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Minjee Lee has 1st bogey

Published

6 months ago

June 22, 2025

Associated Press

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Minjee Lee knows how to play in windy conditions having growing up in Australia and now living in North Texas. She also has experience winning majors.

The two-time major champion is in position for another one after the first bogey-free round for anyone during the wind-swept KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Her 3-under 69 in the third round Saturday pushed her into the lead, four strokes ahead of Jeeno Thitikul.

“I’m constantly practicing in windy conditions … It is windy, but not this windy, and it’s really consistent as well,” Lee said. “Yes, I can hit a knock-down shot, but you also have to play the wind. You have to play so much extra out here that you have to be a little more creative.”

Lee was at 6-under 210 after beginning the round three strokes behind Thitikul, the world’s No. 2-ranked player who led alone at the end of each of the first two days. Lee went ahead to stay with a 2-foot par at the 405-yard 12th hole when Thitikul had her second consecutive bogey, and fourth of the day on way to a round of 76.

“She played absolutely an `A’ game for sure,” Thitikul said. “I never saw her miss today at all.”

When Lee did miss, she was 7-for-7 scrambling.

Far from tree-lined Sahalee outside Seattle where the Women’s PGA was last year, Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco is much more open and exposed to the ever-present Texas wind that was the strongest it had been all week. There were gusts of more than 30 mph Saturday, with much the same forecast for Sunday. Temperatures were again in the mid-90s.

Nelly Korda, the world’s top-ranked player, described the conditions as “just brutal” after her round of 72 that began with back-to-back bogeys. She finished with five birdies and five bogeys and is tied for sixth at 2-over 218.

Lee and Thitikul, seeking her first major title, were the only players still under par and will play together again Sunday. Lexi Thompson (75), after a triple-bogey start, was tied for third at 1 over with Hye Jin Choi (72) and Miyu Yamashita (73).

Thitikul, from Thailand, had the only birdie Saturday among the 78 players on the 172-yard, par-3 eighth hole, which generally plays downwind and where only 29% of the tee shots all week have stayed on the green. That 13-foot birdie was her first of the day and got her to 5 under, two strokes ahead of Lee.

But Thitikul’s lead was gone after back-to-back bogeys on the back side. She pushed a 4-foot par chance past the hole at the 383-yard 11th, her first miss inside 5 feet this week. Then her drive at the 417-yard 12th hole went way right into a penalty area.

Lee, who won the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open and 2021 Evian Championship in France, was steady Saturday with eight consecutive pars before a 4-foot birdie at the 487-yard ninth hole. Her other birdies were an 18-footer at the 515-yard, par-5 14th and a 1 1/2-foot at the bunker-surrounded 236-yard par 4 15th hole.

While acknowledging that a four-stroke lead “feels really big,” Lee isn’t taking anything for granted.

“Obviously, major Sunday is a different story. This is round three, so I think, you know, I have to still dig deep and post a score, even with a four-shot lead,” she said. “So I’m just going to put my head down and just work on the things that I can do and do it to the best of my ability.”

Thitikul three-putt from 50 feet at No. 14 was her third bogey in a four-hole stretch.

“Definitely frustrated about the result today a little bit, like not really making putts like the first two days,” Thitikul said. “But like still on the positive side that, just two players making under par after three rounds, and I’m one.”

Semi-retired Thompson, in the second-to-last group, hit her tee shot into the fairway on the 517-yard par-5 first hole, a 207-yard drive into the wind. But she topped her second shot that went only 117 yards, then shanked her next shot right, a ball that was never found for a penalty on way to triple bogey. She followed with another bogey on the second hole, but had two birdies and only one bogey the rest of the way.

Thompson, playing for only the seventh time in 16 tournaments this season, won her only major in the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship, but her 13 top-five finishes in majors since 2013 are the most by any player and among her 20 top-10 finishes in those events.

LPGA rookie Rio Takeda opened with a bogey 6 at the first hole after starting the round tied with with Lee for second place. Takeda later had a pair of double bogeys/

Grace Kim had the best round of the day with a 68 that included six birdies and two bogeys, moving up from a tie for 68th to tied for 10th. Minjee Lee and Andrea (71) had the only other under-par rounds. Kim, among 11 players who got to the weekend right on the 7-over cut, teed off at 6:55 a.m. local time, six hours before the final group did.

There was even a hole-in-one, Brianna Do acing the 150-yard fourth hole.

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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Emerald Acres Volleyball Tournament | MyRadioLink.com

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3 hours ago

January 2, 2026

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Emerald Acres Volleyball Tournament | MyRadioLink.com

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Former Illini basketball sharpshooter Luke Goode engaged to Illinois volleyball star Kayla Burbage

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3 hours ago

January 2, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Love is in the air for two of Champaign’s top athletes in recent years. Former Illini men’s basketball wing Luke Goode popped the question to Illinois volleyball middle blocker Kayla Burbage, the couple shared via Instagram on Wednesday.

“Proverbs 18:22: ‘He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord,’” Goode wrote. “Going into the New Years as future Mr. and Mrs. Goode!”

Goode spent the first three years of his college career in Champaign, graduating from the Gies School of Business in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in finance. After his sophomore season was cut short due to a foot injury, Goode bounced back as a junior, playing in all 38 games for the 2024 Elite Eight team. That season, the 6-foot-7 sharpshooter averaged 5.7 points and shot 38.9% from three on just over four attempts per game.

Last season, Goode spent his final year of eligibility playing for his home state Indiana Hoosiers before turning pro. He is currently suiting up for the South Bay Lakers in the NBA G League. In 11 games so far as a rookie, Goode is putting up 7.6 points and 3.0 rebounds in just above 20 minutes per game.

