Australia’s Minjee Lee is in a share of second at the halfway mark of the Women’s PGA Championship, three shots behind leader Jeeno Thitikul.
Lee remained at -3 for the tournament as she shot an even par second round of 72 to leave her well-placed to push for a third career major title across the weekend at a scorching Fields Ranch East outside Dallas in Texas.
The 29-year-old from Perth calls Dallas home in the US, and the afternoon temperatures in the mid 30s that had many players melting, proved no obstacle as she mounted a fight back late in the day.
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Two bogeys on Lee’s first nine after teeing off the tenth, threatened to derail her day, but back-to-back birdies at the second and third, followed by another birdie at par 3 eighth to offset a dropped shot at the sixth, kept her in touch with world No.2 Thitikul.
Lee improved on her first round of 69 off the tee by hitting ten of 14 fairways, but left herself leaning on her short game often as she hit 11 of 18 greens in regulation.
“Yeah, I felt like I started a little bit shaky,” she said.
Minjee Lee walks after sinking her putt on the 11th hole during the second round of the Women’s PGA Championship golf tournament Friday, June 20, 2025, in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)Source: AP
“Turned in two-over and I knew there was a few opportunities on the front nine to make a couple birdies.
“Obviously that kind of little stretch I think 7 — wait, 6, 7, 8, or 7, 8, 9, you can make birdies there.
“So, yeah, I just tried to stay patient out there. It was really windy and quite hard to even hold the greens on some of them.
“So, yeah, I just tried to, you know, stay within myself and just be smart and play to my advantages.”
Lee is joined three shots off the lead by Japan’s Rio Takeda, the 22-year-old rising star who finished runner-up at the Women’s US Open three weeks ago.
FRISCO, TEXAS – JUNE 20: Minjee Lee 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. Sam Hodde/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Sam Hodde / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
They are one shot clear of Lexi Thompson as only seven players are under par after 36 holes.
World No.1 Nelly Korda is not one of them, she is +2 after a second round 74.
As Lee mentioned, the wind created headaches for much of the field, while pace of play was also an issue.
Groups were at times waiting roughly 15 minutes on a tee as the heat and tough rounds slowed down play.
FRISCO, TEXAS – JUNE 20: Minjee Lee of Australia looks on while playing the 15th 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. Alex Slitz/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Alex Slitz / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
Lee does not see those factors changing in the coming days, and managing it will be an important part of a victory charge.
“I think it’s going to be windy the whole weekend, too, so I mean, it’s probably going to be similar direction so I think we kind of know what to expect now,” she said.
“You know, done the practice round and now tournament, so I think it will be whoever has the best recovery in this heat and also who doesn’t make like soft bogeys maybe because it’s been so hot and it’s a really slow round, so I think you just got to try and focus as best you can and I think that’s what is really — that’s the person who is going to at the end of the week hold the trophy.”
MinJee makes strong start to PGA Champs | 00:59
Steph Kyriacou is the second-best placed of the strong Australian contingent despite a three-over par second round of 75 that did not include a single birdie.
The 24-year-old is +3 for the tournament, in a share of 23rd, one shot ahead of world number eight Hannah Green.
FRISCO, TEXAS – JUNE 20: Stephanie Kyriacou 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. Sam Hodde/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Sam Hodde / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
The 2019 champion registered a second straight 74, but produced arguably the highlight of the day with a hole-out eagle at the par 5 14th.
Green’s wedge took one bounce and went straight into the cup.
It came at a much-needed time as well as she double bogeyed the previous hole, and the eagle gave her breathing room from the cut line.
Fresh from her best ever result on the LPGA Tour, tied seventh at last week’s Meijer LPGA Classic, Karis Davidson will play the weekend after rounds of 74 and 75 leave her at +5.
The 26-year-old from the Gold Coast is playing a major for the first time in more than a year, having walked away from the sport midway through 2024, and returned home to complete a six-month TAFE course as well as a two-week placement at an aged care facility.
Davidson went back to the United States this year, and has now made the cut in six straight tournaments, including finished tied 26th or better in her last three starts.
FRISCO, TEXAS – JUNE 20: Karis Davidson 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. Sam Hodde/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Sam Hodde / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
Gabriela Ruffels, Grace Kim and Hira Naveed all made the cut on the number at +7.
Ruffels suffered an incredibly nervy wait as the later groups came in as she bogeyed her last two holes, and at one stage the projected cut line stood at +6.
The 25-year-old made an electric start to her second round with four birdies in her first nine holes having teed off the 10th including a hat-trick of them at 14, 15 and 16 to reach the turn at +2.
But five second nine bogeys resulted in her signing off on a round of 74, and scraping into the weekend.
FRISCO, TEXAS – JUNE 20: 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. Sam Hodde/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Sam Hodde / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
Kim’s day was eerily similar, albeit she struggled on the opposite nine.
The 24-year-old also was +2 at the turn, having bounced back from bogeys at the first and second, but a double bogey and three bogeys on the back nine pushed her down the leaderboard, and she walked into the clubhouse having shot 78.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – JUNE 14: Grace Kim of Australia prepares to putt on the third hole during the third round of the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give 2025 at Blythefield Country Club on June 14, 2025 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Raj Mehta/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Raj Mehta / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
Like Kim and Ruffels, Naveed bogeyed the last but had done enough.
The 27-year-old shot 76 for the day in a wild round that included an eagle at the par 5 ninth as well as three double bogeys.
Naveed had missed the cut in four of her last five starts, and it is the first time she has made the cut at a major.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – JUNE 12: Hira Naveed of Australia hits from the 14th fairway during the first round of the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give 2025 at Blythefield Country Club on June 12, 2025 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Raj Mehta/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Raj Mehta / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
It was heartbreak for Robyn Choi (+8) as she birdied her penultimate hole to draw level with Kim, Ruffels and Naveed, but like them, bogeyed the last, although unlike them, it pushed her outside of the cut line.
LPGA Tour rookie Cassie Porter (+10) was the only other of the nine Australians to miss the weekend.
