Australian golf star Minjee Lee has fallen agonisingly short in her bold bid for back-to-back majors, finishing equal second at the Women's PGA Championship in Maryland.
Korean In Gee Chun denied Lee her third major by one shot and claimed her third instead in a dramatic finish at Congressional.
After blowing a three-stroke overnight lead with four bogeys in a diabolical outward nine, Chun rallied down the stretch to post a final-round 3-over-par 75 and hold off Lee and American Lexi Thompson by the slimmest of margins.
After starting six back, Lee fell further behind after opening with two straight bogeys.
But Australia's recently crowned US Women's Open champion bagged four birdies in 12 holes to snatch the clubhouse lead in a thrilling climax.
The Australian went down the last needing a big finish after a frustrating bogey on the 17th.
She did just that, lofting a perfect approach over water to the green on the par-four 18th.
The ball landed on the front of the green and fed forward to trickle to a stop 25cm from the pin — Lee holed her putt for birdie. It would not prove quite enough, however.
Chun birdied the 16th to nab a one-stroke buffer over Lee and Thompson heading up the last hole.
The Korean went perilously close to finding the water with her approach, which could have sent Lee and Thompson into a play-off.
But Chun regrouped to save par from the back of the green — as Thompson missed her birdie attempt — to add the PGA Championship to the US Women's Open in 2015 and the Evian Championship in 2016.
Lee's countryman Hannah Green finished in a share of fifth at 1-under but would have rued closing with a disappointing 75.
Fellow Australian Steph Kyriacou tied for 10th at level par after four consecutive rounds of 72.
AAP / ABC
