Minjee Lee

She started playing golf around age 10 and credited her mother for introducing her to the sport. She is also an avid swimmer, she joined a golf program at Royal Fremantle GC just south of Perth, where she and her family are members. She says her most memorable golf experience is sinking the final putt to win the 2012 U.S. Girls' Junior. Her younger brother, Min Woo, won the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur, making them the first brother-sister tandem to win the USGA Junior titles.
She was No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and had a sensational amateur career. She won the 2014 Women's Victorian Open and the Australian Amateur Championship in back-to-back years, finished 5th at the NSW Women's Open in 2014, and was catapulted to No. 1 in the WAGR after the Victorian Open, where she won by six strokes. She also finished runner-up in the Volvik Ladies Masters.
In 2012, she won the U.S. Girls' Junior title over Alison Lee. She was part of the 2013 Queen Sirkit Cup-winning team and a 2013 Golf Australia National Squad member. In 2011, she captured the Western Australian Women's Amateur Championship and Singapore Ladies Amateur Championship and was runner-up at the Australian Amateur. She became a major force in Australian amateur golf in 2010 at age 14. That year, she became the youngest-ever winner of the Western Australia State Amateur Championship.
She likes to swim, read, and hang out with her friends when she's not playing golf. Her favorite golfer is Suzann Pettersen. She is coached by Ritchie Smith, who was up for the 2008 PGA Teaching Professional of the Year award.
2014 Notes: As an amateur, she won the Victorian Open, an Australian Women's Tour event, by six shots. She was runner-up to Cheyenne Woods at the Australian Ladies Masters on the Ladies European Tour. She followed that with a T-11th at the LPGA's Handa Women's Australian Open. She was the 54-hole co-leader but shot 78 Sunday to fall back. She was the low amateur at the ANA Inspiration, finishing T-24th at even-par 288. Was T-22nd at the U.S. Women's Open, three shots behind Brooke Henderson for low amateur honors. She led the Australian team to the Women's World Amateur Team Championship championship in Japan in September and turned professional one day later. Made her professional debut with a T-16th at the Evian Championship. She was a co-medalist (with Alison Lee) at LPGA Qualifying School to earn her card for 2015.
2015 Notes: Played in 29 events and made 24 cuts finishing 16th on the money list. Lee placed 11th at the COATES Golf Championship, her first official event as an LPGA member. She then placed T-4th at the Women's Australian Open and won the Kingsmill Invitational by two shots over So Yeon Ryu to become the seventh player to win an LPGA event before her 19th birthday. She was T-4th at the Manulife LPGA Classic, four shots back of winner Suzann Pettersen. Her fourth top-10 of the year was at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, where she finished T-6th. Her first top-10 in a major was a T-9th at the RICOH Women's British Open. She finished the year T-7th at the CME Group Tour Championship.
2016 Notes: Played in 27 LPGA events making 26 cuts with 8 top-ten finishes. Won twice at the LOTTE Championship by 1 over Katie Burnett and In Gee Chun. She won again at the Blue Bay LPGA by making a birdie on the last hole to beat Jessica Korda by a shot. She was T-7th in the Rio Olympics as a member of Australia's women's golf team. After two rounds, Lee was in medal contention, but a third-round 73 dropped her back. She finished two back of bronze medalist Shanshan Feng
2017 Notes: Played in 26 LPGA events making 23 cuts. Had a career record of 10 top-10 finishes, the best finish of T-2nd at the LPGA Volvik Championship, shooting 65 Sunday to finish one back of Shanshan Feng. She also had a T-3rd at the ANA Inspiration, her best finish in a major, T-3rd at the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open, and 3rd at the Indy Women in Tech Championship. Finished 16th on the money list.
