Top 20 for Leona Maguire as Minjee Lee claims Women’s PGA and third major
Minjee Lee during the final round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Ryan Lochhead/PGA of America)
Leona Maguire clinched her first top-20 finish in a major for two years as Minjee Lee overcame a front-nine wobble to claim the KPMG Women’s PGA and her third major win.
The Australian (29) took a four-stroke lead into the final round at a windy Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco in Texas.
But after battling putting woes and suffering a back-nine collapse to lose last year’s US Women’s Open, alarm bells were ringing when she bogeyed the third, fifth and sixth to see her lead reduced to just two strokes over American Auston Kim.
She birdied the ninth to lead by three shots, but after a bogey at the 10th opened the door, she followed a clutch nine-footer for par at the 13th with back-to-back birdies at the 14th and 15th to go four clear.
She bogeyed the 16th but parred her way home to win by three shots from Kim and Thailand’s Chanettee Wannasaen to add the Women’s PGA title to her wins in the 2021 Evian Championship and 2022 US Women’s Open.
“A lot of patience out there today,” Lee said. “Obviously, I had ups and downs today, and I just felt like some shots were going my way and some shots weren’t.
“I just stuck to my game plan. You know, it's a battle against myself, pretty much, especially with how tough the conditions were this whole week, not just today, just amplified today because it's major Sunday.”
Maguire carded a four-over 76 to finish tied for 19th on six-over for her first top 20 in a major since she led the 2023 Women’s PGA into the final round at Baltusrol before finishing 11th
Tied for sixth overnight, eight shots behind Lee, she moved up to fourth through six holes but bogeyed the seventh before following a double bogey six at the 12th with a bogey at the 13th, three-putting both greens.
She arrived in Texas on the back of four missed cuts, and after missing the cut in four of her previous seven major starts, it’s a result that bodes well for the rest of the summer.
The Co Cavan star plays this week’s Dow Championship in Michigan before heading home for the KPMG Women’s Irish Open at Carton House.
From there, she plays The Evian Championship before heading to Royal Porthcawl for the AIG Women’s Open.
