Minjee Lee wins Women's PGA Championship for third career major

Minjee Lee of Australia steadied herself after a bumpy start, carded a final round of 74 and captured the KPMG Women's PGA Championship on Sunday in Frisco, Texas.

Lee began the day with a four-stroke advantage over Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul and was never seriously threatened. She finished 4-under-par 284 for the week, with key birdies at Nos. 14 and 15 of PGA Frisco's Fields Ranch East course providing some important cushion.

Lee bagged her third career major following the 2021 Evian Championship and the 2022 U.S. Women's Open. The 29-year-old moved up the all-time majors leaderboard, tying names like Nancy Lopez, In-gee Chun of South Korea, Anna Nordqvist of Sweden and Lydia Ko of New Zealand with her third win.

Auston Kim and Thailand's Chanettee Wannasaen each shot 4-under 68 Sunday to tie for second at 1 under par.

Thitikul, ranked No. 2 in the world, held the lead after each of the first two rounds before a Saturday 76 knocked her behind Lee. She bogeyed Nos. 1 and 3 to start off on the wrong foot, settled for a final-round 75 and tied for fourth at 1 over with Japan's Chisato Iwai (71).

Lee spent time in the bunker at Nos. 3 and 5 on her way to two early bogeys, and she dropped her third shot at No. 6.

After following up a birdie at the par-5 ninth hole with another bogey at No. 10, Lee protected a two-shot margin with three straight pars, including a 9-foot putt at the par-3 13th.

That's when she began to break away. She rolled in another 9-footer at the par-5 14th hole for birdie, and at No. 15 -- a par-4 measuring just 235 yards -- Lee nearly drove the green and putted her second stroke to within 6 feet of the flagstick, setting up another birdie.

A final bogey at No. 16 didn't sour her mood. After completing a two-putt par at the final hole, she dropped her putter, placed her hands on her head and received a Champagne shower from friends and fellow Australian players.

--Field Level Media