Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
Lee didn’t bring her best Sunday, but when it mattered most, she was fantastic during a two-hole playoff at the Queen City Championship.
LPGA superstar Minjee Lee needed two extra holes to defeat Charley Hull on Sunday at the Queen City Championship, but it paid off in a major way.
She took home a $300,000 check for beating the Englishwoman.
Lee didn’t play her best during the final round. It was her first round in the 70s of the week, shooting a 71. Thankfully for her, a double bogey on the par-5 12th didn’t cost her the tournament.
Lee made three birdies on the front nine, but from there, it was a lot of pars and her seven on 12.
“I think I had a few moments where I felt like I was losing, but I wasn’t. The score was we were pretty much tied,” Lee said. “So I just didn’t give up. I just played every shot to the best I could and then, you know, won the playoff, so it feels nice.”
Hull challenged her all day Sunday. She posted a final round 69, including three birdies on holes 14-16 to get to 16-under. However, Hull wasn’t able to capitalize in the playoff. Lee hit a near perfect shot on the second playoff hole and that all but sealed her victory.
The 2022 U.S. Open winner had to refocus as she hadn’t recorded a top-10 finish since the Dana Open in July. It caused her to reset her goals.
“My goal for the rest of the season was to finish well. CME is coming up and all the Asia events, so I really wanted to reset my goals,” she said. “[I] just really wanted to finish off on a high and I got to win, so that’s really nice. Resetting your goals is always hard after an amazing year. Maybe I can reset here and have a great Asia and CME.”
This win is her first of the year after she won twice in 2022.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
