Hear from the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Champion Minjee Lee at the Winner's Press Conference at PGA Frisco.
THE MODERATOR: 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship champion Minjee Lee joins us now. Minjee, congratulations. How does it feel to be a three-time major champion?
MINJEE LEE: It feels pretty amazing. I feel like I really deserve this one. I put a lot of hard work into it. Yeah, I feel really good.
Q. Might sound weird, but in some ways you shot 68 Saturday and 74 today. Does today's round speak more to what's inside you and what you have?
MINJEE LEE: I think every single day it was a bit of a grind, even yesterday's score had 3-under, and today I had, what, 2-over -- wait, did I have 2-over or 3-over? 2-over.
But I feel like they were all equally as important. Like I needed to do them on those certain days to ultimately have that trophy in my hand come today.
So, yes, I feel like today's score I had to really dig deep for it, but I feel like I was pretty solid over the four days to, you know, have this trophy in my hand now.
Q. Obviously you've won majors before. To win this one, three other Aussies have one this trophy, what does it mean to join Jan, Karrie, and Hannah?
MINJEE LEE: I think it's pretty awesome. I mean, all of them are such great golfers, great careers. Obviously Hannah is still on Tour with me, so it's also great to have a friend who has won this trophy.
So I think it's great to be able to have my name up with them. Yeah, it's pretty cool.
Q. I know your putting has been a big thing, but what have you and Ritchie been working on ahead of this week?
MINJEE LEE: I think I was just going a little bit inside with my putter, so I was just trying to keep it on plane and take it more straight back and straight forward.
It was a little bit difficult in this wind, but, you know, at the end of the day I still putted really well to be able to win, so I guess that work has paid off a little bit.
Q. Congratulations.
MINJEE LEE: Thank you.
Q. After a slower start, what did you tell yourself to turn it around, especially with the putter?
MINJEE LEE: You know, the putting was not really the issue. I was missing the green, and then it put pressure on my chipping and my putting. So I was like, let's try and first hit the fairway and then hit the green.
So I just tried to be really simple out there. You know, it was just so tough with the wind, so just tried to take it one step at a time. You know, some of the drives that I hit were really terrible out there, but I was able to get up and down, make bogey, not have a score that was too large to come back from. I think I managed myself really well out there today.
I knew the 14th and 15th hole would be birdie opportunities, so just tried to stay patient and, you know, try not -- just try to make pars until those holes. I think I did that pretty well.
Q. What did your brother say to you?
MINJEE LEE: I was just on the broadcast and he sent a really nice message. Just said, well done, he's proud of me, that he loved me.
Q. Minjee, congratulations. Now that you're a three-time major winner, 11 wins on Tour, do you have -- did you set big goals, career goals for yourself? Career grand slam, Hall of Fame? What's the next thing for Minjee Lee?
MINJEE LEE: The next thing is Evian I guess. That's my next stop on Tour.
You know, I don't really set goals like I'm going to win three majors, try and have three wins. 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. I'm going to enjoy this win, and then I'll sit down with my coach and talk to him on the phone, see where we are going go after this one.
Q. I know there is a lot of excitement back in Australia and it's significant from that standpoint, but you had a pretty big gallery out. Looked like you had a lot of friends. Wondering if there is any significance, the fact that you made your second home here?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, I had a few of my housing people when I first came to Dallas and played in the Volunteers of America event. I stayed with Jake and Jill and they came out to watch. Tom, one of their close friends, and my mom and her friends were out there and a couple of my other friends.
It was just nice to see familiar faces out there. I don't really get it too often. Obviously when I'm in Australia and playing in Australia I have a lot of friendly faces, but not so much in America.
So it's just nice. A little bit of comfort, comfort in a place -- in a different country, which I now kind of base myself in is really nice. It was great support.
Q. Yeah, I know you're doing your thing and he's doing his thing, but can you talk about what a rarity that is for both you and your brother to be as successful on your respective tours as you have been?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, as a professional golfer we put so much time and our effort into perfecting our game. I feel like Min Woo has really matured over the years and is figuring out what works best for him on tour, like his schedule, just even practice.
I think he's grown up a lot. I love to see his journey and how well he's doing on the PGA. I'm a veteran on the LPGA; 11 years feelings like a long time, so I feel like I have more routine down pat now. Like I know what I'm doing. I just need to, you know, do what I know best and try and replicate that every week.
So it's just really great to see Min Woo doing good in the States, on the PGA TOUR as well.
Q. You guys are totally different personality-wise. Does that show in golf that a lot of different ways can succeed, not just one way to succeed out here? There is a lot of ways to succeed?
