CHASKA, Minn. — Nicole Felce etched her name into the history books at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, finishing the week as the low PGA of America and LPGA Professional in the major championship.

Felce put together a resilient performance to card a four-round total of 11-over, shooting 75, 70, 81 and 73. Her final-round 1-over 73 featured a rollercoaster scorecard consisting of one double bogey, two bogeys and three birdies. Felce leaned heavily on her short game and precision off the tee during Sunday's finale, hitting 11 of 14 fairways and 9 of 18 greens in regulation, while successfully converting 2 of 3 sand saves and only needing a total of 27 putts.

The accomplishment places her in elite company. Since the PGA of America partnered with the LPGA in 2015 for the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, only three PGA or LPGA Professionals have ever made the cut. Felce is the first teaching and club professional to earn the low-pro honor since Jimin Kang's memorable 2019 performance at Hazeltine. She also joins Jennifer Bermingham, who achieved the feat in 2016 at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash.

For Felce, surviving the cut and playing on Sunday was the realization of a lifelong ambition, and she even admitted that her run at the major championship caught her by surprise.

"Really amazing. Really, really special to be here," Felce said. "Making the weekend was my goal this week, so to have done it and to soak it all in and to have played along with the world's best was really special and really amazing and really humbling.

"Playing on the LPGA has always been a dream of mine, but for my second-ever appearance to be this major and to play the weekend is just something I never would've imagined.”

The achievement was made a little sweeter with the strong bounce-back on Sunday. After a grueling third-round 81 where she admitted her "swing didn't feel too great," Felce reset for the final 18 holes, steadying her game to secure her place in the tournament's history.

Beyond the leaderboard, Felce said that the emotional highlight of her week was the opportunity to serve as a role model for the next generation of golfers, including her own students.

"I’ve seen a lot of little ones this week. It was really special to see that. It's really touching," Felce said. "I've got a lot of stories for some little girls that were saying that I inspire them. Honestly, it shocks me because I still feel like I'm really young. For them to say that to me is really, really special to me. It means a lot."

Nicole Felce Joins Elite Company with Resilient Cut-Making Performance at KPMG Women's PGA Championship

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