth ace was nevertheless happy to just be back in the clubhouse after a gruelling morning battling the conditions. "I just kept telling my caddie, 'Can you give me another water, can you give me another water?' So, I don't know. I don't think we could have enough out there. It's really hot," Lee said. "It's the same for everyone. I mean, if it's tough for me it's going be tough for pretty much the whole field. "Just try and use my umbrella to shade the sun and the more wind we have it's a little bit cooler so just try and hydrate and eat well on the course." Thitikul started slowly, slipping to two over with a double-bogey six on the fifth hole. But that was her lone blemish before reeling off six birdies in her last 13 holes to sit pretty atop the leaderboard. World No.1 Nelly Korda shot an even-par 72, three days after aggravating a neck injury during a practice round. While Korda said she doesn't feel pain hitting shots, the two-time major champion said she has pain "just with rotation" of her neck and that it is hard to get comfortable sleeping at night. "It's better, yeah. Getting better every day, which is nice," she said. "Just because I injured it last year, whenever I do injure my neck it takes a little bit longer than normal. "I kind of tweaked it before my round with Ariya (Jutanugarn) in Vegas this year, during the night I couldn't move then, so thankfully it wasn't as bad as that day. ... Just takes me like a week to kind of recover when I tweak my neck now."
