Australian golf star Minjee Lee joins exalted company with third major win

Australia’s Minjee Lee has her sights set on entering the World Golf Hall of Fame after holding her nerve to win her third major championship with a three-shot victory in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Texas.

The win – her 11th on the LPGA tour – puts her within four tournament wins of being eligible to be selected in the Hall of Fame. The reserved West Australian admitted after the win she had her sights set on joining the Hall of Fame when she joined the tour in America a decade ago.

Minjee Lee with the Women’s PGA Championship trophy.Credit: Getty Images

“I really wanted to be in the Hall of Fame. That’s why I started golf. That’s why I wanted to be on the LPGA Tour, to, you know, win a bunch of tournaments and try to get into it,” Lee said.

Lee’s PGA win was hard fought as she overcame the win and heat to prevail. She dropped her broomstick putter and threw her hands to her head after completing the job with par on the 18th to finish the final round with two-over-par 74.

Minjee Lee’s winning moment.Credit: Getty Images

The win also puts her in the frame to complete a career grand slam. “That is my ultimate goal,” Lee said.

Her win lifts her into exalted company as just the third Australian female with at least three major championships alongside Karrie Webb, who won seven, and Jan Stephenson, with three.

Hannah Green is the only other Australian female golfer with a major win, while there is only one male Australian golfer with more than three majors to his name – Peter Thomson, who won five British Opens.

After a brilliant third round when the rest of the field faltered in the tough conditions, Lee took a four-shot lead into the final round.

She managed to keep a break on her rivals throughout the round with American Auston Kim and Thailand’s Chanettee Wannasaen both shooting 68 to finish equal second on -1, three shots behind Lee.

Her main challenger leading into the final round, Jeeno Thitikul, dropped away with a 75 on the final round.

“I just said ‘just stick to my gameplan’. It’s a battle against myself pretty much especially with how tough the conditions were this whole week,” Lee said. “I really played within myself today.

“[It required] a lot of patience out there today. Obviously, I had ups and downs.

“Pretty much I saw every single leaderboard and knew exactly where I was pretty much all of today.”

With the $1.8million first prize in her sights, the normally composed Lee began shakily after a birdie at the first, with bogeys at the third, fifth and sixth holes, but she steadied and was on track to victory after a long par-saving putt at the 13th, and was never challenged. Her stoic demeanour never changed despite the pressure.

She dropped a shot at the 16th to make the lead just three shots with two holes to play but settled with par at the par-three 17th to enjoy her walk down the final fairway.

A perfect tee shot on the final hole with a seven wood allowed her to breathe easier.

Only three players finished under par for the tournament in difficult hot, blustery conditions at the Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco course in Texas.

Lee’s PGA Championship win is her first major win since the 2022 US Open. She also won the Evian Championship in 2021.

The 29-year-old was ranked 24 in the world heading into the tournament.

She grew up in Perth and now lives in Dallas, Texas, and her coach is Australian Ritchie Smith. Her younger brother Min Woo Lee plays on the PGA tour.

Only four other current LPGA players have won three major championships. They are Taiwan’s Yani Tseng, who won five majors between 2011-2013, Sweden’s Anna Nordquist, South Korea’s In Gee Chun and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, who have all won three apiece.

It is her 11th LPGA tour win and signals a return to form for Lee who has dramatically improved her putting this season. Her ability to make several crucial putts in the back nine allowed her to hold her lead.

Lee led from the front on the final round.Credit: Getty Images

“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,” Lee said.

The win enhanced Lee’s status as Australian sport’s highest-earning women’s athlete.

“At this point in your career, I mean, my parents have sacrificed so much for me to be here,” she said with her mother and career-long coach greenside.

“I can’t say more things than I’ve already [said]. It’s just extra special that I could win in front of them and obviously wherever Min is, he’s supporting me out there.

“He’s a social media nut, so he’s all on top of that, so it is really cool.

“And, obviously, my dad’s back in Oz – I don’t know what time it is there – but he’s tuning in, and they’ve always got my back, so it’s really nice and it’s great support and unconditional.”

with AAP

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