Minjee Lee

Last updated

Minjee Lee
Minjee Lee (42139200431).jpg
Personal information
Born (1996-05-27) 27 May 1996 (age 28)
Perth, Western Australia
Sporting nationalityFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Career
Turned professional2014
Current tour(s) LPGA Tour
Professional wins13
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour10
Ladies European Tour2
ALPG Tour2
Best results in LPGA major championships
(wins: 2)
Chevron Championship T3: 2017
Women's PGA C'ship T2: 2022
U.S. Women's Open Won: 2022
Women's British Open 3rd: 2020
Evian Championship Won: 2021
Achievements and awards
Greg Norman Medal 2018, 2021, 2023
Rolex Annika Major Award 2022

Minjee Lee (born 27 May 1996) is an Australian professional golfer from Perth. She became the number one ranked amateur golfer in February 2014 after winning the Oates Victorian Open, remaining number one until turning professional in September 2014. On 25 July 2021, Lee won her first major championship, the Amundi Evian Championship. On 5 June 2022, she won her second major championship, the U.S. Women's Open.

Contents

Amateur career

In 2010, Lee became the youngest winner of the WA Amateur Open while still a year 9 student at Methodist Ladies' College, Perth. [1] At the start of 2012, she was moved from MLC to Corpus Christi College, to be closer to Royal Fremantle Golf Club. She left Corpus Christi in 2013. [2] [3]

Lee was the winner of the 2012 U.S. Girls' Junior. [4] [5] She won the Australian Women's Amateur in 2013 [6] and successfully defended the title in 2014. [7]

Lee became the number one ranked amateur golfer on 26 February 2014 after winning the Oates Victorian Open on the ALPG Tour. [8] She remained the number one ranked amateur golfer until she turned professional in September 2014 after leading the Australia team that won the Espirito Santo Trophy. [9]

Professional career

2015

On 18 May 2015, Lee gained her first LPGA Tour victory at the Kingsmill Championship. [10]

2016

In 2016, she won the Lotte Championship in April, and the Blue Bay LPGA in October. [10] Lee represented Australia in the women's golf competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, finishing in a tie for 7th. [11]

2018

In April 2018, she lost the LPGA Mediheal Championship in a playoff to Lydia Ko, then on 27 May 2018, won the LPGA Volvik Championship. [10] Lee finished 2018 ranked second on the money list with $1,551,032 in earnings, finishing second in scoring average with 69.75 shots per round. [12] She also became the first woman to win the Greg Norman Medal for being the best Australian professional golfer on the world stage. [3]

2019

On 28 April 2019, Lee won the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open, her fifth LPGA Tour victory. [10] By late the following month, she had risen to number two in the Women's World Golf Rankings, but in her home country she still had such a low profile that she was described by The Age as the "Invisible Champion of Australia". [3]

2021

On 25 July 2021, Lee won her first major championship, the Amundi Evian Championship, by coming from seven strokes behind in the final round and defeating Lee Jeong-eun on the first playoff hole. [13]

Lee qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and competed in the women's competition. She scored −4 across the four rounds and finished 29th, out of medal contention. [14]

Minjee Lee at the 2022 KPMG Women's PGA Championship 2022 KPMG Women's PGA Championship - Minjee Lee (52178462306).jpg
Minjee Lee at the 2022 KPMG Women's PGA Championship

2022

She won her seventh LPGA Tour event, the Cognizant Founders Cup, on 15 May 2022, beating Lexi Thompson by two strokes, 269 (19-under-par) to Thompson's 271. Her final round of 70 was the only one she did not have in the 60s. The start of the final round was delayed by an hour because of fog. She was ranked fifth in the world before her win, just behind fourth-ranked Atthaya Thitikul [15] who finished the final round with a 63, good for a tie for eighth place at 13-under-par. [16]

Her eighth LPGA Tour win, the U.S. Women's Open on 5 June 2022, earned her the largest payday to date in women's golf history, $1.8 million of the $10 million total purse. Lee won by four strokes over Mina Harigae, who received $1,080,000. This was the first occasion in a women's golf tournament where there were two prizes in excess of $1 million. Lee set a new record of 271, and led Harigae by three strokes after 54 holes. [17]

