The Monday Mulligan: the week that was in golf …
- themondaymulligan
- Jun 23
- 6 min read
Min Jee Lee – A THREE-time Major Champion!!! Tommy Fleetwood lets one slip again, a Ryder Cup Captain conundrum as well as maiden winners and much more in this weeks blog.
After a brutal opening two days at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, it appeared to be coming down to a two-way race over the weekend between Australian Min Jee Lee and Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul. Sunday threw up a challenge where Lee ground out a respectable 2-over (74), whilst Thitikul stumbled at the critical moment and couldn’t follow the Aussie down the stretch. Instead, the pressure was applied by Chanettee Wannasaen and Auston Kim, who both threw down late Sunday charges and fired impressive rounds of 4-under (68). This was enough to get them to a share of second place, however Lee held it together down the stretch to ensure she had a buffer heading up the eighteenth and an opportunity to savor her third Major victory and first win on the LPGA Tour since the BMW Ladies Championship in 2023. Min Jee Lee was a picture of composure throughout the four days and it was ultimately her consistency and patience which saw her put together four solid rounds and separate her from the field. It is another massive result for Lee which sets her up for a big push in the season and plants the flag again for Women’s golf in Australia.
Min Jee Lee wins her third Major – the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship 2025
(photo courtesy of: www.lpga.com)
Keegan Bradley caused a major upset at the Travelers Championship, not just for Tommy Fleetwood, but it also throws the cat amongst the pigeons with discussion around his Ryder Cup selections later this year. Bradley was three shots back with four holes to play before stringing together some clutch birdies on 15 and 18 to force Fleetwood to play it out to the finish. A three-putt on 18 by Fleetwood received a collective groan across the golfing world as he continues his run of great results on the PGA Tour without a win from 84 starts (regular PGA Tour event starts). Fleetwood finished in T2 alongside Russell Henley, both one shot back of the lead. Other notables from the tournament were Scheffler with a 2-over during round 3, whilst Adam Scott jumped 44 positions in that same round with a stunning 8-under (62). Bradley has been quietly stringing together a solid season of results in the lead up to the Ryder Cup, with some questioning whether he should pick himself even before his win this week. That option could now well and truly be a reality with many calling for him to do so. He has insisted he would not use a captain’s pick to join the team as a playing-captain, however he will be receiving a lot of pressure to do exactly that if he doesn’t automatically qualify. The last captain to play was Arnold Palmer in 1963 and would be a huge amount of pressure to take on. Best of the Aussies at the Travelers was Jason Day, who faded late on Sunday but still put together a solid showing at T4.
Keegan Bradley with a stunning fightback to win the Travelers Championship
(photo courtesy of: www.golfweek.usatoday.com)
It was a stunning course record on Sunday from Casandra Alexander which secured her maiden LET Title. The South African fired a 10-under (62) at the Czech Ladies Open, surging through the field and pulling clear to eventually win by two shots. Alexander was faultless through her final round, going bogey-free and finishing in style with a chip-in-eagle on 18 to set the clubhouse lead and start a nervous Sunday afternoon wait. What makes the win even more impressive is the fact that Alexander found herself back in T94 after the first round following a 1-over (73). The win secures Alexander a tee time at next months The Amundi Evian Championship and sets her up for a strong finish to the season. The best of the Aussies was Kirsten Rudgeley who again finished inside the top-10.
Casandra Alexander wins the Czech Ladies Open for her maiden LET Title
(photo courtesy of: www.ladieseuropeantour.com)
It was also a come-from-behind win on the EPSON Tour this week where Melanie Green surged through the pack at the Island Resort Championship presented by Delta County Chamber. Teeing off in a tie for fifth with four other players, Green fired an impressive bogey-free 7-under (65) to secure the clubhouse lead and hope it held on. Making it even more impressive is the fact that the 23-year-old had only finished her second round earlier that Sunday morning. The 2025 rookie has been going along nicely this season, securing seven cuts in 10 starts, four of which were top-10 finishes. It was a composed and mature showing from Green in her first professional victory and a sure sign of what we can expect in the very near future. It was an All-American podium with Kate Smith-Stroh finishing in solo-second, two shots back of the lead on 12-under, and Haylee Harford in solo-third one shot behind her. Best of the Aussies was Jess Whitting however she unfortunately couldn’t make the weekend.
Melanie Green surges through the pack to win the Island Resort Championship
(photo courtesy of: www.epsontour.com)
Up Ahead
The Liv Golf League is back from a break and heads to Dallas this week where Bryson will be chasing his first victory on home soil. Plenty in the field will be looking to bounce back after their U.S. Open performance, with a few looking to tune up their game before their next Major or even throw their hat in the ring for consideration for the Ryder Cup. The Duels is also back and seemingly is here to stay, with plenty of views across social media as it looks to attract those interested in the jovial and shorter form of the game.
The PGA Tour is off to the Detroit Golf Club for the Rocket Classic where our very own Aussie Cam Davis is the defending champion. He has been playing some solid golf this year without a big result, so perhaps defending his title could be the stamp of approval his season needs. This event carries a purse of $USD 9.6 million along with 500 points towards the FedEx Cup standings.
The DP World Tour is also back from a break and will tee it up for the Italian Open at the Argentario Golf Course. This event has a purse of $USD 3 million along with 3,500 points for the Race to Dubai rankings. Just as importantly at this time of the year, the Italian Open also offers 1,000 points in the Ryder Cup standings. Marcel Siem is our defending champion after beating Tom McKibbin in a playoff last year.
The LPGA backs it up again this week for the Dow Championship being played at the Midland Country Club. Winners from last year were Ruoning Yin and Jeeno Thitikul in the unique team event which plays somewhat similar to the Zurich Classic for the men. It adds something different to the schedule and is always an interesting watch for the viewers as some players consider it more pressure when their shots impact a teammate. The event carries a purse of $USD 3.3 million along with 410 points in the Race to CME Globe.
The Ladies European Tour continues their run of events and will tee it up at the Amundi German Masters event at the Green Eagle Golf Courses. Alexandra Forsterling is our previous winner where €300,000 is on offer in prize money.
The Epson Tour is off to the Otter Creek Golf Course for the Otter Creek Championship presented by Case Construction. Savannah Carlson was our inaugural winner when this event started in 2024 and won off the back of a two-hole playoff. 500 points is on offer in the Race for the Card along with a purse of $USD 250,000.
LET Access will also resume competition this week for the PGA of Sweden Championship Landeryd. Natacha Host Husted is our previous winner whilst the event offers a purse of kr600,000.
The Asian Tour continues an extended break and aren’t back until early July when they will compete in the International Series Morocco.
Also, in big news this week was the release of the schedule for the 2025-26 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia. The PNG Open will commence proceedings in August and here’s to hoping plenty of those events will receive some TV coverage so us weekend hackers can keep an eye on proceedings. On a completely unrelated but equally interesting note, there was a hot take through the week on the Tee It Up Podcast related to Rory McIlroy’s future and why his media shenanigans may be playing out the way they are. If you haven’t had a listen, jump over and do so for your own education, enjoyment and just to support a great Aussie podcast. I would love to see McGill’s take on it correct … it would be a huge win for a Global Golf Tour.
That’s it for this week, I hope it covered what you were after and if not, feel free to get in touch and offer some suggestions so we can improve the blog here at The Monday Mulligan. We are stoked to be back and capturing the highs and lows across the world of golf.
That’s it for now, stay safe and play well!
Play well,
TMM
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