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Newsweek
2 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Min Woo Lee Looks for Sister's Footsteps, Goes Nuclear at Rocket Classic
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. It seems that Min Woo Lee wants to extend the family party to celebrate his sister's spectacular victory at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Less than a week after Minjee Lee conquered the PGA Frisco, Min Woo is doing the same at Detroit Golf Club. It's fair to say there's still plenty of golf left to play at the Rocket Classic, but Lee couldn't have stamped his authority more clearly at the start of tournament. Such was his dominance that he even tied the course record. Lee started the round on the 10th tee, and at first, it seemed like nothing special would happen. He birdied the first hole and bogeyed the second, but from then on, he found his best golf and continued making birdies until he achieved one of the best rounds of his career. Min Woo Lee of Australia during a Pro-Am prior to the Rocket Classic 2025 at Detroit Golf Club on June 25, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. Min Woo Lee of Australia during a Pro-Am prior to the Rocket Classic 2025 at Detroit Golf Club on June 25, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. Gregory Shamus/Getty Image The 26-year-old birdied four more holes on the first nine to make the turn at 4-under. The second nine was much better for him, as he made five more birdies without bogeys to finish with an outstanding score of 9-under 63. This score ties the course record, which had been posted by numerous players, most recently by Andrew Landry, who carded it during the second round of the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic. Lee gained 3.091 strokes with his putting during the first round, a crucial aspect of achieving such a remarkable result: "Putting was nice, short game was nice, approach shot was pretty nice," he said after his performance. "Driving was good early, got kind of shaky there I would hit driver on 8 but didn't know where the ball was going so I hit iron and made birdie the traditional way." "Yeah, everything was pretty solid. I think the putter was working quite nicely though." Let. Him. Cook. 🔥@MinWoo27Lee ties the course record @RocketClassic with 10 birdies and an opening-round 63! — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 26, 2025 The fact that his sister Minjee Lee won the third major of the LPGA Tour season just four days ago didn't go unnoticed during his press conference. Min Woo confirmed that his sister serves as a sort of inspiration for him: "I don't think she learns that much off me. I try to learn off her. She's a beast when she's playing good, she just doesn't do much wrong." The score of 63 during the first round of the Rocket Classic also ties Min Woo Lee's best round of the 2025 PGA Tour season. His previous 63 came in the third round of the Houston Open and was crucial to his eventual victory. That win was the first for the Australian in his PGA Tour career. It is his only top-10 finish this season, in which he has earned four other top 25s. More Golf: Tiger Woods looks good as son Charlie kills it at Nicklaus Jr event
NBC Sports
4 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Lee enjoys 'challenge' of major championship golf
Minjee Lee joins Golf Central on the heels of her third-career major victory, sharing how she battled both the heat and wind at PGA Frisco as well as how major championships bring the best out of her game.
Perth Now
4 days ago
- 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
5 days ago
- 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
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Minjee Lee wins Women's PGA Championship for third career Major
Minjee Lee with the trophy after winning the Women's PGA Championship 2025 on June 22. PHOTO: AFP FRISCO – Minjee Lee of Australia steadied herself after a bumpy start, carded a final round 74 and captured the Women's PGA Championship on June 22 in Frisco, Texas. Lee began the day with a four-stroke advantage over Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul and was never seriously threatened. She finished on four-under 284 for the week, with key birdies at Nos. 14 and 15 of PGA Frisco's Fields Ranch East course providing some important cushion. 'I just said, 'Just stick to my game plan,'' Lee said. 'I know it's a battle against myself pretty much, especially with how tough the conditions were this whole week, not just today. 'Just amplified because it's Major Sunday. Yeah, just be patient and take every shot as it comes.' Lee bagged her third career Major following the 2021 Evian Championship and the 2022 US Women's Open. The 29-year-old moved up the all-time Majors leaderboard, tying names like Nancy Lopez, Chun In-gee of South Korea, Anna Nordqvist of Sweden and Lydia Ko of New Zealand with her third win. The only two Australian women to reach the milestone before Lee were Karrie Webb (seven) and Jan Stephenson (three). 'It's really cool, especially being only a couple of us or a few of us done it so far... It's just a really special feeling,' Lee said. Auston Kim and Thailand's Chanettee Wannasaen each shot four-under 68 on June 22 to tie for second at one under. Jeeno, ranked No. 2 in the world, held the lead after each of the first two rounds before a 76 on June 21 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 one 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-five ninth hole with another bogey at No. 10, Lee protected a two-shot margin with three straight pars, including a nine-foot putt at the par-three 13th. That is when she began to break away. She rolled in another nine-footer at the par-five 14th hole for birdie, and at No. 15 – a par-four measuring just 235 yards – Lee nearly drove the green and putted her second stroke to within six feet of the flagstick, setting up another birdie. A final bogey at No. 16 did not 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. 'Pretty much I saw every single leaderboard and knew exactly where I was pretty much all of today,' Lee said. 'I checked the scores and I then I just come back to each shot and try and execute it the best that I could.' Not only did this mark Lee's third Major, but it was her first win of any kind since October 2023. Her brother, PGA Tour player Min Woo Lee, sent her a special congratulatory message. 'I'm so proud of you,' he said. 'The last couple years have been tough and I'm so glad to see you back in the winner's circle. I'm proud of you and love you.' Kim, a 24-year-old from Florida, had never finished better than T30 at a major before June 22 and has yet to win on the LPGA Tour. Kim shot three rounds of par or better this week. She birdied Nos. 1, 7, 8 and 9 on June 22 to shoot up the leaderboard but stopped there, finishing with all pars on the back nine. 'Obviously, the result was really good, but I'm really happy how I handled myself, my emotions, all the adversity,' Kim said. 'The course is playing really, really tough, but I feel like this week... my team and I were very locked in and we focused on all the right things. The result took care of itself.' The grueling conditions all week took a toll on some of the game's top names. World No. 3 Lydia Ko, who started her week with a four-over 75, carded a one-under 71 on June 22 to finish in a group sharing 12th on 293. World No. 1 Nelly Korda fired a final-round 76 for a share of 19th on 294 and world No. 4 Yin Ruoning was in a group on 295 after a closing 76. REUTERS, AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