On 15 November, she won the season-long Aon Risk Reward Challenge and $1,000,000 for the 2022 LPGA Tour season. [18] This challenge selects one hole in every participating event and designates it as the Aon Risk Reward hole for that week. The challenge rewards the player who has the best two scores from every participating event that a player competes in throughout the season, measured by the lowest average score to par on these holes. [19]

Personal life

Lee's parents, Soonam and Clara Lee, were both from Korea, and emigrated to Australia in the early 1990s. [20] Lee's younger brother, Min Woo Lee, won the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur, making them the first brother/sister pair to win the USGA's junior championships. [21]

Amateur wins

Professional wins (13)

LPGA Tour wins (10)

Legend
Major championships (2)
Other LPGA Tour (8)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
118 May 2015 Kingsmill Championship 68-67-69-65=269−152 strokes Flag of South Korea.svg Ryu So-yeon
216 Apr 2016 Lotte Championship 68-66-74-64=272−161 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Katie Burnett
Flag of South Korea.svg Chun In-gee
323 Oct 2016 Blue Bay LPGA 65-67-73-70=275−131 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Jessica Korda
427 May 2018 LPGA Volvik Championship 67-69-68-68=272−161 stroke Flag of South Korea.svg In-Kyung Kim
528 Apr 2019 Hugel-Air Premia LA Open 66-69-67-68=270−144 strokes Flag of South Korea.svg Kim Sei-young
625 Jul 2021 Amundi Evian Championship 68-69-65-64=266−18Playoff Flag of South Korea.svg Lee Jeong-eun
715 May 2022 Cognizant Founders Cup 67-63-69-70=269−192 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Lexi Thompson
85 June 2022 U.S. Women's Open 67-66-67-71=271−134 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Mina Harigae
910 Sep 2023 Kroger Queen City Championship 67-69-65-71=272−16Playoff Flag of England.svg Charley Hull
1022 Oct 2023 BMW Ladies Championship 64-69-71-68=272−16Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Alison Lee

LPGA Tour playoff record (3–3)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
12018 LPGA Mediheal Championship Flag of New Zealand.svg Lydia Ko Lost to eagle on first extra hole
22019 Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA Flag of the United States.svg Nelly Korda
Flag of Germany.svg Caroline Masson 		Korda won with birdie on first extra hole
32021 Amundi Evian Championship Flag of South Korea.svg Lee Jeong-eun Won with birdie on first extra hole
42023 Cognizant Founders Cup Flag of South Korea.svg Ko Jin-young Lost to par on first extra hole
52023 Kroger Queen City Championship Flag of England.svg Charley Hull Won with birdie on second extra hole
62023 BMW Ladies Championship Flag of the United States.svg Alison Lee Won with birdie on first extra hole

Ladies European Tour wins (2)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin
of victory		Runner(s)-up
14 Feb 2018 Oates Vic Open [1] 70-67-75-67=279−135 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Karis Davidson
26 Nov 2020 Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic 72-65-69=206−10Playoff Flag of France.svg Céline Boutier

1 Co-sanctioned by the ALPG Tour.

LET playoff record (1–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 2020 Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic Flag of France.svg Céline Boutier Won with birdie on first extra hole

ALPG Tour wins (2)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin
of victory		Runner(s)-up
123 Feb 2014 Oates Vic Open a 73-70-68-68=279−166 strokes Flag of Scotland.svg Vikki Laing
24 Feb 2018 Oates Vic Open [2] 70-67-75-67=279−135 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Karis Davidson

a Lee won the 2014 Oates Vic Open as an amateur.
2 Co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour.

Major championships

Wins (2)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
2021 The Evian Championship 7 shot deficit–18 (68-69-65-64=266)Playoff Flag of South Korea.svg Lee Jeong-eun
2022 U.S. Women's Open 3 shot lead–13 (67-66-67-71=271)4 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Mina Harigae

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order before 2019 or in 2020.

