Minjee Lee, three-time major champion — and more in women’s golf
The IX: Golf Thursday with Marin Dremock, June 26, 2025
The 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is a wrap, and Minjee Lee is a major champion once again.
Continue reading with a subscription to The IX
Get unlimited access to our exclusive coverage of a varitety of women’s sports, including our premium newsletter by subscribing today!
Already a member?
Login
Welcome back to Golf Thursday, friends.
Save 30% when you order “Becoming Caitlin Clark”
Howard Megdal’s newest book is here! “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.
Click the link below to order and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout.
For the first time since the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles, Minjee Lee is a major champion. She won the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco, shooting a tournament total of 4-under (284).
A scrambling Sunday 74 (+2) never deterred Lee, as her game leading up to the final round was good enough to keep her ahead of the pack. Her opening-round 69 set the pace for two more solid rounds of 72 and 69.
The Saturday 69 proved Lee’s grit, as mid-90s temps and wind gusts of over 25 mph plagued the players like cowboys in a western film. (Add some tumbleweeds, hawk screeches and the theme from “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” and you’ve set the scene.)
Lee’s third round score was the only bogey-free round carded on Saturday and the only one to be carded so far that week. It was also one of only three sub-par rounds that day. A string of pars and a birdie on the par-5 ninth saw Lee go out with a 1-under 36. Nothing flashy, nothing special. Just getting the job done. Back-to-back birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 helped her to a back nine score of 33.
Lee’s card was cleaner than clean in what were arguably the toughest conditions of the tournament. At the end of the third round, Lee found herself atop the leaderboard by four strokes.
Last week, I mentioned that some players in the field might be more in tune with Fields Ranch East’s contours and quirks, but even the Texas residents were bamboozled by greens that didn’t hold and cabbage patches if you missed the fairway. High heat and high winds blew dust over the surface of the course, and players fought just to keep their sanity and water levels.
Lee was extremely solid throughout the week, and her persistent play showed she could handle any conditions and any complicated setup. But her final-round scrambling was the key to her win. Hitting just 10 of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens, Lee had to make up for these mistakes. She had to dial in her chipping and putting if the full swings weren’t cooperating. And she did.
Instead of commending Lee for overcoming the odds and playing some darn-good golf to win the tournament at 4-under-par, all anyone seemed to be able to talk about were the brutal conditions and “silly” setup.
We’ve got another Friday at the Solheim Cup situation on our hands. Instead of viewers wanting to know about the good golf played at the KPMG, the clicks are from folks more interested in the drama, negativity and criticism of the event. Bad news sells. And unfortunately, there was a lot of it coming out of the 2025 KPMG.
And unnecessarily so. Lee’s win was outstanding not only when you look at what these players had to face during the week but when you look at how she fared against the competition. She played incredible golf on the same “unfair” course setup that everyone else had to play. But her ability to overcome whatever she faced in simple good golf fashion was mostly overshadowed by the criticism and complaints from others in the golf world.
The Next, a 24/7/365 women’s basketball newsroom
The Next: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX. 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.
Readers of The IX now save 50% on their subscription to The Next.
Sure, Fields Ranch East has some work to do. I respect the players (former and current) and their opinions, since they’re out there every week and experience every kind of course setup that’s possible. I won’t be a keyboard warrior and say that the players should just play their game and not worry about how easy it is and how fun it is for the fans to watch. I love golf. Golf is always fun to watch. But for folks that are not me, I can see how six-hour rounds can be tough to tune into. The pace of play issue has always been present.
That being said, different players handle adversity in different ways. Some players lose their composure, get frustrated and then make comments about it. Some players take what they can from it and move on. Some players just win the tournament. Even if the course setup is bad and if the pace of play is horrendous, you’re still out there playing an unpredictable and imperfect game.
Let’s not take away from Lee’s ability to putt from anywhere on the greens, dial in her short game and take her medicine when she missed a fairway. Lee played her heart out this week. She’s been toiling over the last three years or so to get back into the major title winner’s circle, and she’s finally done that. Even the last two years or so have been tough, not seeing a win throughout that time period. As a fan-favorite with immense talent, a gift for consistent golf and one of the smoothest swings in the game, it’s incredibly difficult to not see the final pieces fall into place.
For perhaps the first time in her 11 years on Tour, Lee has finally caught a glimpse of capturing that elusive Career Grand Slam.
This KPMG Women’s PGA Championship win is the 11th career victory for the 29-year-old Australian. It’s her first win since the 2023 BMW Ladies Championship, so it provided some much-needed confidence and momentum moving forward. Lee even has a chance to complete the Career Grand Slam this season, with the AIG Women’s Open still to play in Wales later this summer. But no pressure, Minjee. Golf history has its eyes on you.
See you next week, golf fans.
This week in women’s golf
LPGA News
Behind the leaderboard: 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
Field breakdown: 2025 Dow Championship
On this date: Karrie Webb completes Career Grand Slam at the 2001 McDonald’s LPGA Championship
How to watch the 2025 Dow Championship
On this date: Sandra Post becomes first Canadian LPGA Tour winner
Five things to know about the 2025 Dow Championship
Auston Kim records career-best finish in a major at KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
Seven countries locked in for 2025 Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown
Minjee Lee wins KPMG Women’s PGA Championship to become three-time major champion
On this date: Patty Berg wins 15th and final major title at 1958 Women’s Western Open
Gemma Dryburgh raises money for Alzheimer’s Society with birdie campaign
If you needed a reason to love Lauren Coughlin more: Rock fan Lauren Coughlin attends Metallica concert ahead of season’s third major
LET News
Rookie Hamilton heads to Hamburg on a high
Henseleit ready to get going on home soil at 2025 Amundi German Masters
Defending champion Försterling excited for the challenge at Green Eagle
Sobron Galmes confident heading into Germany
Watch live: 2025 Amundi German Masters
Green Eagle ready to test LET stars in Germany
Top British stars confirmed for 2025 ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open
Alexander fires course record to win Tipsport Czech Ladies Open
Order “Rare Gems” and save 30%
Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The Next and The IX, has written a new book! This deeply reported story follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.
