Minjee Lee makes hot start at KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

Australian golfer Minjee Lee has made a strong start to the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and trails the leader by one stroke after round one.

No player made more birdies as Minjee Lee conjured some magic with her broomstick putter to sit just one stroke off the lead after the opening round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Texas.

As close to a home game as Dallas-based Lee gets, the two-time major champion had seven birdies in her round of 3-under 69 to trail Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul by one at PGA Frisco’s Fields Ranch East course.

With temperatures nudging 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) on-course at PGA Frisco, Lee channelled the heat into her long-handled flatstick, requiring just 27 total putts in Round 1 to lead the Aussie charge.

Stephanie Kyriacou hit 12 of 14 fairways to post even-par on day one, Lee poised to take the lead into Round 2 until dropping shots late at the 16th and 18th holes.

“I feel like they were pretty soft bogeys,” conceded Lee, who gained more than 4.5 strokes on the field on the greens in Round 1.

“Obviously there will be bogeys, but I think for me, I just try to stay patient.

“If I make a bogey, I just try it back it up with something better than that.

“Can’t get ahead of yourself, especially in this kind of weather. I think it’s more just the heat that’s draining your focus.”

After stumbling out of the blocks with a bogey at the par-5 first, Lee made five birdies in the space of eight holes fuelled by a 26-foot birdie putt at the par-5 third.

Out in 3-under, the 29-year-old moved to 4-under by converting a birdie chance at 10 and then became the only player in the field in Round 1 to get to 5-under with back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15.

“I putted really great today,” Lee added.

“I made a lot of birdie putts and a whole bunch of up-and-down par putts as well.

“I can’t really think of a hole that it was like an amazing putt or something like that, but I was clutch under like 14 feet.”

Sydney’s Grace Kim birdied two of her final three holes in a round of 1-over 73 to climb inside the top 30 after Round 1, Hannah Green, Karis Davidson and Robyn Choi all just one stroke further back in a tie for 40th at 2-over.

Photo: Ryan Lochhead/PGA of America

Round 1 Australasian scores
2          Minjee Lee                   69
T16      Stephanie Kyriacou      72
T26      Grace Kim                    73
T40      Robyn Choi                  74
T40      Karis Davidson             74
T58      Lydia Ko (NZ)                75
T58      Hira Naveed                 75
T58      Hannah Green              75
T103    Gabriela Ruffels           77
T119    Cassie Porter                78

Round 2 tee times AEST
10:27pm*         Cassie Porter
11pm*              Stephanie Kyriacou
11:22pm*         Gabriela Ruffels
12:01am          Hannah Green
12:06am*         Karis Davidson
3:54am            Robyn Choi
4:05am            Grace Kim
4:55am*           Lydia Ko (NZ)
5:11am            Hira Naveed
5:17am*           Minjee Lee

KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco, Frisco, Texas
Past champion: Amy Yang
Past Aussie winners: Hannah Green (2019)
Prize money: $US12m
TV times: Live 1am-5am, 8am-10am Saturday; Live 1am-8:30am Sunday; Live 1am-8am Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.

Australasians in the field
Robyn Choi
Career LPGA wins: 0
Major wins: 0
Previous appearances: 1
Best finish: MC in 2024
2024 result: MC in 2024
Best result in 2025: T9, Riviera Maya Open

Karis Davidson
Career LPGA wins: 0
Major wins: 0
Previous appearances: 1
Best finish: MC in 2023
2024 result: DNP
Best result in 2025: T7, Meijer LPGA Classic

Hannah Green
Career LPGA wins: 6
Major wins: 1
Previous appearances: 7
Best finish: Won in 2019
2024 result: T24
Best result in 2025: T4, Founders Cup

Grace Kim
Career LPGA wins: 1
Major wins: 0
Previous appearances: 3
Best finish: 14th in 2023
2024 result: T60
Best result in 2025: T6, Australian Women’s Classic

Lydia Ko (NZ)
Career LPGA wins: 23
Major wins: 3
Previous appearances: 12
Best finish: 2nd in 2016
2024 result: T46
Best result in 2025: Won HSBC Women’s World Championship

Stephanie Kyriacou
Career LPGA wins: 0
Major wins: 0
Previous appearances: 3
Best finish: T10 in 2022
2024 result: T52
Best result in 2025: T5 T-Mobile Match Play; T5 Mizuho Americas Open

Minjee Lee
Career LPGA wins: 10
Major wins: 2
Previous appearances: 10
Best finish: T2 in 2022
2024 result: T24
Best result in 2025: 2nd, Blue Bay LPGA

Hira Naveed
Career LPGA wins: 0
Major wins: 0
Previous appearances: 1
Best finish: MC in 2024
2024 result: MC
Best result in 2025: T8, PIF Saudi Ladies International; T8, Mizuho Americas Open

Cassie Porter
Career LPGA wins: 0
Major wins: 0
Previous appearances: Nil
Best finish: N/A
2024 result: N/A
Best result in 2025: 4th, Blue Bay LPGA

Gabriela Ruffels
Career LPGA wins: 0
Major wins: 0
Previous appearances: 3
Best finish: T24 in 2023
2024 result: T46
Best result in 2025: T14, Meijer LPGA Classic