It could have been even better for Alison as she went on another record-equalling eight-birdie streak from holes 15 to four (she started on 10) and was on for a 59, but had to ‘settle’ for three pars and a birdie for a course record and a bogey-free card.

Minjee was hot on her heels on the closing stretch but a bogey on 17 halted her own charge and she sits on nine-under.

Minjee Lee. LET/ATS

Behind that duo is a bunch on seven-under, including Czech Jana Melichova, Italy’s Virginia Elena Carta, Dane Nicole Broch Estrup, Kylie Henry of Scotland, Sweden’s Pernilla Lindberg, Wales’ Chloe Williams, last year’s runner-up Charley Hull of England and Spain’s Solheim Cup hero Carlota Ciganda.

It was not the best day for Chiara Noja, who defeated Hull in a playoff in Jeddah 12 months ago to lift the ATS title and her maiden crown at the age of 16. The Dubai-based German was faced with a tie for last spot until she conjured up some magic for eagle on 18 to sign for a three-over 75.

There were a lot of red numbers out there on Friday, with 62 out of 84 of the professionals scoring par or better.

In the team event, Team Ciganda lead the way at the halfway stage alongside Bronte Law’s quartet on an impressive 21-under, two strokes ahead of another logjam — Team Lisa Pettersson, Team Minjee Lee, Team Diksha Dagar, Team Anne van Dam and Team Nicole Broch Estrup.

How things stand after a breathless Day One ?‍?? #SeeTheImpact pic.twitter.com/Sfc60Dgfdu

— Aramco Team Series (@Aramco_Series) October 27, 2023

On her day of records, Alison, winner of the Aramco Team Series — Sotogrande Individual title in 2021, told the Ladies European Tour: “I honestly had no idea! Today was just one of those days that golf just felt really easy, like a dream round. I wish every day felt like this. I was telling my caddie: ‘Gosh golf is so easy.’ Obviously I don’t say that every day but it was one of those days.

“I just felt so confident out there. I was able to read the greens really well, pick a good target on my approach shot, I was able to hit my targets.

“Coming down the stretch I started to realise I’m on 59 watch here. But I missed a couple of good birdie chances coming down the stretch. Not too disappointed I had a great round today, overall I played really solid.

“I’m feeling really good about my game. We still have two days left but I feel like it’s a really nice golf course, it’s a fairly easy golf course, pretty easy to attack pins and make a lot of birdies.”

Minjee added: “I played really really solid. I made a ton of birdies and had four birdies in a row so that was really nice. I’ve been hitting it really solid and come into this week with a lot of confidence from last week. I had another really great day.

“I played one round with Alison last week and then obviously beat her in a playoff. She’s got such great talent and I’ve actually known her for quite a while. We rookied together [on the LPGA] in the same year. We’ve both been on Tour nine years and it’s always nice to have great competition. That’s what we play for.”

Over on the team side of things, Ciganda told the LET: “It’s been a fun day. We made a lot of birdies between the three of us. It was great fun to watch the great shots that they hit. As everyone knows, I love team events and yeah hopefully we can have a good day tomorrow and win this thing.”

Main image: Alison Lee. LET

The post Lees are lauded as Alison leads Minjee on record opening day at Aramco Team Series — Riyadh appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Decades past have seen relatives shine in their mutual sports, harnessing talent, fulfilling potential, firmly establishing themselves as household names forever engrained in the nation’s sporting folklore.

The Ella brothers, Mark and Glen, made a significant impact on the rugby union scene in the 1980s. They represented the Wallabies for years, with younger sibling Gary following their footsteps soon after. In the 1990s, the Waugh twins, Mark and Steve, excelled in first-class cricket, becoming key members of the 1999 Cricket World Cup-winning side.

The Rio 2016 Summer Olympics were also a scene of special significance. Seven sets of Australian siblings competed on the grandest stage in Brazil, where the Campbell combination of Cate and Bronte won gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay.

Other notable families include the Abletts in Aussie Rules, the Konrads in swimming, and the Reddys in rugby league. All made their mark in Australia’s history books.

