Minjee Lee

Minjee Lee
Lee in 2022
Personal information
Born (1996-05-27) 27 May 1996 (age 30)
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Sporting nationality Australia
Career
Turned professional2014
Current tourLPGA Tour
Professional wins14
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour11
Ladies European Tour3
WPGA Tour of Australasia2
Best results in LPGA major championships
(wins: 3)
Chevron ChampionshipT3: 2017
Women's PGA C'shipWon: 2025
U.S. Women's OpenWon: 2022
Women's British Open3rd: 2020
Evian ChampionshipWon: 2021
Achievements and awards
Greg Norman Medal2018, 2021, 2023
Rolex Annika Major Award2022, 2025
Minjee Lee
Hangul
이민지
Hanja
李旻芝
RRI Minji
MRI Minji

Minjee Lee (born 27 May 1996) is an Australian professional golfer. She is from Perth, Australia. Lee 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. Lee has won three major championships: the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship, the 2022 U.S. Women's Open, and the 2025 Women's PGA Championship.

Early life and amateur career

In 1996, Lee was born in Perth, Australia. In 2010, Lee became the youngest winner of the WA Amateur Open while still a year 9 student at Methodist Ladies' College, Perth. 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.

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

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

Professional career

In September 2014, Lee turned professional. On 18 May 2015, Lee gained her first LPGA Tour victory at the Kingsmill Championship. In 2016, she won the Lotte Championship in April, and the Blue Bay LPGA in October. She recorded her first ever hole-in-one at the 2016 Kia Classic by making an albatross on a par four. It was just the second time a player had made a hole-in-one on a par four on the LPGA Tour. 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.

In April 2018, she lost the LPGA Mediheal Championship in a playoff to Lydia Ko. In May, she won the LPGA Volvik Championship. 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. She also became the first woman to win the Greg Norman Medal for being the best Australian professional golfer on the world stage. In April 2019, Lee won the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open, her fifth LPGA Tour victory. 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".

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. In 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.

Minjee Lee at the 2022 KPMG Women's PGA Championship

In 2022, Lee had a sterling season. She won her seventh LPGA Tour event, the Cognizant Founders Cup, in May, defeating Lexi Thompson by two strokes, 269 (19-under-par) to Thompson's 271. 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. 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. In November, she won the season-long Aon Risk Reward Challenge and $1,000,000 for the 2022 LPGA Tour season. 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.

In June 2025, Lee secured her third victory in a major after claiming the title at the Women's PGA Championship. The following month, she recorded a third-placed finish at the Evian Championship, one stroke behind a two-way playoff for the title. In August, Lee became the first person to win the Rolex Annika Major Award on two occasions. In October, Lee helped Australia win the International Crown for the first time. On 5 May 2026, Minjee Lee committed to joining the WTGL.

Personal life

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

Awards and honors

Amateur wins

Professional wins (14)

LPGA Tour wins (11)

Legend
Major championships (3)
Other LPGA Tour (8)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 18 May 2015 Kingsmill Championship 68-67-69-65=269 −15 2 strokes South Korea Ryu So-yeon
2 16 Apr 2016 Lotte Championship 68-66-74-64=272 −16 1 stroke United States Katie Burnett
South Korea Chun In-gee
3 23 Oct 2016 Blue Bay LPGA 65-67-73-70=275 −13 1 stroke United States Jessica Korda
4 27 May 2018 LPGA Volvik Championship 67-69-68-68=272 −16 1 stroke South Korea In-Kyung Kim
5 28 Apr 2019 Hugel-Air Premia LA Open 66-69-67-68=270 −14 4 strokes South Korea Kim Sei-young
6 25 Jul 2021 Amundi Evian Championship[1] 68-69-65-64=266 −18 Playoff South Korea Lee Jeong-eun
7 15 May 2022 Cognizant Founders Cup 67-63-69-70=269 −19 2 strokes United States Lexi Thompson
8 5 June 2022 U.S. Women's Open 67-66-67-71=271 −13 4 strokes United States Mina Harigae
9 10 Sep 2023 Kroger Queen City Championship 67-69-65-71=272 −16 Playoff England Charley Hull
10 22 Oct 2023 BMW Ladies Championship 64-69-71-68=272 −16 Playoff United States Alison Lee
11 22 Jun 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship 69-72-69-74=284 −4 3 strokes United States Auston Kim
Thailand Chanettee Wannasaen

1 Co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour.

LPGA Tour playoff record (3–3)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 2018 LPGA Mediheal Championship New Zealand Lydia Ko Lost to eagle on first extra hole
2 2019 Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA United States Nelly Korda
Germany Caroline Masson		 Korda won with birdie on first extra hole
3 2021 Amundi Evian Championship South Korea Lee Jeong-eun Won with birdie on first extra hole
4 2023 Cognizant Founders Cup South Korea Ko Jin-young Lost to par on first extra hole
5 2023 Kroger Queen City Championship England Charley Hull Won with birdie on second extra hole
6 2023 BMW Ladies Championship United States Alison Lee Won with birdie on first extra hole

Ladies European Tour wins (3)

No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin
of victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 4 Feb 2018 Oates Vic Open[2] 70-67-75-67=279 −13 5 strokes Australia Karis Davidson
2 6 Nov 2020 Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic 72-65-69=206 −10 Playoff France Céline Boutier
3 25 Jul 2021 Amundi Evian Championship[3] 68-69-65-64=266 −18 Playoff South Korea Lee Jeong-eun

