Minjee Lee – LPGA win # 10 – image Getty / LPGA
Just seven days after her brother Minwoo Lee’s first Asian Tour victory and his third as a professional, Minjee Lee has today won her 10th LPGA Tour title with a playoff victory over American Alison Lee to win the BMW Ladies Championship at Seowon Hills Country Club in South Korea.
The winner birdied the first extra hole after an approach to 6 feet to defeat the classy Lee who was chasing her first LPGA Tour title.
Interestingly, Minjee Lee had defeated the American to win the US Junior Championship in San Francisco eleven years ago.
The two Lees fought it out for much of the 72 holes after they had recorded opening rounds of 63 (Alison) and 64 (Minjee) respectively in round one.
While the pair were the two left standing at the completion of 72 holes, several others had their chance on the final day including New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, who is finding form after a disappointing 2023 to date, and Atthaya Thitikul.
Ko would eventually finish in 3rd place, just her third LPGA Tour top ten of the season.
Alison Lee, playing in the group ahead of Minjee Lee, birdied the final hole from eight feet after also producing a birdie at the 17th to draw level with the Australian, and with the Australian unable to match the American’s final birdie and win, the pair entered a playoff.
Lee earns US$310,000 for her victory taking her LPGA Tour earnings for 2023 beyond the US$1.5 million mark.
For the record, Min Woo Lee stormed home with a final round of 65 in the PGA Tour event in Japan to finish in 6th place.