Right now in the present, another family is honouring this proud and enduring sporting tradition synonymous with Down Under: Minjee Lee and her brother, Min Woo. Hailing from Perth, both are professional golfers. The two are flourishing on their respective tours, flying the flag for family and country.

In fact, few stories in the world of golf are as inspiring and fascinating as theirs. Best friends with an unbreakable bond, Minjee credits a large portion of her success to her brother — who secured his third professional win just a fortnight ago, adding the Macao Open to his two European Tour titles.

Min Woo Lee. Asian Tour

Minjee, the women’s world No. 4 and two-time major champion, elaborated on their relationship at the Aramco Team Series — Riyadh.

“Whenever I see him, I feel like it’s a little bit more motivation for me to step up my game and perform as best as I can,” Minjee said.

“I think Min Woo has a bit more of a rivalry with me than I do him, but I’ll always be his biggest supporter and I know he’s mine as well. It’s always nice to see your family do well.

“I’m grateful that we’re both living our dream and playing the sport we love professionally all around the world. Things are great for both of us right now and we’re very happy with how our careers are continuing to develop.”

Minjee ensured that October 2023 will never be forgotten in the Lee family. Exactly one week after Min Woo won the Asian Tour event in China, she secured victory at the prestigious BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea.

She showed outstanding determination to overcome America’s Alison Lee in a play-off, sinking a birdie putt on the first extra hole for a second win in consecutive months. Weeks earlier in September, she won the Kroger Queen City Championship in Ohio.

Her recent run of form means she takes to the greens and fairways at Riyadh Golf Club as a favourite for the event’s individual competition, as well as a source of hope and inspiration for her teammates in the team format.

“I’m feeling good with my game and I’ve come to Riyadh high in confidence,” she added.

Main image: ATS/LET

The post Healthy sibling rivalry for Minjee and Min Woo Lee appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Australia’s Minjee Lee comes into the event on the back of impressive wins in Ohio and South Korea on the LPGA Tour in the past month.

She will line up in a field that includes world No. 1 and two-time 2023 major winner Lilia Vu and Solheim Cup hero Carlota Ciganda.

There is another golfer in the field that — despite her young age of 17 — the best players will be wary of, as Dubai-based star Chiara Noja returns to Saudi Arabia to defend the title she won in Jeddah 12 months ago.

Minjee Lee. LET

Lee is not one to back away from a challenge however.

“I had a little bit of a slow start to the beginning of the year,” she told media at Riyadh Golf Club on Thursday afternoon. “But I have had two wins in the last three starts, so I’m feeling pretty good with my game. I got a lot of confidence from the first swing and obviously coming off BMW [Korea] last week. I feel pretty good to be here.

“I played the back nine yesterday. I’ve actually been here before, but I don’t really remember a lot of the holes. I was here a couple years ago, so maybe it’s very different, but a few of the holes I kind of remembered. But the course is in great condition. And I think the wind is a lot of its defence. So hopefully the wind is blowing and we have a good challenge ahead of us.”

One year on from that epic playoff against her childhood idol, Charley Hull, Noja is also on a high with fond memories of her victory in Saudi last year at the age of 16, and is fighting fit again after a recent shoulder problem.

“It’s been a good season, obviously shame with the injury last few weeks,” Noja said. “It’s really nice to be back, obviously a good opportunity to try to kind of reminisce. It is a little bit different a golf course this week but it’s really beautiful. I’m looking forward to defending.

“Obviously, Royal Greens is right by the sea. So the winds kind of always pretty steady direction. I feel like you kind of know which way it’s gonna blow, whereas I feel like both times I’ve played Riyadh it’s kind of blown a little differently. But golf-wise, it’s a similar layout. You know, it kind of plays similarly. So it should be a good week.”

Once again, Noja is balancing her studies and golf career as she is finishing off her GCSEs, and had to make a sprint for Saudi after her latest test.

“Yeah, I had my exam yesterday,” she said. “So it’s been a busy few days. I had biology. And then when I get back, it’s chemistry. I flew out last month to play two rounds here. So I kind of got a little bit of a feel for the course. Obviously, it’s a little different. When I was here, the 10th tee was somewhere completely different. But that’s the Middle East for you. They get things done very quickly.