2 Co-sanctioned by the ALPG Tour.
3 Co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour.

LET playoff record (2–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 2020 Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic France Céline Boutier Won with birdie on first extra hole
2 2021 Amundi Evian Championship South Korea Lee Jeong-eun Won with birdie on first extra hole

ALPG Tour wins (2)

No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin
of victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 23 Feb 2014 Oates Vic Opena 73-70-68-68=279 −16 6 strokes Scotland Vikki Laing
2 4 Feb 2018 Oates Vic Open[4] 70-67-75-67=279 −13 5 strokes Australia Karis Davidson

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

Major championships

Wins (3)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner(s)-up
2021The Evian Championship7 shot deficit–18 (68-69-65-64=266)PlayoffSouth Korea Lee Jeong-eun
2022U.S. Women's Open3 shot lead–13 (67-66-67-71=271)4 strokesUnited States Mina Harigae
2025Women's PGA Championship4 shot lead–4 (69-72-69-74=284)3 strokesUnited States Auston Kim
Thailand Chanettee Wannasaen

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order.

Tournament2014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Chevron Championship T24LA CUT T26 T3 T25 T21 T7 T25 12 T41 CUT T14 T49
U.S. Women's Open T22 CUT T46 T11 T34 T12 T46 T54 1 T13 T9 T22 T28
Women's PGA Championship T13 T12 T36 T25 T30 T58 T40 T2 T20 T24 1 CUT
The Evian Championship T16 T11 T67 T32 T16 CUT NT 1 T43 T16 T49 T3 CUT
Women's British Open CUT T9 T25 CUT 10 T11 3 T5 T4 T50 CUT T13 CUT
  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 Championship0011271210
U.S. Women's Open1001271312
Women's PGA Championship1102271211
The Evian Championship1012261210
Women's British Open001358139
Totals313913356252

LPGA Tour career summary

YearTournaments
played		Cuts
made		Wins2nd3rdTop 10sBest
finish		Earnings
($)		Money
list rank		Scoring
average		Scoring
rank
2013 1 1 0 0 0 0 T55 n/a n/a 72.25 n/a
2014 6 5 0 0 0 0 T11 n/a n/a 71.77 n/a
2015 29 24 1 0 0 7 1 821,121 16 70.89 15
2016 27 26 2 1 0 8 1 1,213,902 12 70.42 13
2017 26 22 0 1 3 10 T2 1,027,941 16 70.18 15
2018 27 25 1 3 2 13 1 1,551,032 2 69.75 2
2019 26 24 1 4 2 9 1 1,522,607 8 69.91 9
2020 16 16 0 0 2 5 3 724,273 8 70.71 11
2021 18 16 1 1 0 7 1 1,542,332 4 70.32 22
2022 20 18 2 2 1 6 1 3,809,960 2 69.69 7
2023 18 18 2 1 0 5 1 1,650,975 12 70.42 21
2024 21 16 0 0 0 4 T4 881,946 43 71.22 49
2025 22 21 1 2 2 8 1 3,910,471 2 69.64 3
2026 7 5 1 2 T3 391,890 46 71.17 29
Totals^ 256 (2015) 230 (2015) 12 15 13 81 1 19,048,450 6

^ Official as of 21 June 2026

World ranking

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

YearWorld
ranking
Source
201518
201617
201719
20186
20199
20208
20217
20224
20234
202418
20253
202611^

^ As of 29 June 2026

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

See also

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 4 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. Retrieved 22 January 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  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. ↑ Nichols, Beth Ann (26 March 2016). "Minjee Lee makes first ace of her life at Kia Classic". Golfweek. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  12. ↑ "Rio 2016: Emma Moffatt finishes sixth in Olympic triathlon, Minjee Lee seventh in golf". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  13. ↑ "Minjee Lee: 2018 Scoring Average". LPGA. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  14. ↑ "Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  15. ↑ "Lee wins her 1st major after beating Lee6 in playoff". LPGA. Associated Press. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  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. ↑ "Lee wins third major with PGA Championship title". BBC Sport. 23 June 2025. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  21. ↑ Scrivener, Peter (13 July 2025). "Woad goes close at Evian as Kim wins first major". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  22. ↑ Nicholls, Beth Ann (4 August 2025). "Minjee Lee wins Rolex Annika Major Award as season's top performer in women's majors". Golfweek. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  23. ↑ "Minjee Lee, Hannah Green and Steph Kyriacou lead Australia to International Crown glory". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 October 2025. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  24. ↑ "Lee among LPGA Tour players to join women's indoor team league". CNA. Retrieved 6 May 2026.
  25. ↑ "Minjee Lee, the invisible champion without an Australian sponsor". SMH. 24 July 2016.
  26. ↑ "Australia's Min Woo Lee wins US Junior Amateur". Associated Press News. 24 May 2019.
  27. ↑ "Minjee Lee Finally Claims WA Sport Star Crown". SportWest. 27 February 2026. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  28. ↑ "Minjee Lee finally salutes WA Sport Star award after a decade of nominations". The West Australian. 26 February 2026. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  29. ↑ "Minjee Lee statistics". LPGA. 21 June 2026.
  30. ↑ "Minjee Lee results". LPGA. 21 June 2026.
  31. ↑ "Career money (select from pick list)". LPGA. 21 June 2026.
  32. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 28 December 2015.
  33. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 31 December 2016.
  34. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 31 December 2017.
  35. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 31 December 2018.
  36. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 30 December 2019.
  37. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 28 December 2020.
  38. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 27 December 2021.
  39. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 26 December 2022.
  40. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 25 December 2023.
  41. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 30 December 2024.
  42. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 29 December 2025.
  43. ↑ "Women's World Golf Rankings". 29 June 2026.