MINJEE LEE: Oh, yeah. Definitely there is not -- I don't think there is one person who has the same personality who plays golf and who has won. I feel like there is a lot of things that I can learn from a lot of different personalities who have won on Tour, on the PGA and LPGA respectfully.
Yeah, I mean, I don't think there is one perfect combination for you to win on Tour. I think there is a lot of different things that have to go your way. It's is a hard to win on tour now, so I think, yeah, it's just really great to be able to have the KPMG trophy in my hands.
Q. Congrats, Minjee. Can you describe the pride you have in your journey with putting, from winning ten tournaments and the two majors to changing your putter and then now to winning another major with this putter?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, so when I won the last -- at Evian and U.S. Open, I was left-hand low so I wasn't even a conventional grip, so I guess I changed quite a bit over my 11 years on Tour. Just changing to the broomstick has given me a lot more freedom I think. I was just -- I guess I just had a lot of thoughts and just I was overthinking probably about just the conventional way of putting.
I think just taking my hands a little more out of it and using the broomstick has really been helping me.
Q. And then also, you had mentioned on the broadcast that you looked at every leaderboard. Can you talk about the confidence you seem to have, knowing where you were and still obviously playing so well?
MINJEE LEE: Yes, I did look at every leaderboard and I knew exactly where I was in terms of like the scores. But I just want to be clear. Like I definitely was nervous starting the day. I wasn't really sure if it was the heat that was making my heart beat more, but I was definitely -- I looked calm but I was thought as calm as everybody thinks.
Q. Thank you.
MINJEE LEE: Yeah.
Q. Can you speak a bit more on how it feels to join just three other Aussies as three-time major winners?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, it's just really special. I think it's only three other names on this trophy that are Australian, so I think it's such a great privilege to be able to have my name with them as well. Just I guess it shows the grit of the Aussies. Yeah, just really special. Means a lot.
Q. Congratulations.
MINJEE LEE: Thanks, Tony.
Q. Been in touch with Ritchie. How hard did he have to work to convince you to switch that putter out?
MINJEE LEE: I think he would say -- he would say a lot, but when I did switch it, 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. He didn't have to tell me too many times after the first two.
Q. What did you need to feel I guess to feel comfortable with it?
MINJEE LEE: 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.
So yeah, I think...
Q. Is the career grand slam something that you would like to achieve, something that drives you at all?
MINJEE LEE: I mean, that is my ultimate goal. 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.
Seeing Lydia do it, I think I would really like to get there. We'll see how we go after this week.
Q. Congrats again.
MINJEE LEE: Thank you.
Q. When you started earlier you said that you deserved to win this one. Is that something to do with something you've been through this week or something different than the other two majors that you have won?
MINJEE LEE: I think it's very different, because I feel like I had a lot of doubt the past few years just -- not with -- 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.
Yeah, I think this one just means a little bit more to me. I mean, obviously U.S. Open is my absolute favorite, but in terms of my most deserved I think this one is the one.
Q. You said you were kind of keeping up with where you are. Right before the two birdies, 13 you had that clutch par. (Regarding somebody eagling that hole.)
MINJEE LEE: If somebody had?
Q. Somebody had just eagled.
MINJEE LEE: Oh, they did? That I didn't know. I was just -- I just couldn't believe how slow that putt was on the par-3. I was like, I don't think I could have had a bigger swing to get it to the hole and I was still, I don't know, seven, eight feet short.
Yeah, I was just really focused on trying to make the par putt. I think that was quite clutch.
Q. Just when you look at people that showered you with champagne, a couple of them some younger Aussies, what does it mean to you to inspire the next generation of Aussies golfers and just girls in golf period that might have been watching you today?
MINJEE LEE: Yeah, I mean, I would just say like never give up. Also like all of the Aussie girls, I think over time I've gotten to know them quite a bit more. Just to see them all come out and support was lovely. Wei-Ling was there and Hannah and all the osteos and my team, Brent, mom.
It was just so nice that everybody came to celebrate with me. It's those moments. Lyds was there. I mean, it's just those moments that are the most special. Just mean so much.
Q. You've played on a lot of different major championship venues in a lot of different conditions. What was the most challenging part of this one?
MINJEE LEE: Oh, the wind. The wind for sure. And the heat. It wasn't even like the golf course layout itself. I mean, I think it was fine. It was just the wind was so heavily influencing the ball that the pin placements, some of them just felt like you just couldn't get near it.
So I think just the wind was the biggest factor this week, uh-huh.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks for your time, Minjee, and congrats again.
MINJEE LEE: Thank you.