Reflecting on her rise since turning professional at the age of 15, Noja was smiling again. “I mean, I was definitely dreaming,” she said. “I didn’t think it was gonna be reality. I mean, it’s really cool being able to sit next to these people [press conference partners Lee, Ciganda and Vu]. So I’m really looking forward to playing this week and having a strong field and obviously, yeah, it’s these tournaments usually have strong field. So it’s really great to sort of be able to compete against the best in the world.”

Back to Lee, and she got to see another UAE-prospect up close during practice on Wednesday — 13-year-old Maya Palanza Gaudin, who is competing as an amateur and the youngest player in the field this week.

“I got to play with her the last three holes that I played,” Lee said of her young (13!!) playing partner. “I also played with Pia [Babnik] and Virginia [Elena Carta]. Maya was actually really good. I had only heard a few things about her. She has a really great story and she won the [Augusta] Drive, Chip & Putt. She was driving pretty, like really quite long. She did it really straight, and chipped it amazing. And she I think she parred all three holes. So she’s just gonna do pretty well this week.”

High praise indeed from the two-time major winner…

Main image: Chiara Noja. Neville Hopwood

The post Minjee and Chiara aim for the top (again) in Riyadh appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Staged at Riyadh Golf Club for the first time, 84 players from 24 nations will tee up vying for their share of $1,000,000 in both the Team and Individual competitions.

Before play gets under way in Saudi Arabia, here are some takes to get you up to speed…

Carlota Ciganda. Angel Martinez

Solheim stars set for action

One month on from their historic retention of the Solheim Cup in Spain, four stars from Suzann Pettersen’s arsenal are in town looking to add further success to their 2023 seasons.

Still on a high after earning the all-important point for Team Europe at Finca Cortesin, Carlota Ciganda will be in action aiming for a second Aramco Team Series title following her Florida triumph in May.

Joining the Spanish heroine are the English duo of Charley Hull and Georgia Hall — the latter chasing more silverware in the Kingdom after winning the Aramco Saudi Ladies International in 2022.

Completing the European line-up is Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall, while major winner Lilia Vu adds further Solheim star power to the field teeing up for the second Aramco Team Series event in a row.

Minjee Lee. Dylan Buell

Lee hot in form

Another world-class player competing this week is Australia’s Minjee Lee. The two-time major winner arrives in Riyadh in incredible form having just claimed her 10th LPGA title at the BMW Ladies Championship.

The world No. 7 has prior ATS experience finishing 11th in London two years ago and returns for tournament two at no better time after defeating Alison Lee in a playoff last week.

Talking of her namesake, the American Lee is also teeing up this week and will be hoping to go one better after falling agonisingly short in South Korea.

A regular feature in the Aramco Team Series, Lee has featured in six events winning the Sotogrande Individual title in 2021.

Battle on the bubble

With just three events left of the season, this week is a crucial one for many stars trying to play their way into the last two tournaments of 2023 and affirm their full LET card for next year.

Both the Mallorca Ladies Open and Andalucía Costa del Sol Open De España involve the top 64 in the Race to Costa del Sol (as well as eight invites), with the top-70 in the standings earning Category 4 status for 2024.

This means those competing in Riyadh who are currently outside the bubble face a potentially make-or-break week if they are to compete in Spain next month and cement their full status.

Those in question facing big battles include Leonie Harm (70th), Laura Beveridge (72nd), Sanna Nuutinen (74th), Elin Arvidsson (77th), Linnea Johansson (78th), Maggie Simmermacher (79th), Marianne Skarpnord (92nd), Michele Thomson (101st) and Becky Brewerton (117th).

Dagar on the brink

As the Race to Costa del Sol heats up, it looks like this could be the week France’s Celine Boutier finally gets knocked off top spot with India’s Diksha Dagar on the brink of moving into the highly sought-after position.

Fresh off a third-place finish on home soil at the Hero Women’s Indian Open, the left-hander has now leapfrogged Sweden’s Johanna Gustavsson and sits just 78.27 points off the major winner who is absent this week.

