Latest news with #KPMGWomen'sPGAChampionship2025
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former tennis phenom Gabi Ruffels attends Wimbledon, then co-leads Amundi Evian in France
Gabi Ruffels prepped for the LPGA's fourth major championship of the season by attending another major as a fan. Before heading to France for the Amundi Evian Championship, where she co-leads, Ruffels first stopped in London for a relaxing day at Wimbledon. The daughter of two tennis pros, Ruffels first excelled at tennis back in Australia before abruptly switching to golf. She was 6 years old the last time she attended Wimbledon and didn't remember much. Gabriela Ruffels of Australia hits a tee shot on the 14th hole during the second round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship 2025 at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco on June 20, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. "I went with my boyfriend and also we went kind of as guests of Todd Woodbridge, who was a doubles champion and really good friends with my dad. My dad coached him throughout his whole career," said Ruffels of her father Ray. Advertisement "So it was nice meeting up with them. He got us into the member's only area which was so cool. It was such a cool experience. Yeah, it's just kind of like a perspective switch as well from golf to kind of get in the tennis world." Ruffels' opening bogey-free 6-under 65 gives her a share of the lead in France with fellow Aussie Grace Kim, Jennifer Kupcho, Andrea Lee and Leona Maguire, who was buoyed by a mid-round ace. Minjee Lee, winner of last month's KPMG Women's PGA, sits one shot back at 5 under while world No. 1 Nelly Korda holds a share of seventh at 4 under. "I didn't drive it very well, especially with my driver, so I'm going to the range after," Korda told her sister Jessica, who was working for Golf Channel, after the round. "Going to FaceTime my coach, Jamie (Mulligan), and kind of figure out what was going on. Advertisement "I had two misses and that's never good on a tight Evian golf course with the rough being pretty thick. Putting as the day went on progressively got better." While it's more of the same for players like Lee and Kupcho, the recent winner of the Meijer LPGA Classic, Ruffels hasn't had a top 10 yet this season. The 2019 U.S. Women's Amateur champion noted that she's been working hard on her swing with instructor Bret Lederer and was pleased with Thursday's results. "My irons were really good but I made a lot of putts, too," said Ruffels. "I made a lot of putts outside like 20, 25 feet which really helps out here. Then made some good putts inside 15 feet." This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Gabi Ruffels co-leads at LPGA's Evian major after attending Wimbledon
Perth Now
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Aussie major winner's new high
Minjee Lee is Australia's highest-ranked golfer again on the back of her PGA Championship win, jumping to world No.6 as it became clear she's unlikely to play a tournament in Australia in 2025. Negotiations for the next staging of the women's Australian Open are ongoing after officials abandoned the dual-gender format that has been played for the past three years, with both tournaments returning to stand-alone events. World No.2 Rory McIlroy is locked in for a return to the men's event being played at Royal Melbourne in December, but the women's tournament is set to be played early in 2026, a return to a timeslot more favourable to attract the world's best players. The last stand-alone women's Australian Open was co-sanctioned with the LPGA Tour, played in Adelaide in February 2020, and attracted an elite field including world No.1 Nelly Korda, who won the event in 2019. Lee reached a career-high ranking of No.2 in 2022, and had been a constant in the world's top 10 until midway through 2024 as she endured a 19-month winless drought. The 29-year-old went into the PGA Championship ranked 24, having dropped out of the world's top 20 for the first time since 2015. FRISCO, TEXAS - JUNE 22: Minjee Lee of Australia poses with the trophy after winning the KPMG Women's PGA Championship 2025 at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco on June 22, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by) Credit: Sam Hodde / Getty Images But her return to the winner's circle in Texas delivered the rankings bump, lifting her over great friend Hannah Green, who fell out of the top 10 to No.11 and lost her place as Australia's highest-ranked player, male or female. Jason Day, who finished fourth at the $30m Travellers Championship, is the only Australian male in the world's top 30, ranked 28. In the wake of her win, Lee revealed how hard her coach, Richie Smith, had to work to get her to make the drastic switch to the long putter, a move that put her back on a path towards the No.1 ranking. 'I think he mentioned it to me like twice and I was like mucking around with it, so I would say it was a good change,' she said. 'I think just for me, it was taking the hands out of the putter. Just using my hands too much. So I was like manipulating the putter to the break. For me it was just using more of my shoulders to hit the point where I thought it was going to break and not making it break. 'I feel like I had a lot of doubt the past few years … I guess with my long game but more with my putting. 'I think the more I heard media and other people saying things about my putting, I think it got to me more and more over time. 'I guess I just had a lot of thoughts and just I was overthinking probably about just the conventional way of putting … and using the broomstick has really been helping me.' Lee now has more majors than Greg Norman, who only won two, but is yet to reach the No.1 ranking the Great White Shark held for a mammoth 331 weeks. Minjee Lee of Australia reacts on the 18th hole green after winning the KPMG Women's PGA Championship Credit: Alex Slitz / Getty Images Adam Scott and Day have also been world No.1, but there has never been an Australian female No.1, not even seven-time major champ Karrie Webb, with the women's rankings only introduced in 2006. But Lee declared she had greater ambitions than getting to world No.1. '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,' she said. 'I think I would really like to get there. We'll see how we go after this week.'
