FRISCO, Texas — Auston Kim dropped her putter in disbelief on the par-4 16th hole at Fields Ranch East.

Her birdie putt had just kissed the right edge of the cup, sliding only a couple of inches by, and Kim couldn’t believe it didn’t fall, as the ball had been right on line until the very last second.

It was pretty much Kim’s last chance to put any pressure on leader Minjee Lee coming down the stretch at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and when the 24-year-old closed out her final round at the year’s third major with a pair of routine pars to post at 1-under overall, Lee dropped the hammer late to polish off her third career major victory and first LPGA Tour title since 2023, leaving Kim three shots behind, in a tie for second with Chanettee Wannasaen.

Auston Kim

And while Kim could have been bitter, frustrated with the incredibly difficult conditions that plagued the field throughout the week in Frisco, Texas, and mad at herself for not being able to put the pedal down when she really needed to, that wasn’t the attitude that Kim carried with her into the press room late Sunday afternoon.

“Feeling pretty good,” Kim said. “Obviously, the result was really good, but I'm really happy how I handled myself, my emotions, all the adversity. 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.”

That doesn’t mean there weren’t shots she would want to have back, putts that she would want to do over. Her third-round 76 was a frustration, particularly considering how hard Kim had battled to remain at or under par on days one and two in Texas. A bit of recency bias was also bugging her, as Kim had a few rough weekend rounds earlier in the 2025 season, some of which had come in major championships.

But aggravation is always a pretty common sentiment for any athlete who comes up just a few strokes short, and Kim recognized that, at the end of the day, even though she wasn’t hoisting her first trophy as an LPGA Tour member on the final day of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, carding her career-best result in a major is a pretty good consolation prize.

“I've done a lot of talking with my sports psych the past couple of weeks because coming off Chevron, I had the worst finish that week after putting myself into contention. I also didn't have a good weekend at the U.S. (Women’s) Open after playing really well Thursday and Friday,” Kim explained. “Couple of regular events, as well, didn't have good weekends or one disappointing round. I'm pretty disappointed with yesterday, too, but I know that I played really well today. I didn't realize that I was bogey-free until I made the last putt on the last hole, so that was pretty cool.

“But, for a course that was playing this difficult this week, especially yesterday and today, to have been able to play at even par for the weekend, that's really cool. I'm very proud of what I did.”

This week’s result is Kim’s fifth career top-10 finish on the LPGA Tour and her second of the 2025 season, joining the tie for 10th that the Floridian recorded at the Black Desert Championship presented by Greater Zion. She led the field at the end of the week at Fields Ranch East in strokes gained tee to green (+3.156), was second in strokes gained off the tee (+1.744) and was tied for second in strokes gained total (3.756). Kim also led driving distance (283 yards) and was tied for second in par-4 scoring (3.98).

In short, there are plenty of positives that the young talent can glean from this latest major championship experience and apply to her future rounds in LPGA Tour events, a good reminder for Kim of what she is capable of when things are as hard as they could possibly be.

Kim has admitted that it’s sometimes been difficult to remind herself that she belongs among the world’s best athletes, that all of the effort she puts in isn’t for naught, that it’s going to pay off at some point.

But the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship has to be a turning point for the LPGA Tour sophomore, one that she will look back on fondly and draw from when competing at the highest level gets hard, proof that she doesn’t just fit in with female golf’s best players. She is one of them.

“Last year, I really struggled with adjusting and getting my feet wet and learning the ropes,” Kim said. “There are still moments I feel uncomfortable, still learning. There is a first time for everything. I'm just proud of how I handled this week. Of course, more tools in the toolbox, more experience, more notches in the belt.

“I know this week made me a lot better.”

Auston Kim Records Career-Best Finish in a Major at KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

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