A ninth-place finish or better would do the job for Dagar in Riyadh, while Gustavsson can also jump into top spot if Dagar fails to do so and she finishes inside the top three.

Chiara Noja. Image supplied

Teenage kicks

It was one year ago that German teenager Chiara Noja announced herself to the golfing world defeating her hero Charley Hull in a playoff to win the Aramco Team Series — Jeddah Individual event.

Now back in Saudi Arabia 12 months on, and having recently returned to action after an injury spell, the 17-year-old will no doubt be feeling nostalgic as she aims to put on a performance in the tournament where she claimed a historic maiden LET title.

Unique format

Once again the format is the same as other ATS events with the Individual and Team competitions being played simultaneously. The Team competition will be played over 36-holes over the first two days with the best two scores counting, while the Individual is a 54-hole stroke play competition with the last round just having the top-60 professionals and ties competing.

There are 84 professionals teeing it up this week and there will be 28 teams contending for the top prize. Each team will consist of three professionals and one amateur.

Main image: Warren Little/Getty Images

Story by LET

The post Aramco Team Series — Riyadh: All you need to know appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

England’s Charley Hull made a late push to vie for the Kroger Queen City Championship on Sunday at Kenwood Country Club in Cincinnati, but ultimately it was Minjee Lee who topped Hull on the second hole of a playoff to collect her ninth career LPGA victory.

Lee was cruising with nine holes remaining but she made double bogey on the par-5 12th hole, then Hull birdied Nos. 14, 15 and 16 to end tied with Lee after regulation and the two went back to the 18th hole to settle the outcome. Both made par the first time, although Hull’s birdie putt from off the back of the green was a rotation short of going in, then Lee hit her approach, again on 18, to three feet to convert the birdie and the win. She took home a first-place prize of $300,000 from a $2 million overall purse.

The championship was the first of only four remaining full-field events on the LPGA schedule this year. The tour now breaks for two weeks for the Solheim Cup in Spain. Then, after stops in Arkansas and Texas, the tour shifts to a four-week Asia swing with limited-field tournaments before coming back in November for the end of the season.

In other words, for those trying to secure a place in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship — or just make sure their cards locked up for 2024 — time is of the essence.

Here’s the prize money payouts for all the players who made the cut this week.