Newsweek
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Minjee Lee Gets Women's PGA Championship Shoutout from PGA Tour Star
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Twelve weeks after Min Woo Lee captured his first PGA Tour title in Houston, his sister Minjee Lee delivered a major moment of her own. On Sunday, the 29-year-old Australian clinched her third career major by winning the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Fields Ranch East in Frisco, Texas. Lee closed with a gritty 2-over 74 in swirling winds and firm conditions, holding off late charges from Auston Kim and Chanettee Wannasaen to finish at 4-under for the week. Her final round was not flawless. She had five bogeys and just three birdies, but it was enough to make her the first Australian to win this major since Hannah Green in 2019. The winning moment came with a steady par on the 18th, followed by a quiet fist pump and a champagne shower from fellow Aussies on the green. FRISCO, TEXAS - JUNE 22: Minjee Lee of Australia is doused with champagne on the 18th hole green after winning the KPMG Women's PGA Championship 2025 at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco on June... FRISCO, TEXAS - JUNE 22: Minjee Lee of Australia is doused with champagne on the 18th hole green after winning the KPMG Women's PGA Championship 2025 at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco on June 22, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by) More Getty Images While Minjee was making history, her younger brother Min Woo Lee was grinding through a tough week of his own. The 27-year-old finished T63 at the Travelers Championship after carding a final score of +5. But that didn't stop him from cheering her on. "Let her cook, come on sis," he posted on Instagram. Following that was her winning post with 4-word message, "3 time Major Champ," reflecting how proud he was. Minjee Lee Gets Women's PGA Championship Shoutout from Her Brother, Min Woo Lee. (Screenshot from @minwoo27lee) Minjee Lee Gets Women's PGA Championship Shoutout from Her Brother, Min Woo Lee. (Screenshot from @minwoo27lee) Instagram After her win, he added, "It's nice to be at a major and her game is built for the majors. She's very solid and her mental side is one of the best I've ever seen." "So mix that in with some good putting and good short game and, yeah, she's going to win. I'm very proud of her". The Lee siblings are rewriting golf history together. They're only the third brother-sister duo to win professional golf events, joining Cathy and Billy Kratzert and Jackie and Jim Gallagher Jr. They were already the first to win the same USGA event, Minjee won the U.S. Girls' Junior in 2012, Min Woo the U.S. Boys' Junior in 2016, and the first to represent Australia in Olympic golf. Now, they're the first to win Tour events in the same six-month span. A look back at Minjee Lee's winning moment Minjee's final round was a test of patience and poise. She bogeyed three of her first six holes, but steadied herself with a birdie at the ninth. A clutch par save at 13 kept her lead intact, and back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15 gave her breathing room. "I'm mentally fried," she said afterward. "I felt like every day was a grind and I really had to dig deep to do it, but it feels pretty awesome". With this win, Lee not only pocketed $1.8 million from the record $12 million purse, but also moved one step closer to a career grand slam. She now owns major titles at the Evian (2021), U.S. Women's Open (2022), and PGA Championship (2025). Only the Chevron and AIG Women's Open remain. More Golf: How Lydia Ko's Husband Helped Save LPGA Legend's Hall of Fame Career
Newsweek
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Major Winner Destroys Putter, Left with Wedge at Women's PGA Championship
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Things can change a lot from one week to the next in professional golf, even more so when it comes to major championships. Newly crowned US Women's Open champion Maja Stark experienced this firsthand during the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. The Swede, who dominated at Erin Hills with an impressive putting performance, was far from her previous showing at PGA Frisco. In fact, Stark was so frustrated with her poor work on the green that she took it out on her flat stick. Golfweek reported that the two-time LPGA Tour winner broke her putter during the fourth round in a fit of helplessness. Several videos subsequently went viral showing her putting with a wedge, which apparently didn't help her much. 