Minjee Lee wins third major at KPMG Women’s PGA

23 Jun 2025

Press Release:

Minjee Lee has confirmed her legacy as one of the true greats of Australian golf with a three-stroke victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at PGA Frisco in Texas.

Three bogeys on the front nine saw Lee’s 54-hole four-stroke lead shrink to just two but she steadied with three birdies in her final 10 holes, ending the week at 4-under to claim her third major championship by three strokes.

“It feels pretty amazing. I feel like I really deserve this one and I put a lot of hard work into it, so yeah, I feel really good,” Lee said.

Still just 29 years of age, Lee becomes the fourth Australian with at least three major titles, joining iconic figures Karrie Webb (seven), Peter Thomson (five) and Jan Stephenson (three) in a truly exclusive club.

She is the fourth Australian to win the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (Stephenson, Webb, Hannah Green) and adds to her victories at the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship and 2022 US Women’s Open.

“It's just really special. I think it's only a three other names on this trophy, that are Australians. I think it's just such a great privilege to be able to have my name up with them as well,” Lee said of joining Stephenson, Webb and Green as KPMG Women’s PGA Champions.

“I guess it shows the grit of the Aussies and yeah, it's just really special. It means a lot.”

Sleeping on four-stroke leads is never easy at major championships, particularly when the wind blows as strongly as it has across the East Fields Ranch course the past three days.

An early bogey by Lee’s nearest challenger, Jeeno Thitikul, briefly extend the West Australian’s advantage to five strokes on Sunday but three bogeys of her own in the space of four holes threatened to turn the championship on its head.

Producing the type of golf that had given Lee the 54-hole lead, American Auston Kim emerged as the main danger, making up seven of the nine-shot deficit she began the day with to apply some Texan heat.

Yet, in vindication of the switch she and coach Ritchie Smith made at the start of the year, Lee leant on the broomstick putter down the stretch to seal a third major victory and first win since the BMW Ladies Championship in October 2023.

“Just changing to the broomstick has given me a lot more freedom I think,” Lee said.

“I guess I just had a lot of thoughts and I was overthinking probably about just the conventional way of putting, so I think just taking my hands a little more out of it and using the broomstick has really been helping me.”

Three-over through her opening eight holes, a well-executed chip shot from short of the green set up birdie at the par-5 ninth but the momentum swing was short-lived.

An awkward stance after coming up short with her second from 122 yards led to a fourth bogey at the par-4 10th, the broomstick putter that had been such a weapon the first three days suddenly struggling to find its target.

Good looks at birdie from 11 and 13 feet at holes 11 and 12 respectively failed to fall but as the tournament pressure tightened, the putter came into its own.

As Kim lipped out for birdie on 16, a par putt from nine feet on 13 avoided what could have been a two-shot swing, Lee pushing her lead out to three with a birdie from nine feet at the par-5 14th.

After missing the green to the left with her tee shot at the short par-4 15th, Lee putted down to six feet and converted that birdie chance to move a further shot ahead, carrying a comfortable four-stroke cushion into the final three holes.

There would be a final miss-step at the par-4 16th but pars at both 17 and 18 would be enough to add to her growing legacy as she sets her sights on claiming The Amundi Evian Championship for a second time in her next start, and possibly a very rare feat in the future.

“I mean, that is my ultimate goal,” she said of potentially winning the Career Grand Slam.

“I really wanted to be in the Hall of Fame, that's why I started golf, and that's why I wanted to be on the LPGA Tour to win a bunch of tournaments and try and get into it. But seeing Lydia do it, I think it just, I would really like to get there, but we'll see how we go after this week.”