FRISCO, Texas – Minsey Lee entered the final round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship with a four-stroke lead, taking a quick glance at every leaderboard he saw on the course. Even after some early bogeys, she stayed at the top all day midway through to her third major title.
“I knew exactly where I was, like the score,” Lee said. “But I just want to be clear, like I’ve definitely been nervous since the day. I really didn’t know if it was hot to make my heart beat even more.
Lee closed in 2 over 74, maintaining at least a two-stroke lead throughout the final round. Her 4-under 284 total was three strokes from Auston Kim and Chanette Wannasaen, the only other players to finish in PAR at PGA Frisco’s Wind-Swept Fields Ranch East.
Lee, a 29-year-old Australian resident of Texas and resident of nearby Irving, won her 11th career. She joined Karrie Webb (7) and Jan Stephenson (3) as the only women from Australia to win three majors.
Lee had three bogeys on a four-hole stretch midway through the front nine, but played partner Jeeno Thitikul, the world’s second-largest player, bogeying one of the first three holes, par 5. Still looking for her first major, Chitickle finished over 289 on Sunday with her first shot on a right rough on the way to 75, tied her to fourth place with Chisato Iwai (71).
Ranked 24th, Lee took home $1.8 million of her $12 million wallet, up from her $10.4 million a year ago, matching the US Women’s Open for the most prize money. She also won $1.8 million in a four-stroke victory at the 2022 US Women’s Open.
Kim and Wanasaan both shot 68, the best round of the day, matching the best of the tournament after two 68s combined with the first three rounds. Kim was a bogey but had a par after three consecutive birdies closing out the front nine.
“I’m really happy with how I handled myself, my feelings, all my adversity,” Kim said. “There’s obviously a lot of stuff going on today, but I was chasing it, and I think it definitely helps. I removed a lot of pressure in that moment.”
It was still windy, as it was 15-20 mph all week, but there were no constant gusts above 30 mph that made the playing conditions extremely difficult on Saturday.
Thitikul took the solo lead after the first and second rounds. However, the 22-year-old from Thailand shot a 76 on Saturday. It had up until then Lee had only a bogey-free round for either player.
Lee is the 16th player to win the 16 LPGA tournaments this year. But top-ranked Nelly Korda, who won seven times last year, is not one of the winners after closing 76, which was 19th in 6 overs 294.
Perhaps at a key moment, Lee maintained a two-stroke lead on the 13th hole for 170 yards and an 8-foot par, staying at 3 under. It almost simultaneously rolled into a 14-foot Eagle putt on the 235-yard par-4 15th hole, reaching 1 under, but the 21-year-old from Thailand missed the green and bogeyed 455-yard 16.
There was a subtle fist pump from Lee, then she made a 9-foot birdie on No. 14, made the only par 5 on the back nine, and continued another birdie on No. 15. She was the only player in the ’60s in two rounds this week, on Thursday and Saturday with 69 seconds.
“I tried to get really simple there, and the wind was really tough,” Lee said. “Some of the drives I hit were really bad, but I could go up and down, make bogeys and didn’t have a score that was really too big to come back. I knew the 14th and 15th holes were birdie opportunities, so I just tried to keep patients and make patients up to those holes.”
Lee’s first bogey came in third place on par 5 after his third shot entered the deep greenside bunker. He then had consecutive bogeys on the fifth for 441 yards and sixth for 434 yards. She didn’t have birdies until the ninth. Turns at 4 under.
Kim started the nine strokes in the final round. This was two more than a record comeback for women’s majors. Several players, including Lee, did that when she returned to her first major title and came back from the 7, winning the 2021 Evian Championship in France.
Kim, 24, opened her round with a 5-foot birdie putt on a par 528 yards. She went inside Lee’s two-stroke after three birdies, closing out the front nine. Her tee shot on 8 holes for 157 yards stopped from the cup.