Newsmaker of the Month: Minjee Lee
Minjee Lee knew going in that a 54-hole lead counts for little in a Major championship.
The 26-year-old West Australian equalled the record for the greatest comeback win in the history of women’s Majors at the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship, so her three-shot lead starting the final round of the US Women’s Open was a handy buffer and nothing more.
Two birdies in her first two holes on Sunday gave her a stranglehold of the richest championship in the history of the women’s game, her six-stroke lead leaving the 12th green all but guaranteeing a second Major inside 12 months.
A nervy miss from four feet was not how Lee had dreamt of winning the US Women’s Open growing up in Perth, yet her subsequent bogey putt delivered the same result.
Her four-stroke triumph saw Lee join Jan Stephenson (1983) and Karrie Webb (2000, 2001) as the only Australian winners of the US Women’s Open and she became just the sixth Australian golfer – male or female – to win multiple Major championships.
Time is on her side as she entrenches her name as one of our all-time greats and continues to build a Hall of Fame career.
“This is the one I’ve always wanted to win since I was a little kid, so it just feels pretty amazing to be able to get it done today. I just can’t believe it,” said Lee after the eighth LPGA Tour win of her career, the seventh coming three weeks earlier at the Cognizant Founders Cup.
Headliners
Arundel Hills Country Club: The former Top 100 Course on the Gold Coast faces an uncertain future after it was placed into receivership at short notice, members left stunned and out of pocket after the collapse of Zhongsheng Management Pty Ltd.
Grace Kim: It took less than a year for the former star amateur to record her first win as a professional, taking out the Epson Tour’s IOA Golf Classic by five strokes with a final round of seven-under 64.
Anthony Quayle and Brad Kennedy: The Sanctuary Cove-based pair both played their way into the field for this month’s 150th Open Championship with top-five finishes at the Mizuno Open in Japan, Quayle losing the tournament in a playoff to Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent.
Connor McKinney: The Australian Amateur champion added to his growing résumé with a two-shot victory at the famed St Andrews Links Trophy, reeling in fellow Perth resident Adam Brady with a seven-under 65 in the final round.
Travis Smyth: Recorded his best result on the Asian Tour with a runner-up finish at the International Series England, securing a spot in the 48-man LIV Golf Invitational event a week later. Fellow Aussie Kevin Yuan also played his way into the LIV Golf opener with a top-10 finish.
Peter O’Malley: A three-time winner in Europe and a five-time winner on his home tour, O’Malley was awarded Life Membership of the PGA of Australia for his contribution to the game in this country, only the 50th person to be bestowed the honour.
Todd Sinnott: Qualified for his first Major championship at the US Open by finishing third at final qualifying in Japan. Adam Scott, Lucas Herbert, Marc Leishman and Min Woo Lee were also added to the field by virtue of being inside the top 60 in the world ranking.
Whitney Hillier: Enjoyed her first victory on the Ladies European Tour, albeit as captain of a team including Finland’s Krista Bakker, Bangkok local Chonlada Chayanun and their amateur partner, Bangkok businessman Pattanan Amatanon.
Quinnton Croker: The 19-year-old Queenslander tasted success on his first international venture, winning the LLD International Amateur Championship in Singapore by 12 strokes.
Kelly Reynolds: The award-winning entrepreneur and international senior executive leader with 25 years’ experience in human capital and technology consulting is the latest appointee to the board of Golf Australia.
Victorian State team: The team of Andre Lautee, Keeley Marx, Konomi Matsumoto, Toby Walker, Amelia Harris, Jasper Stubbs, Holly McLean and Phoenix Campbell defeated South Australia 5.5 to 2.5 in the final to become the first state to hoist the Australian Interstate Team Matches trophy in the event’s new mixed-gender format.
Clublinks Management: Appointed by Brisbane City Council to operate the soon-to-be completed Minnippi Golf Course on a 25-year lease.
getty images: Jared C. Tilton
