Minjee Lee Bio
Minjee Lee (born 27 May 1996) is an Australian professional golfer from Perth, Western Australia. She is a three-time major championship winner, with victories at the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship, the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open, and the 2025 Women’s PGA Championship. Lee competes primarily on the LPGA Tour and has been one of Australia’s most decorated golfers of her generation.
Lee became the number one ranked amateur golfer in February 2014 and has continued to build a strong professional resume since turning professional later that year. She has earned multiple Greg Norman Medals and Rolex Annika Major Awards, cementing her status as one of the leading players in women’s golf.
Early Life and Background
Minjee Lee was born on 27 May 1996 in Perth, Western Australia. Her parents, Soonam Lee and Clara Lee, were both originally from Korea and emigrated to Australia in the early 1990s. Growing up in Perth, Lee was introduced to golf at a young age and quickly showed a natural talent for the sport.
Lee attended Methodist Ladies’ College in Perth, where she became the youngest winner of the WA Amateur Open in 2010 while still in year 9. In 2012, she transferred to Corpus Christi College to be closer to Royal Fremantle Golf Club, leaving Corpus Christi in 2013 to focus on her developing golf career.
Her younger brother, Min Woo Lee, is also a professional golfer. He won the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur, making Minjee and Minwoo the first brother-and-sister pair to win United States Golf Association junior championships. The Lee family remains closely connected to golf, with both siblings representing Australia at the highest levels of the game.
Path to Professional Golf
Lee’s amateur career was marked by consistent success on the international stage. In 2012, she won the U.S. Girls’ Junior, one of the most prestigious amateur events in women’s golf. She followed that with Australian Women’s Amateur titles in 2013 and 2014, demonstrating her ability to perform at a high level across different conditions and courses.
On 26 February 2014, Lee became the number one ranked amateur golfer after winning the Oates Victorian Open on the ALPG Tour. She held that top amateur ranking throughout the following months, leading the Australia team to victory at the Espirito Santo Trophy before turning professional in September 2014. That transition set the stage for her move to the LPGA Tour.
By the time she joined the professional ranks, Lee had already proven herself capable of competing with the best amateurs in the world. Her decision to turn professional at a young age reflected her readiness to take on the challenges of the LPGA Tour and the broader women’s professional golf circuit.
Minjee Lee Career
Early Career (2014–2016)
Lee’s early professional years were spent establishing herself on the LPGA Tour. She won the 2014 Oates Victorian Open as an amateur, a result that counted toward her early professional record. In her first full seasons on tour, she quickly demonstrated that she could compete with established players and contend for titles.
On 18 May 2015, Lee claimed 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, showing her ability to win in different parts of the season. She also represented Australia at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, finishing tied for seventh in the women’s golf competition.
Major Breakthroughs (2018–2022)
In 2018, Lee won the LPGA Volvik Championship on her birthday, 27 May, and finished the year ranked second on the LPGA money list. That same year, she became the first woman to win the Greg Norman Medal as Australia’s best professional golfer on the world stage. She added the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open in April 2019, her fifth LPGA Tour victory, and rose to number two in the Women’s World Golf Rankings.
On 25 July 2021, Lee captured her first major championship at the Amundi Evian Championship, coming from seven strokes behind in the final round to defeat Lee Jeong-eun on the first playoff hole. The victory marked a defining moment in her career and established her as a major champion.
In 2022, Lee won the Cognizant Founders Cup in May, beating Lexi Thompson by two strokes. Weeks later, on 5 June 2022, she won the U.S. Women’s Open by four strokes over Mina Harigae, earning a then-record $1.8 million payout, the largest single prize in women’s golf history at the time. She also won the Aon Risk Reward Challenge and its $1 million bonus in November 2022.
Continued Excellence (2023–2025)
Lee won her third Greg Norman Medal in 2023, further cementing her status as Australia’s leading professional golfer. She continued to be a fixture near the top of the Women’s World Golf Rankings and added further LPGA Tour victories to her resume during this period.
In June 2025, Lee secured her third major championship with a victory at the Women’s PGA Championship. The following month, she finished third at the Evian Championship, one stroke out of a two-way playoff. In August 2025, she became the first player to win the Rolex Annika Major Award on two occasions, recognizing her exceptional major-season performance. In October 2025, she helped Australia win the International Crown for the first time.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Lee’s career milestones are her 14 total professional wins across multiple tours, including 11 on the LPGA Tour, three on the Ladies European Tour, and two on the ALPG Tour. Her $1.8 million payout at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open stood as the largest single prize in women’s golf history at that time, and her 271 total set a new championship record.
Minjee Lee Career Wins
Minjee Lee has accumulated 14 professional wins across the LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour, and ALPG Tour. Her victories include three major championships, with the most recent being the 2025 Women’s PGA Championship. She has been one of the most consistent winners on the LPGA Tour throughout the 2020s.
Major Championship Highlights
Lee’s first major victory came at the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship, where she produced one of the most dramatic comebacks in recent major history. She trailed by seven strokes entering the final round before forcing a playoff and winning on the first extra hole. In 2022, she added the U.S. Women’s Open, dominating the field with a four-stroke victory. Her third major arrived at the 2025 Women’s PGA Championship, completing a career grand slam of the three majors she has contested most frequently.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond her major wins, Lee has captured multiple LPGA Tour titles, including the Kingsmill Championship, Lotte Championship, Blue Bay LPGA, LPGA Volvik Championship, Hugel-Air Premia LA Open, and Cognizant Founders Cup. She has also posted strong finishes in other majors, including a T3 at the 2017 Chevron Championship and a third-place finish at the 2020 Women’s British Open.
| Tour | Wins |
|---|---|
| LPGA Tour | 11 |
| Ladies European Tour | 3 |
| ALPG Tour | 2 |
Minjee Lee Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Minjee Lee comes from a close-knit family with deep roots in golf. Her parents, Soonam Lee and Clara Lee, emigrated from Korea to Australia in the early 1990s and settled in Perth. Both parents supported Minjee and her brother Min Woo in their pursuit of competitive golf, helping to build a family environment centered around the sport.
Personal Life
Lee’s younger brother, Min Woo Lee, is a professional golfer on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. The siblings share a close bond and have made history together as the first brother-and-sister pair to win USGA junior championships, with Minjee winning the 2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior and Minwoo winning the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur. Lee continues to reside in the United States while competing on the LPGA Tour.
2025 Season Performance
Minjee Lee’s 2025 season was one of the most successful of her career. She captured her third major championship at the Women’s PGA Championship in June, adding to her previous major wins at the 2021 Evian Championship and the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open. The victory reinforced her position among the elite players in women’s golf and added another major title to her resume.
Later in the season, Lee finished third at the Evian Championship in July, narrowly missing a playoff. In August 2025, she became the first player to win the Rolex Annika Major Award twice, recognizing her outstanding play across the season’s majors. In October 2025, she represented Australia at the International Crown and helped her country win the team event for the first time.
With three major championships and a growing list of accolades, Lee entered the late stages of 2025 firmly established as one of the top players in the women’s game. Her continued excellence on the LPGA Tour, combined with her success in team events, points to a strong outlook heading into 2026.