Minjee Lee captured her third career major by dominating the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco, Texas. The Dallas resident closed with a three-shot lead over Auston Kim and Chanettee Wannasaen, earning her first LPGA Tour victory since the 2023 BMW Ladies Championship.
Minjee Lee, results
Lee showed impressive composure on the final day, braving the difficult windy conditions in Frisco with a final-round +2 (74) that included five bogeys and three birdies. Starting with a four-shot lead over Jeeno Thitikul, the 29-year-old Australian handled the pressure, holding onto the lead despite some early errors. Lee lost three shots in her first six holes, but responded with crucial putts, including a 10-foot putt at the 13th for par, and two birdies at the 14th and 15th, which allowed her to extend her lead with three holes to play. A bogey on the 16th didn’t compromise the result: with two final pars, Lee sealed her 11th career victory and third different major, moving closer to the Career Grand Slam.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” Lee said. “I’ve worked really hard for this moment, and it feels really good.” With the victory, she becomes the fourth Australian to win the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, following in the footsteps of Hannah Green (2019), Jan Stephenson (1982) and Karrie Webb (2001), and the third with at least three majors, joining Webb (7) and Stephenson (3). The presence of her good friend Green, celebrating her with champagne on the 18th green, made the moment even more special.
Kim and Wannasaen finished in second place at -1 with a brilliant final 68, the best score of the day, marking their best result in a major. Thitikul, with a 75, finished fourth at +1, joined by Japan’s Chisato Iwai. Among others, Miyu Yamashita and Angel Yin finished sixth, while defending champion Amy Yang failed to make the cut.
With this victory, Lee earns 60 points towards the 2025 Rolex ANNIKA Major Award, jumps to second in the Race to the CME Globe and climbs to sixth on the Career Money List with a prize of $1.8 million. Her performance projects her as one of the favorites to complete the Grand Slam, after her successes at the U.S. Women’s Open (2022) and the Amundi Evian Championship (2021).
Unfortunately, Italy’s Benedetta Moresco failed to make the cut at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
If everything is bigger in Texas, there is nothing bigger than a golf major played in the “Lone Star State.” Starting Thursday, Frisco will host the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship for the first time at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco, where 156 of the world’s best players will compete for a prize pool of $10.4 million.
Among the protagonists, the presence of Italian Benedetta Moresco stands out, at her second career major after having narrowly missed the cut, by just one shot, at The Chevron Championship in April. The young Italian, with her grit and talent, is ready to make her mark at this prestigious event.
In 2024, at Sahalee Country Club, Amy Yang won her first major title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, breaking a wait that lasted 75 participations. The South Korean triumphed by three shots over Jin Young Ko, Miyu Yamashita and Lilia Vu, also earning a spot on the Paris 2024 Olympic team. Now, Yang is aiming to be the first player since Inbee Park in 2015 to win the tournament back-to-back, despite missing the cut in her final match at the Meijer LPGA Classic.
Leading the stellar field in Frisco is world No. 1 Nelly Korda, winner of the 2021 KPMG and The Chevron Championship in 2024. After a runner-up finish at the U.S. Women’s Open and a 15th-place finish at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, Korda comes in feeling rested, having skipped the final event to prepare for her third major of the season. Also in the field are Mao Saigo and Maja Stark, winners of the first two majors of 2025. Saigo, after her triumph at The Chevron Championship, came close to repeating her feat at the U.S. Women’s Open. Women’s Open, where Stark prevailed, winning her first major. The Swede, in her third participation at the KPMG, is looking to improve on her 60th place in 2024 and the missed cut in 2023, while Saigo boasts a seventh place in the last edition.
Among the stories to follow, the two sponsor invitations went to Mimi Rhodes and Stacy Lewis. Rhodes, a rising star with three seasonal victories on the Ladies European Tour, leads the Order of Merit rankings, while Lewis, a Texan, two-time major champion and former world number one, has been a constant presence in this tournament since 2009. The field also includes 12 former champions, including Ruoning Yin (2023), In Gee Chun (2022), Sei Young Kim (2020) and Anna Nordqvist (2009).