If you enjoy his coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday, you will love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.” Click the link below and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout.
Epson Tour News
Gabby Barker returns to the Epson Tour after winning an 18-hole shootout
Riley Smyth takes the lead in Race for the Card
Field breakdown: 2025 Otter Creek Championship presented by Case Construction
Melanie Green wins inaugural Pure Michigan Cup with two stellar performances
Island Resort Championship Tools of a Winner: Melanie Green
Melanie Green earns come-from-behind victory at the Island Resort Championship
Kathleen Scavo makes ace and $10,000 at Island Resort Championship
Amateur/NCAA News
Crowded leaderboard at NE Women’s Amateur
French teenager Lousie Landgraf wins Irish Women’s Amateur
2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur Qualifying results and tracker
Preview: North & South Women’s Amateur Championship
Five at The IX: Minjee Lee wins her third major title at a blistering, blustering Fields Ranch East
Despite shooting a 2-over-par 74 in the final round of the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Minjee Lee proved her grit and outlasted the field to win her third major championship by three strokes over Auston Kim and Chanettee Wannasaen. These three players were the only in the field to finish the tournament under par.
Here’s what Lee had to say after her victory.
THE MODERATOR: 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship champion Minjee Lee joins us now. Minjee, congratulations.
Q. Might sound weird, but in some ways you shot 68 Saturday and 74 today. Does today’s round speak more to what’s inside you and what you have?
MINJEE LEE: I think every single day it was a bit of a grind, even yesterday’s score had 3-under, and today I had, what, 2-over — wait, did I have 2-over or 3-over? 2-over.
But I feel like they were all equally as important. Like I needed to do them on those certain days to ultimately have that trophy in my hand come today.
So, yes, I feel like today’s score I had to really dig deep for it, but I feel like I was pretty solid over the four days to have this trophy in my hand now.
Q. After a slower start, what did you tell yourself to turn it around, especially with the putter?
MINJEE LEE: You know, the putting was not really the issue. I was missing the green, and then it put pressure on my chipping and my putting. So I was like, let’s try and first hit the fairway and then hit the green.
So I just tried to be really simple out there. It was just so tough with the wind, so just tried to take it one step at a time. Some of the drives that I hit were really terrible out there, but I was able to get up and down, make bogey, not have a score that was too large to come back from. I think I managed myself really well out there today.
I knew the 14th and 15th hole would be birdie opportunities, so just tried to stay patient and try not — just try to make pars until those holes. I think I did that pretty well.
Q. Minjee, congratulations. Now that you’re a three-time major winner, 11 wins on Tour, do you have — did you set big goals, career goals for yourself? Career grand slam, Hall of Fame? What’s the next thing for Minjee Lee?
MINJEE LEE: The next thing is Evian I guess. That’s my next stop on Tour.
I don’t really set goals like I’m going to win three majors, try and have three wins. I just stick to my processes, and one of my big goals was to improve on the putting stats, so I think I’ve been doing that.
So I’m just taking it one step at a time. I’m going to enjoy this win, and then I’ll sit down with my coach and talk to him on the phone, see where we are going go after this one.
Q. I know there is a lot of excitement back in Australia and it’s significant from that standpoint, but you had a pretty big gallery out. Looked like you had a lot of friends. Wondering if there is any significance, the fact that you made your second home here?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, I had a few of my housing people when I first came to Dallas and played in the Volunteers of America event. I stayed with Jake and Jill and they came out to watch. Tom, one of their close friends, and my mom and her friends were out there and a couple of my other friends.
It was just nice to see familiar faces out there. I don’t really get it too often. Obviously when I’m in Australia and playing in Australia I have a lot of friendly faces, but not so much in America.
So it’s just nice. A little bit of comfort, comfort in a place — in a different country, which I now kind of base myself in is really nice. It was great support.
Q. Just when you look at people that showered you with champagne, a couple of them some younger Aussies, what does it mean to you to inspire the next generation of Aussies golfers and just girls in golf period that might have been watching you today?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, I mean, I would just say like never give up. Also like all of the Aussie girls, I think over time I’ve gotten to know them quite a bit more. Just to see them all come out and support was lovely. Wei-Ling was there and Hannah and all the osteos and my team, Brent, mom.
It was just so nice that everybody came to celebrate with me. It’s those moments. Lyds was there. I mean, it’s just those moments that are the most special. Just mean so much.
| Mondays: Soccer |
| By: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Women’s Soccer |
| Tuesdays: Tennis |
| By: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer |
| Wednesdays: Basketball |
| By: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The Next |
| Thursdays: Golf |
| By: Marin Dremock, @MDremock, The IX |
| Fridays: Hockey |
| By: @TheIceGarden, The Ice Garden |
| Saturdays: Gymnastics |
| By: Lela Moore, @runlelarun, Freelance Writer |
