KPMG Women’s PGA Championship 2022: In Gee Chun wins third major championship against Lexi Thompson
You don’t often spin 75-75 on the weekend of a major championship and still have the trophy on the weekend. That’s exactly what In Gee Chun did at this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, as she won her third major by a single shot ahead of Lexi Thompson and Minjee Lee, who are title-seeking. second female opponent in a row.
Chun shot 64-69 in the first two innings to take the lead 11 points below at half-point. The crown jewel of that performance was Thursday 64, almost 12 strokes better than the on-court average, which not only the best round at this tournament in the last decade but one of the great rounds in professional golf this century.
Chun has a six-point lead midway through, which seems like an insurmountable number given recent history, even at the women’s major championship as well as this particular league and its setting.
Then the weekend passed, and Chun started to slide. However, she still had a three-man lead when the final round began. She was placed in the same group as Lexi Thompson and HJ Choi in the last round of the week at the refurbished Country Club, where the last major champion was Rory McIlroy in 2011 at the US Open. For most of the week, this was like a reboot of that game.
However, Chun passed away at the age of 40, and teammate Thompson took hold of the tournament. When they reached the 14th tee, Thompson led Chun by a pair and in 6th place they were also clear compared to the rest of the field. That’s when Thompson’s demons showed up. She made three of her last five holes with some strokes that look like they were produced under the pressure of an earthquake.
Thompson made two terrifying jabs on short-range putts and created a monster on par-5 16. She was halved on the green, but hit a panicked-looking chip on the green. and make a 15-foot putt through the back hole the other way to get yourself a 15 foot par.
It, especially on every hole, is quite difficult to see.
It is also reminiscent of the US Open women’s tournament at last year’s Olympics, where Thompson fought many of the same opponents. In a way, it’s the story of her career. A great talent from tee-to-green sometimes has trouble getting out on his own. She is without a win in the last three years, and her only major tournament is still the 2014 Chevron championship.
Chun is facing his own drought next week. Her last win at the LPGA was in October 2018 and she hasn’t won a major championship since 2016. Despite that, she managed to pull off a steady pin-kick and finish with 5s 4s. in a row – including a wild two-putt on the 72nd hole – finished in bottom 5, beating Thompson and Lee by one point each.
That two-touch hit the 75-75 mark in her final two innings, which is amazing when you also consider that she finished well below par and also won the string match. It’s really all about timing in golf and majors. As one follower pointed out on Twitter, shooting 75-75 in the first two days would mean missing three strokes.
“It just means so much because I haven’t had any wins in the last three and a half years,” Chun said on NBC as she cried after her win. “I really appreciate my sponsors… they always believe in me, I really appreciate that. My family and my coach… and my caddy… they never give up on me no matter what I do. Thank you.”
Only 29 women, including Chun, have ever won three or more major championships, and only six women from outside the United States (of which only two are Koreans) have win more than Chun now with three. At 27, those numbers could change dramatically for Chun in the years to come. But it’s almost certain that after lighting up the world through the first 18 and 36 holes at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and finishing with a pair of 75s, there were no big wins (or any wins at all) in the game. her future. looks pretty much like this one did.