Win: Minjee Lee, 272/-16, $300,000
P-2: Charley Hull, 272/-16, $181,723
3: Ruoning Yin, 274/-14, $131,827
4: Ally Ewing, 276/-12, $101,979
T-5: Mel Reid, 277/-11, $56,545
T-5: Mi Hyang Lee, 277/-11, $56,545
T-5: Ariya Jutanugarn, 277/-11, $56,545
T-5: Yuka Saso, 277/-1, $56,545
T-5: Morgane Metraux, 277/-11, $56,545
T-5: Peiyun Chien, 277/-11, $56,545
T-11: Hye-Jin Choi, 278/-10, $34,921
T-11: Cydney Clanton, 278/-10, $34,921
T-11: Andrea Lee, 278/-10, $34,921
T-14: Frida Kinhult, 279/-9, $29,934
T-14: Madalene Sagstrom, 279/-9, $29,934
T-16: Alexa Pano, 280/-8, $25,934
T-16: Pavarisa Yoktuan, 280/-8, $25,934
T-16: Nasa Hataoka, 280/-8, $25,934
T-19: Xiyu Lin, 281/-7, $22,485
T-19: Esther Henseleit, 281/-7, $22,485
T-19: Lexi Thompson, 281/-7, $22,485
T-19: Gaby Lopez, 281/-7, $22,485
T-23: Brooke Henderson, 282/-6, $17,983
T-23: Jenny Shin, 282/-6, $17,983
T-23: Hae Ran Ryu, 282/-6, $17,983
T-23: Dani Holmqvist, 282/-6, $17,983
T-23: Mariah Stackhouse, 282/-6, $17,983
T-23: Yealimi Noh, 282/-6, $17,983
T-23: Perrine Delacour, 282/-6, $17,983
T-23: Paula Reto, 282/-6, $17,983
T-31: Emily Kristine Pedersen, 283/-5, $13,849
T-31: Moriya Jutanugarn, 283/-5, $13,849
T-31: Elizabeth Szokol, 283/-5, $13,849
T-31: Jennifer Kupcho, 283/-5, $13,849
T-31: Rose Zhang, 283/-5, $13,849
T-36: Azahara Munoz, 284/-4, $11,262
T-36: Narin An, 284/-4, $11,262
T-36: Nanna Koerstz Madsen, 284/-4, $11,262
T-36: Gabriela Ruffels, 284/-4, $11,262
T-36: Hinako Shibuno, 284/-4, $11,262
T-41: Lauren Coughlin, 285/-3, $8,681
T-41: Stephanie Kyriacou, 285/-3, $8,681
T-41: Samantha Wagner, 285/-3, $8,681
T-41: Dana Fall, 285/-3, $8,681
T-41: Yuna Nishimura, 285/-3, $8,681
T-41: Pernilla Lindberg, 285/-3, $8,681
T-41: Linnea Strom, 285/-3, $8,681
T-41: Lydia Ko, 285/-3, $8,681
T-49: Maria Fassi, 286/-2, $6,682
T-49: Stephanie Meadow, 286/-2, $6,682
T-49: Ruixin Liu, 286/-2, $6,682
T-49: Muni He, 286/-2, $6,682
T-49: Yan Liu, 286/-2, $6,682
T-49: Jasmine Suwannapura, 286/-2, $6,682
T-55: Weiwei Zhang, 287/-1, $5,571
T-55: Sarah Kemp, 287/-1, $5,571
T-55: Linnea Johansson, 287/-1, $5,571
T-55: Arpichaya Yubol, 287/-1, $5,571
T-55: Dewi Weber, 287/-1, $5,571
60: Sei Young Kim, 288/E, $4,975
T-61: Dottie Ardina, 289/+1, $4,676
T-61: Jaravee Boonchant, 289/+1, $4,676
T-61: Jeongeun Lee6, 289/+1, $4,676
T-61: A Lim Kim, 289/+1, $4,676
T-61: Gina Kim, 289/+1, $4,676
T-66: Lauren Hartlage, 290/+2, $4,228
T-66: Brittany Altomare, 290/+2, $4,228
T-66: Christina Kim, 290/+2, $4,228
T-66: Angel Yin, 290/+2, $4,228
T-70: Sydnee Michaels, 291/+3, $3,930
T-70: Olivia Cowan, 291/+3, $3,930
T-70: Jennifer Song, 291/+3, $3,930
T-73: Yu Liu, 292/+4, $3,805
T-73: Mariajo Uribe, 292/+4, $3,805
T-75: Ines Laklalech, 293/+5, $3,735
T-75: Gabriella Then, 293/+5, $3,668
T-75: Bailey Tardy, 293/+5, $3,664
T-75: Pornanong Phatlum, 293/+5, $3,664
79: Xiaowen Yin, 294/+6, $3,548
80: Lindy Duncan, 296/+8, $3,503

The post Here’s the prize money payout for each golfer at the 2023 LPGA Kroger Queen City Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Minjee Lee lost a five-shot lead in a six-hole span late on Sunday but recovered by making birdie on the second playoff hole to top Charley Hull to win the Kroger Queen City Championship. It’s Lee’s ninth victory but first this year. She shot one-under 71 to end at 16-under-par total. Hull, winner of two LPGA events, shot 69.

Leaderboard
Minjee Lee (-16) won on second playoff hole
Charley Hull (-16)
Ruoning Yin (-14)
Ally Ewing (-12)

Quotable
“I feel like I really deserve this one. I feel like it’s been a little bit of a long time coming after the US Open, and like the past few weeks I’ve been really close,” Lee said.

What it means
Minjee Lee had the best season of her career in 2022, winning twice — including the US Women’s Open — and reaching No. 2 in the world. But then the months started to tick by, and suddenly Lee hadn’t won in 15 months. “I think it’s always really hard to back up an amazing year with another really amazing year. You have high expectations, and I think managing that is probably the hardest thing because you know you’ve been there, so it’s like, Oh, why can’t I do that every week. But obviously you can’t because you’re human,” Lee said on Saturday. Coming to terms with how difficult it is to win seemed to be the key to unlocking yet another win for the Aussie. Her victory in Ohio is her first of 2023, and the ninth of her LPGA career.

