The highest prize money ever won by 2.25 billion won… His younger brother Lee Min-woo is also a European tour golfer.
Korean player Lee Min-ji (26, Australia) was delighted, saying, “I realized my dream when I was young” following winning the US Women’s Open golf tournament, the second major tournament of the season.
Lee Min-ji won the final total at the 77th US Women’s Open Golf Tournament (total prize money of $10 million), which ended on the 6th (Korean time) at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club (par 71, 6644 yards) in Southern Pines, North Carolina, USA. He won with a 13-under 271 stroke.
Lee Min-ji, who overcame second-placed Mina Harigae (USA) by 4 strokes, set the record for the lowest win at 72 holes in US Women’s Open history.
The previous record was 272 strokes of Annika Sorenstam (Sweden) in 1996, Julie Inkster (USA) in 1999, and Inji Jeon (28) in 2015.
Following the Evian Championship in July of last year, Lee Min-ji, who took her second major championship trophy in her arms, said following finishing the game, “It was a competition I wanted to win since I was a child, and it was a dream come true.” “I can’t believe I won.”
As for the reason why he dreamed of the US Women’s Open, he said, “I don’t know,” he said.
Also known as a ‘sibling golfer’, whose younger brother Lee Min-woo (24) is active on the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour), Lee Min-ji is sponsored by Hana Financial Group, a domestic company.
He said that following winning the championship, he talked to his younger brother on the phone and said, “I did well, and they said I’ll see you tomorrow.”
It was a game with plenty of room to lead by 6 strokes with a birdie on the 12th hole (par 4), but Lee Min-ji said, “I was nervous all day, and I woke up early in the morning.”
The prize money for the championship was 1.8 million dollars (regarding 2.25 billion won), the largest among women’s golf tournaments in history.
The prize money for winning the CME Group Tour Championship, the final match of the LPGA Tour season in November of this year, is expected to be $2 million, but so far this tournament has paid the largest prize money in women’s golf history.
Lee Min-ji welcomed the increase in prize money, saying, “I didn’t think regarding the prize money during the game, but it’s a good flow for our tour or women’s golf.”
With this win, he is also on par with the ‘golf legends’.
First, they succeeded Sorenstam, Webb, and Christie Kerr (USA), who won the US Women’s Open held at this course, and as Australian nationals, Webb (7 wins) and Jan Stevenson (3 wins) have won two or more major championships. became the first player.
Lee Min-ji was delighted, saying, “It’s an honor to be named with such great players.”
When asked regarding becoming another Australian player to win the major championship following Ashley Barty (Australia), who won the Australian Open tennis tournament in January this year, Lee Min-ji joked, “I’m not going to retire.”
Barty, who was ranked number one in the world, was born in 1996 and is the same age as Lee Min-ji, but suddenly retired in March of this year.
Lee Min-ji continued, “I hope that it will be an opportunity for many girls and boys to be more interested in sports as well.” “I hope that I will become a good role model.”
/yunhap news
