Lee-Anne Pace

She started playing golf at age 17 and credits her father as the individual who most influenced her career. She had a successful collegiate career in the United States, where she attended Murray State University and the University of Tulsa. She likes to read and participate in all water sports when she's not playing golf. She graduated from the University of Tulsa with a degree in Psychology.
In 2005, turned professional.
In 2006, played on the Duramed Futures Tour before qualifying for the LPGA Tour at Q-School. In 2007, she lost her LPGA Tour card and qualified for the Ladies European Tour for 2008 via that tour's qualifying school.
In 2010, had a breakthrough year with five wins, including at the Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open, the S4C Wales Ladies Championship of Europe, the Finnair Masters, the Sanya Ladies Open, and the Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open, to end the season atop the Order of Merit, the first South African to win that title.
In 2011, played in 21 LET events and recorded nine top-10 finishes, including three-second places. Her best performances were at the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, where she finished second, followed by the Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open, as the defending champion, and Open de Espana Femenino, where she also T-2nd.
2012 Notes: Played in 19 events on the LET and posted six top-10 finishes, including a season-best T-2nd at the South African Women's Open. Finished seventh on the LET earning list.
2013 Notes: Was the only player to win three titles on the LET, taking her career total to eight wins. She recorded victories at the Turkish Airline Ladies Open, the Open de Espana, and the Sanya Ladies Open, where she won in a playoff. Notched six additional top-10s, including a runner-up at the Allianz Ladies Slovak Open. Ended the year ranked second on the Order of Merit behind Suzann Pettersen. She was voted the Player's Player of the Year by her fellow professional golfers on the LET, the second time she won that award in three years.
2014 Notes: She began the year with conditional LPGA status and finished it ranked 38th on the LPGA money list with $467,559 and 54th in CME points. Pace was a winner on three different tours in 2014. She won the Investec Cup on the Sunshine Ladies Tour in March, the South African Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour in October, and one week later won the Blue Bay LPGA for her first LPGA title. That week, Pace shot 16 under in the tournament that was rain-shortened to 54 holes, beating Caroline Masson by three strokes. She was third on the LET money list, finishing second at the Sberbank Golf Masters and T-3rd at the Handa Ladies European Masters. Pace left South Africa in May expecting to play in just one tournament, a LET event in Turkey, but she then got into the Kingsmill event on the LPGA (T-56th), and when the priority list was re-ranked, she was eligible for LPGA events the rest of the year. She played in 14 of the remaining 21. She didn't return to South Africa until after winning in China in October. "I had one week's outfit and two pairs of golf shoes. Everybody had to just send it over to me."
2015 Notes: Pace made 20 cuts in 24 starts on the LPGA Tour and ranked 46th on the money list. She had one top-10, a T-6th at the Evian Championship. She had a big year on the Sunshine Ladies Tour in South Africa, winning three times in March and then once in December at the start of the 2016 season.
2016 Notes: She won the Ladies Joburg Open, Cape Town Ladies Open, and Dimension Data Ladies, her 7th win on the Sunshine Ladies Tour since March 2015. On the LPGA Tour, played in 26 events making 21 cuts with 3 top-tens. She finished 2nd to Haru Nomura at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic. She finished 35th on the money list with $523,939 and 53rd in CME points. She was 5th in the LET's Ladies European Masters the week before the Evian Championship.
2017 Notes: Played in 22 LPGA Tour events making 14 cuts. She was 83rd on the money list with $163,831 in earnings. Placed 83rd on the CME points list. On the LET, played in 8 events making six cuts, finishing 20th on the LET Order of Merit Won the South African Women's Open for the third straight time in January. She beat Ashleigh Buhai (Simon) by 7 shots. She also won in 2014 and 2016 (no tournament in 2015). Pace shot 61 in the third round of the Meijer Classic when the par-5 15th hole was converted from a par-5 to a par-3 because of flooding. The course became a par 69 as Pace was T-13th for the week. On the LET had one top-ten, T-2nd at the Open De Espana, two shots back of winner Azahara Munoz.
2018 Notes: Played in 23 LPGA Tour events making 14 cuts with two top-ten finishes. She was 84th on the money list with $174,942 in earnings and finished 84th on the CME points list. Was T-4th at the Meijer LPGA Classic. Pace shot a third-round 64 to lead going into the final round but shot a final-round 73 to finish 4 back of winner So Yeon Ryu. She was T-8th at the ASI Ladies Scottish Open.
2019 Notes: Played in 14 LPGA Tour events making 8 cuts. She was 136th on the money list with $46,856 in earnings and was 139th on the CME points list. Played in two LET events, was T-2nd at the Investec SA Women's Open, and 10th at the La Reserva De Sotogrande. On the PGA Tour, best finish was T-26th at the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
2020 Notes: Made the cut in five LPGA Tour events, best finish was T-11th at the LPGA Drive On Championship Toledo and LPGA Drive On Championship Reynolds Lake Oconee. Pace played in 8 LET events with one top-five at The Saudi Ladies TEAM. Also played on the Ladies Sunshine Tour and won the Cape Town Ladies Open. It was the third time was won the event, joining victories in 2016 & 2018.
2021 Notes: Played in 16 Ladies European Tour events making 12 cuts with three top-ten finishes. She was 6th on the Race to Costa Del Sol race and 11th on the money list with earnings of euro81,920. Won the season-opening Investec SA Women's Open, a shot ahead of Leonie Harm. Also, T-4th at the ATS - Sotogrande team. Only played in three LPGA events and was T-64th at the U.S. Women's Open. She was T-4th at the Dubai Moonlight Classic, four shots back of winner Bronte Law.
2022 Notes: Played in 24 LET events making 20 cuts with six top-ten finishes. She was 9th in the Race to Costa Del Sol and was 16th on the money list with earnings of euro189,533. She was T-5th at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open, seven shots back of winner Esther Henseleit. Won the Investec SA Women's Open beating Magdalena Simmermacher in a playoff. She was 6th at the Ladies Italian Open, and was two shots back of the Alessandra Fanali/Meghan MacLaren/Morgane Metraux playoff. Was T-10th at the Skaffe Open and T-5th at the Aramco Team Series - Jeddah, three shots back of the Chiara Noja/Charley Hull playoff. In 8 LPGA Tour starts made a check in three events, best finish T-12th at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
2023 Notes: Best finish T-8th at the Joburg Ladies Open. Pace did open up with a first round 66 to lead the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, went on to finish T-30th.