Are you kidding?!

This incredible putt from @HullCharley kept her in the game. We're headed to the second playoff hole! pic.twitter.com/xwqOdJLRwm

— LPGA (@LPGA) September 10, 2023

How it happened
As Minjee Lee and Charley Hull stood on the 11th tee box of Kenwood Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio, Lee appeared to be in control of the situation: She held a five-shot lead over Hull. But what happened over the next seven holes reminded us that being in control in one moment on the golf course means close to nothing. A double-bogey by Lee at the 12th followed by Hull’s three birdies in a row at 14, 15 and 16 brought the two level at 16-under. With both players parring the final two holes, they were sent back to the 18th tee for a sudden-death playoff.
On the first playoff hole, it looked like heroics from Hull’s putter would win it. After taking a drop from the grandstand beyond the green, Hull nearly holed an enormous putt from off the green:
Instead, Lee and Hull halved with pars and went to the 18th tee yet again. This time, Hull hit the green but Lee hit it closer. When Hull missed her birdie chance, Lee knocked in her two-footer for birdie and her ninth LPGA victory.

Best of the rest
Ruoning Yin finished solo third, marking the third tournament in a row where the 20-year-old finished in the top three. She is projected to become the new World No. 1, claiming the spot from Lilia Vu. This is Yin’s second year on tour. She won her first major earlier this year, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, where she became the second player from China to win a major. She also won the DIO Implant LA Open.

Biggest frustration
Charley Hull has played fantastic golf this season, but she’s leaving yet another LPGA event as the runner-up. This is the fourth time this year that Hull has finished runner-up, including twice in majors. Knocking on the door of a victory is better than finishing farther down the leaderboard, but at a certain it’s more about taking the trophy home.

The post Minjee Lee keeps hard-charging Charley Hull out of winner’s circle again, wins Queen City Championship in playoff appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The event is being played alongside the Women’s Australian Open at the same time and at the same venues, putting Australian golf on the world stage for two consecutive weeks with Australian PGA Championship staged at Royal Queensland last week, where Cameron Smith thrilled the Brisbane crown with a three-stroke victory.

Victoria Golf Club is the primary host venue across all four days of the tournament and Kingston Heath Golf Club is set to host play on Thursday and Friday.

Two-time DP World Tour winner Min Woo comes into the event on the back of a top-five finish in the season-opening Australian PGA Championship and will hope playing again in front of home fans will inspire him to another strong showing.

World No. 4 Minjee, who won her second major earlier this year, has never won the Women’s Australian Open despite being in contention on numerous occasions in eight attempts, with a best finish of third at Royal Adelaide in 2017.

Meanwhile, home favourite Lucas Herbert is determined to overcome a back injury that forced the 26-year-old to withdraw from last week’s Australian PGA. With some time off over the festive period to come, Herbert was determined to play to maintain some momentum as he looks to move up from 57th into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking and earn a place at the Masters Tournament.

Major winners Adam Scott, Karrie Webb and Ashleigh Buhai are also in the field, while Ryan Fox will hope to end a hugely successful 2022 in style after missing the cut last week at Royal Queensland following a hectic journey from the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

“Just to see the fam I think is a special thing,” said Min Woo. “We don’t get to see each other that much, so just to put the band together, it’s pretty cool. We don’t get to do it that often, so it is very cool. Then we can spend Christmas together, so I think with the schedule and all that, it works really well. It brings everyone together, which is awesome, and what we want and what we need. Especially in Australia, playing in front of the home crowd. It was special last week and I‘m sure this week will be even better.

“I think for both of us we’ve had very good years, so to look back and just give this one a hot crack. It doesn’t really matter how it goes, we’re obviously really happy with the way everything’s gone this year and we’re looking for a rest, but this is obviously a really big event in the schedule and we want to do well in our home event. We’re looking forward to it. We may be tired but I think we’re looking forward to how the week goes.”