🚨😵❌ #WATCH — Maja Stark BREAKS her putter head in frustration forcing the major champion to putt with her wedge during the final round of the KPMG Women's PGA. — NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) June 22, 2025 Stark finished the fourth round with a horrendous 38 putts, averaging 2.1 putts per hole. This was the trend throughout the tournament, as her putting total over the four rounds was 128, or 32 putts per round and 1.7 putts per hole. Only in the second round did Stark achieve positive numbers, needing only 27 putts, an average of 1.5 per hole. Not surprisingly, Friday was the only day the Swede posted a score under par (70). The same didn't happen on the first day (she carded at 75) or over the weekend (she carded a 77 and a 78). This performance keeps her tied for 47th place at 12 under par, with the final round still to be completed. Maja Stark of Sweden looks over a putt on the sixth hole during the third round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship 2025 at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco on June 21, 2025 in... Maja Stark of Sweden looks over a putt on the sixth hole during the third round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship 2025 at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco on June 21, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. MoreCurrently, Maja Stark is ranked 151st out of 158 LPGA Tour players in putting. She averages 31.21 putts per round (874 putts in 28 rounds), and her round with the fewest putts was 25. Stark makes up for her putting with her work off the tee. She has gained 0.60 strokes off the tee this season and is currently ranked 14th on the LPGA Tour. Her average driving distance is 267.25 yards, ranking her 57th on the tour. More Golf: Russell Henley May Have Thrown Away Travelers Championship with Honor
Newsweek
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Nelly Korda Rips Women's PGA Championship's 'Almost Impossible' Conditions
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Although Nelly Korda has earned an admirable reputation for speaking her mind when it comes to golf, she isn't usually seen openly criticizing tournaments or organizers. However, it seems the third round of the KPMG Women's Open was the final straw. Moving Day at the third major of the season threatened all LPGA Tour slow-play records, with Korda playing the front nine in three hours and nine minutes, according to a report by Golfweek. Nelly Korda of the United States hits a chip shot on the second hole during the third round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship 2025 at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco on June 21,... Nelly Korda of the United States hits a chip shot on the second hole during the third round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship 2025 at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco on June 21, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. MoreKorda, one of the fastest players in the world, wasn't pleased at all with the situation and identified the course setup, specifically the hole locations, as a key part of the problem: "It's brutal out there when it comes to the setup of the golf course, wind conditions, everything," she said. "I just think with the weather it's just too firm. The hole locations are kind of in almost impossible positions where not many people are hitting the greens, so obviously it's going to take a lot more time," she added. The World No. 1 also detailed her mental approach to a round like this: "I think we played a two ball in like six hours. That's just a little ridiculous, but, what can you do? Just told myself to be patient," Korda said. "There is nowhere to go, so just patience. I mean, I feel like we've had lots of situations in the past, like, year, where we've had to wait a long time, so unfortunately kind of used to it, which you don't want to be used to it, especially in a two ball Saturday of a major." Just took Nelly Korda and Brooke Henderson three hours and nine minutes to play the front nine. Brutal. Brooke's sister Brittany struggled with heat stroke on Thursday and has her college teammate and roommate, an eighth-grade teacher, on standby in the gallery just in case. — Beth Ann Nichols (@GolfweekNichols) June 21, 2025 Nelly Korda is a well-known advocate for speeding up the pace of play, which is one of the LPGA Tour's main issues. At the beginning of the current season, the circuit implemented a new policy, which the two-time major champion applauded. The policy establishes penalties and fines for players who violate pace-of-play regulations. It is not publicly known if players are being penalized for slow play at the Women's PGA Championship. It has only been reported that Lexi Thompson's group was put on the clock on Friday, but it seems the matter went no further. Nelly Korda shot an even-par third round at the PGA Frisco, bringing her 54-hole score to 2-over. She will start the final round tied for 6th and, as if fate weren't random enough, she will play alongside none other than Lexi Thompson. More Golf: Collin Morikawa Uses New 'Weird' Strategy at Travelers Championship