! Tournament20142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Chevron Championship T24LACUTT26T3T25T21T7T2512T41CUT
U.S. Women's Open T22CUTT46T11T34T12T46T541T13T9
Women's PGA Championship T13T12T36T25T30T58T40T2T20T24
The Evian Championship T16T11T67T32T16CUTNT 1 T43T16T49
Women's British Open CUTT9T25CUT10T113T5T4T50CUT
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

LA = low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
NT = no tournament
"T" = tied

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Chevron Championship 001126108
U.S. Women's Open 1001261110
Women's PGA Championship 0101161010
The Evian Championship 100115109
Women's British Open 001357118
Totals212711305245

LPGA Tour career summary

YearTournaments
played		Cuts
made		Wins2nd3rdTop 10sBest
finish		Earnings
($)		Money
list rank		Scoring
average		Scoring
rank
2013 110000T55n/an/a72.25n/a
2014 650000T11n/an/a71.77n/a
2015 292410071821,1211670.8915
2016 2726210811,213,9021270.4213
2017 262201310T21,027,9411670.1815
2018 27251321311,551,032269.752
2019 2624142911,522,607869.919
2020 161600253724,273870.7111
2021 1816110711,542,332470.3222
2022 2018221613,809,960269.697
2023 1818210511,650,9751270.4221
2024 21160004T4881,9464371.2249
Totals^227 (2015) 205 (2015) 10131072114,746,089*9

^ Official as of 2024 season [22] [23] [24]

World ranking

Position in Women's World Golf Rankings at the end of each calendar year.

YearWorld
ranking		Source
201518 [25]
201617 [26]
201719 [27]
20186 [28]
20199 [29]
20208 [30]
20217 [31]
20224 [32]
20234 [33]
202417^ [34]

^As of 25 November 2024

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Rickard, Jayne (1 April 2011). "Teenage golfer is WA classic favourite". The West Australian . Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Quartermain, Glen (1 February 2015). "The rise and rise of WA teen golfer Minjee Lee, president of the club". PerthNow . Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Blake, Martin (24 May 2019). "Minjee Lee, the invisible champion without an Australian sponsor". The Age . Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  4. ↑ "Minjee Lee Claims U.S. Girls' Junior". USGA. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  5. ↑ Kroichick, Ron (21 July 2012). "Australia's Lee wins girls' golf title". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  6. ↑ "Smith and Lee crowned Amateur champions". Golf Australia. 22 January 2013. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  7. ↑ "Lee and Koh cruise to Australian Amateur victories". Golf Australia. 19 January 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  8. ↑ "Minjee Lee and Patrick Rodgers take the WAGR Number 1 spots". World Amateur Golf Ranking. 26 February 2014.
  9. ↑ Nichols, Beth Ann (6 September 2014). "Australian standout Minjee Lee turns pro". Golfweek.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "In the winner's circle with Minjee Lee". LPGA. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  11. ↑ "Rio 2016: Emma Moffatt finishes sixth in Olympic triathlon, Minjee Lee seventh in golf". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  12. ↑ "Minjee Lee: 2018 Scoring Average". LPGA. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  13. ↑ "Lee wins her 1st major after beating Lee6 in playoff". LPGA. Associated Press. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  14. ↑ "Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  15. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 9 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  16. ↑ "Minjee Lee Hangs On, Wins Cognizant Founders Cup Over Thompson". LPGA. 15 May 2022.
  17. ↑ Reed, Steve (5 June 2002). "Awesome Aussie: Lee wins U.S. Women's Open, record $1.8M". Associated Press. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  18. ↑ "Minjee Lee Wins The LPGA Tour AON Risk Reward Challenge And 1 Million Prize". LPGA. 15 November 2022.
  19. ↑ "AON Risk Reward Challenge". LPGA. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  20. ↑ "Minjee Lee, the invisible champion without an Australian sponsor". SMH. 24 July 2016.
  21. ↑ "Australia's Min Woo Lee wins US Junior Amateur". Associated Press News. 24 May 2019.
  22. ↑ "Minjee Lee statistics". LPGA. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  23. ↑ "Minjee Lee results". LPGA. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  24. ↑ "Career money (select from pick list)". LPGA. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  25. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 28 December 2015.
  26. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 31 December 2016.
  27. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 31 December 2017.
  28. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 31 December 2018.
  29. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 30 December 2019.
  30. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 28 December 2020.
  31. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 27 December 2021.
  32. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 26 December 2022.
  33. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 25 December 2023.
  34. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 25 November 2024.
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