Burbage just finished up her final season of college volleyball. After spending her freshman campaign at Missouri, Burbage decided to make the move to Champaign. As a sophomore and junior, Burbage played in every match on Illinois’ schedule: 60 total. A shoulder injury sidelined the 6-foot-4 North Carolina native for her senior season, but she returned for a graduate year in 2025. In her final season at Huff Hall, Burbage ranked second in total blocks (82.0) for the Illini and had the fifth-most kills on the team (98).

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Hawkeyes Knock Down Nebraska – Iowa Hawkeyes Athletics

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3 hours ago

January 2, 2026

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IOWA CITY, Iowa – No. 14 Iowa (12-2, 3-0) defeated No. 20 Nebraska (12-2, 1-2) on New Years Day inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, 86-76.

Sophomore Chit-Chat Wright dominated the day for the Hawkeyes with a career-high 24 points, three assists, and two steals. Senior Hannah Stuelke followed with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists to notch her third double-double of the season.

The Huskers came out to a fast-paced 8-0 run to start the game. Stuelke got the scoring started for Iowa by getting to the line, sinking both free-throws. Three minutes into gameplay, the Hawkeyes began to capitalize on Nebraska miscues. Sophomore Ava Heiden led a 7-0 run for Iowa to bring the gap to 9-12 with 4:46 left in the quarter. The Huskers contained a narrow 21-18 lead headed into the second quarter.

Wright drained a three-pointer to start the second period, tying up the score for the first time on the day. The Hawkeyes went on to gain nine points on seven forced Husker turnovers in the half. Heiden led the quarter with eight points going 4-for-4 on field goals. A combined 26 points, shooting 66.7 percent in the quarter, left Iowa behind 44-45 at half.

The Hawkeyes came out of the locker room with an 8-2 run to put them in front. Iowa forced four Husker turnovers in the first three minutes of the third quarter, capitalizing five points off of them. Stuelke continued to be a difference maker for Iowa with seven points and two rebounds. This momentum pushed Iowa up 64-61 heading into the fourth.

In the final quarter, the Hawkeyes continued their defensive pursuit, forcing five more turnovers, adding to their total of 18 on the day. Senior Taylor McCabe hit a three-point basket at 4:32 to power Iowa to the end. The Hawkeyes pushed out a 15-6 run to secure a Hawkeye victory.

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Dallas Pulse set to make history in season opener at Comerica Center

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5 hours ago

January 2, 2026

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North Texas’ first women’s professional volleyball team will officially launch its inaugural season on Saturday, Jan. 10.

DALLAS — For North Texas volleyball fans, Saturday’s season opener represents more than just a first serve, it’s the beginning of something the region has been waiting for.

The Dallas Pulse, the region’s first women’s professional volleyball team, will open its inaugural season Saturday, Jan. 10, hosting the Indiana franchise at Comerica Center in Frisco.

The matchup marks the first Major League Volleyball game played by a Dallas-based team and is a milestone moment for the metroplex.

The Pulse will play 14 home matches during the 2026 Major League Volleyball season, giving local fans a consistent opportunity to support a women’s pro team built in their own backyard.

Saturday, Jan. 10 – Indy
Thursday, Jan. 15 – San Diego
Thursday, Feb. 5 – Omaha
Sunday, Feb. 8 – Grand Rapids
Thursday, Feb. 19 – Indy
Sunday, Feb. 22 – Grand Rapids
Friday, Feb. 27 – Orlando
Friday, March 13 – Columbus
Sunday, March 15 – Atlanta
Saturday, March 21 – San Diego
Thursday, March 26 – Atlanta
Friday, April 17 – Columbus
Friday, May 1 – Omaha
Sunday, May 3 – Orlando

Leading the team into its first season is head coach Shannon Winzer, who was named to the role in September. The January debut places Dallas at the center of the league’s early growth as women’s professional volleyball continues to gain momentum nationwide.

The timing feels right for North Texas. The region has long been a volleyball hotbed, producing elite athletes through nationally recognized club programs, championship high school teams and top-tier collegiate programs. Until now, many of those players, and the fans who followed them, had no local professional team to rally behind.

Dallas Pulse leadership told WFAA that they hope to change that.

Season ticket deposits are currently open, and the Pulse holds the No. 1 overall pick in the Major League Volleyball Draft scheduled for Nov. 24, giving the team a chance to add a cornerstone player ahead of its debut season.

Major League Volleyball is also preparing for future growth, announcing plans to add expansion teams in Washington, D.C. and Northern California in 2027.

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Iola outside hitter takes top honor on Texas 2A all-state volleyball team | APG State News

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January 2, 2026

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Tritons Set for Preseason North American Challenge

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7 hours ago

January 2, 2026

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LONG BEACH, Calif. — UC San Diego men’s volleyball will prepare for the upcoming season with four exhibitions this weekend as part of the North American Challenge. The event will be hosted by Long Beach State on Friday and Sunday at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid.

The Tritons will play two Canadian sides, Alberta and Calagry. They will play each team once on both days of the challenge.

SCHEDULE

Friday, Jan. 2

2 PM – vs Calgary

4:30 PM – vs Alberta

Sunday, Jan. 4

12:30 PM – vs Alberta

3 PM – vs Calgary

Live stats for all four matches will be available HERE. Fans interested in attending matches can purchase tickets through Long Beach State HERE.

UP NEXT
The Tritons open the 2026 season at home next Tuesday, Jan. 6. Jessup will visit LionTree Arena for a match that begins at 7 PM.

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world’s preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.