2018 Notes: Played in 27 LPGA Tour events making 25 cuts with 13 top-10 finishes. With 4 rounds in the 60s, she won the LPGA Volvik Championship by a shot over In-Kyung Kim for her 4th LPGA Win. Second, at the LPGA Mediheal Championship, lost on the first playoff hole when Lydia Ko made an eagle. Also was 4th at the Honda LPGA Thailand and T-5th at the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open. She won the Women's Victoria Open in her homeland of Australia for her first win on the Ladies European Tour. She was 2nd in the Canberra Classic a week later, finishing six shots back of winner Jiyai Shin. During the summer was 2nd at the ASI Ladies Scottish Open, and shot a final-round 66, but so did Ariya Jutanugarn, who beat Lee by a shot. She was runner-up again at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship again, shot a final round 66, and lost by 2 shots over Nelly Korda. Was T-4th at the CP Women's Open and the next week 4th at the Cambia Portland Open. Was second on the LPGA money list with $1,551,032 in earnings and 5th in the Race to CME. She was a member of Australia's team in the UL International Crown and was 1-1-1 in the matches. After the season, she became the first woman to win the Greg Norman Medal as Australia's top golfer. The medal was established in 2015 and goes to the nation's best golfer.
2019 Notes: Played in 26 LPGA Tour events making 24 cuts with nine top-ten finishes. She was 8th on the money list with $1,522,607 in earnings. Had back-to-back runner-up finishes, first at the Honda LPGA Thailand, finishing a shot back of winner Amy Yang. She was runner-up at the HSBC Women's Championship, 2 back of winner Sung Hyun Park. She was T-3rd at the Lotte Championship, shooting a final round 74 to finish 5 back of winner Brook Henderson. Won the Hugel Air Premia LA Open, shooting a 14-under 270 to beat Sei Young Kim by 4 shots. Was runner-up at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational with partner Jin Young Ko. Was T-6th at the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open. She was 2nd at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational with Jin Young Ko. Was T-6th at the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open. Finished T-2nd at the Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA, she lost to Nelly Korda when she made a birdie on the first playoff hole. Next week was 3rd at the Toto Japan Classic.
2020 Notes: Played in 16 LPGA Tour events making 16 cuts with five top-ten finishes. She was 8th on the money list with $724,273 in earnings and was 3rd on the CME points list. She was 3rd at the LPGA Drive On Championship Toledo, three shots back of winner Danielle Kang. The next week was 4th at the Marathon Classic, then 3rd at the AIG Women's Open, four shots back of Sophia Popov. Was T-7th at the ANA Inspiration.
2021 Notes: Played in 18 LPGA Tour events making 16 cuts with seven top-ten finishes. She was fourth on the money list with $1,542,332 in earnings and ninth on the CME points list. After three 5th-place finishes at the Kia Classic, Bank of Hope Match Play, and Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, she claimed a major title by winning the Amundi Evian Championship. She did it by shooting a final-round 64 to come from seven strokes behind and beat Jeong Eun Lee6 with a birdie on the first extra hole. Finished T-5th at the AIG Women's Open. She shared the 36-hole lead at the Walmart NW Arkansas Open with rounds of 67-63, then shot a 68 to finish T-2nd, one shot behind winner Nasa Hataoka. Was T-5th at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.
2022 Notes: Played in 21 LPGA Tour events, making 18 cuts with six top-ten finishes. She was 4th on the money list with $3,809,960 in earnings and was 2nd in CME points. Lee finished second in the Rolex Player of the Year race to Lydia Ko. In her first start of the season was T-2nd at the HSBC Women's World Championship, two shots behind winner Jin Young Ko. Finished 3rd at the DIO Implant LA Open. Won twice in a three-event span, starting with the Cognizant Founders Cup, where she shot 19-under par 269 to win by two shots over Lexi Thompson. Then she claimed a major at the U.S. Women's Open with rounds of 67-66-67-71 to win by four shots over Mina Harigae. Was T-2nd at the next major, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, one shot behind winner In Gee Chun. In another great showing in a major, she was T-4th at AIG Women's British Open, three shots back of the Ashleigh Buhai/In Gee Chun playoff. With this finish won the 2022 Rolex Annika Major Award for the best combined performance in the majors in 2022. Slowed her pace after that and in seven starts her best finish was T-33rd in the LPGA season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. She was 5th in the Handa Women?s Australian Open in her homeland in December.
2023 Notes: She lost a playoff at the Cognizant Founders Cup to Jin Young Ko. Lee was leading until three putting the last hole of regulation and fall into a tie with Ko, who made birdie at the last. Ko won the playoff with a par on the first extra hole when Lee missed her 6-foot putt for par. Lee played for Australia in the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown, and had a 3-2 record, helping Australia reach the finals, where they lost to Thailand. She was T-7th at the Dana Open.