Somi Lee

So Mi Lee turned pro in 2018 and qualified for the Korean LPGA in 2019. She was one of the 2019 rookies, including Ayean Cho, Hyun Kyung Park, Hee Jeong Lim, and Seung Yeon Lee. So Mi had a great rookie year, finishing 14th on the money list with nearly 439 million won (USA$323,012) earned. She had two runner-up finishes that year, including at the Hite Cup, the year's fourth Major. Her most impressive week was the joint LPGA/KLPGA event, the BMW Championship. She got into contention, eventually finishing 4th, five shots back of the Ha Na Jang/Danielle Kang playoff.
2020 was a tough season for the Korean LPGA, with the COVID-19 pandemic canceling much of it. But when the action started again in late May, Lee showed she was ready to play. She finished second in just her fourth event of the year, the Hyosung Championship. She had several more great results, including a third at the BC Card Hankyung Ladies Cup, but that initial win still eluded her. Finally, in late October, she broke through with her first career win at the Huen Care Women's Open. She collected seven top tens and made 402 million won (USA$295,788), good for tenth on the money list.
Lee's trajectory continued upward in 2021. That year, she made over 758 million won (USA$557,730), which put her 6th on the money list. She won twice: at the Dayouwinia Women's Open and at the Lotte Rent-a-Car Open, the year's first event. She accumulated a runner-up (KG Edaily Ladies), two third-place finishes, two fourth-place finishes, and a total of 12 top tens. In just three years,
2022 Notes: It was another powerhouse year for So Mi. She had 11 top ten finishes, though it took her until the end of the year to get into the win column. Then she won back-to-back events: the SK Networks Ladies Classic and the S-OIL Championship. She had a second, a third, and two-fourths in addition to a total of eleven top tens. She earned over 736 million won (USA$542,529) for the year, good for 7th on the money list. She got to play twice on the LPGA Tour, was 5th in the LPGA Lotte Championship, and T-44th at the U.S. Women's Open.
2023 Notes: In February 2023, she was invited to play the Saudi Ladies International; she ended up T-24th there. On the KLPGA, she played in 24 events, making 20 cuts with 12 top-ten finishes. She was 7th on the money list with 741,292,998 won (USA$546,434). But she didn't win, her best finish was T-2nd at the High1 Resort Ladies Open and 2nd at the Dongbu Construction Championship. She also played in two Majors on the LPGA: the Evian, where she missed the cut, and the US Women's Open at Pebble Beach, where she finished T-33rd. She decided to enter the LPGA Q-Series. She was near the top of the leaderboard much of the week. On the second-to-last day, she led the tournament after shooting 63, but she had a weak final round of 73 and fell to a T-2nd, three shots back of the medalist Robyn Choi. Still, that earned her Category 14 status for the 2024 season.
2024 Notes: Played in 27 LPGA Tour events, making 16 cuts with one top-ten finish. She was 71st on the CME rankings and 75th on the money list, earning $503,013. Best finish T-5th at the Portland Classic, three shots back of the winner Moriya Jutanugarn.
2025 Notes: She was 2nd in the PIF Saudi Ladies International on the Ladies European Tour, finishing four shot back of winner Jeeno Thitikul. She was T-4th at the Mexico Riviera Maya Open and 3rd at the Meijer Classic, shooting a final round 65 to finish two shots back of. the winner Carlota Ciganda. She teamed with Jin Hee Im to win the Dow Championship, beating Lexi Thompson and Megan Khang on the first playoff hole. They won when Lee made her team?s 8-foot birdie putt for the win on the first extra hole, while Khang missed her team?s 5-foot birdie putt.