In Midland, Michigan, excitement filled the air as the Dow Championship reached a dramatic finish in the team event on Sunday. South Korean pair Somi Lee and Jin Hee Im secured the title when Lee sank an 8‐foot birdie putt on the first extra hole. The winning stroke came on a day when Lexi Thompson, chasing her first LPGA win in six years, saw her team fall short of victory.
Thompson, playing alongside Megan Khang, had built early momentum by posting a 10-under 60 in the fourballs round. Their combined score of 20-under 260 set an early benchmark. On the par-3 18th hole during regulation, Thompson hoisted an 8-foot birdie putt while Khang faced a 6-foot attempt that did not find the cup. Earlier on the 17th, Lee had leveled the competition with a crisp 10-foot birdie putt.
When the contest shifted to a foursomes playoff, Thompson’s tee shot on the 18th ended up about 5 feet from the cup. Jin Hee Im then crafted an approach that stopped roughly 8 feet from the pin. This sequence opened the door for Lee, who capitalized by converting an 8-foot birdie putt to clinch the championship for her team.
Megan Khang admitted she was disappointed by missing the putt that might have extended play, yet she praised the overall performance of her side. Thompson, who has not celebrated a win since her triumph at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in 2019, has been limiting her schedule since last summer; the Dow Championship marked her eighth tournament this season. In contrast, Lee and Im, competing in only their second season on the LPGA Tour, earned their first American title after racking up multiple wins on the Korean circuit—Im having six wins and Lee five to her name.
Other competitors made strong impressions during the event. Lindy Duncan and Miranda Wang put together a remarkable round of 59 in the best-ball session, finishing two strokes behind the playoff leaders. The duo of Manon De Roey and Pauline Roussin-Bouchard recorded a solid 64, while Albane Valenzuela and Sarah Schmelzel, who carried momentum from a 54-hole lead, closed with a 66 to settle three strokes back from the victors.
Thompson has not yet disclosed when she will next compete. The upcoming schedule features the Evian Championship in France, and the Dow Championship stands as the sole official team event highlighted this season.