Minjee added: “I mean it’s pretty cool to be able to play with the men and also the All Abilities tournament that’s going on all at the same time. Obviously playing with Min Woo and being able to see him is really special to me. Just being back in Australia I think is really cool. I haven’t played in a couple of years back home, so I think it’s going to be a great turnout and I’m looking forward to seeing all the fans come out and maybe a lot of little kids here and there. I think it will be really fun.

“I think the Australian Open, your national championship, is always really high on the list. For me, I always want to do well. The previous Aussie Opens that I have played, I think I haven’t quite shown that as much, so hopefully I can settle the nerves and just enjoy it and just play well for me and play well for the Australian crowd.”

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Amazingly, it was the second time that Lee had won $1 million or more in a single sitting in 2022, the first coming at the US Women’s Open in June, when the Aussie captured the largest first prize (to date) ever given out in women’s golf — $1.8 million — for winning. Lee followed that with two top-10s at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the AIG Women’s Open, and even before she pocketed this latest seven-figure cheque, she had earned more than $3.7 million in 2022, which is already the second-highest total in LPGA history. Meanwhile, she’s rocketed inside the top five in the Rolex Women’s Ranking.

That’s what we call an historic year, and it would almost seem rude to speculate on how it could be any better. And yet … it could be better. It could be, arguably, one of the best ever.

At stake for the 26-year-old Lee going into this week’s CME Group Tour Championship are a few final prizes that would send her 2022 campaign into legendary echelons:

• If she beats Lydia Ko and finishes in the top 10 come Sunday, Lee will win at least a share of the Rolex Player of the Year award, and the Hall of Fame point that comes along with it. She currently trails Ko by a single point in the POY race. “I really want to win that,” Lee said, when it was mentioned at the press conference.
• If she wins the tournament, she’ll once again have won the biggest prize in the history of women’s golf — this time $2 million.
• If she wins, she will simultaneously become the only woman in the history of women’s professional golf to win two tournament prizes over $1 million in the same year (with the $1 million Aon prize thrown in for good measure).
• If she wins, she would also set the record for most money earned in a single season, eclipsing Lorena Ochoa’s 2007 figure of $4.364 million (if she finishes solo second, winning $687,000, she’ll also top Ochoa, but will finish just short with a third-place showing, which would be as “agonizing” as it gets when you’re still winning more than $4 million in a single year).
• All of this is tantalising, but the fact is, Lee has not been at her best lately. Since finishing T-4 at Muirfield during the AIG Women’s Open in early August, she’s cooled off in a big way, with two missed cuts in five tournaments and a best finish of T-36. That lull allowed Ko to overtake her in the player-of-the-year race, and Lee knows she’s been flagging toward the season finale.

“Probably the last few weeks I haven’t really been quite on top of my game,” she said. “I was striking it so well come, what, like eight, nine months throughout the year. Probably didn’t hit it as well or putted it as well the last couple of weeks, but this is the last event of the season … I really want to do well.”

When asked whether it was tough to continue playing at such a high level for 11-plus months, she pointed to the strain a long year can take.

“My body can do it,” she said, “but I think mentally at some point you kind of need a break and have a break and reflect and kind of refresh. That’s been a little difficult for me. I think I’ve refreshed, but sometimes you just kind of get back. I think it’s difficult for most people, not just for me. I’m always working on that, and because I’ve not really been in that type of position, I sort of didn’t really know how to kind of refresh.”

Lee has been so busy, and so focused, that she hasn’t even had much time to spend the money she’s accumulated.

“Actually, I haven’t really splurged,” she said, laughing. “I haven’t really had the time to go shopping yet.”

It’s clear to some extent that Lee is ready for the offseason, and while it’s tempting to look at the possibilities this week presents, it’s equally important to understand what she’s accomplished already. It’s impossible to measure the single greatest season — even if Lee wins this week and captures the money record and player of the year and everything else, would you really put her above Annika Sorenstam winning two majors and 10 events overall in 2005? Or Inbee Park capturing three majors in 2013?

But if Lee can triumph in Naples, she’ll have at least an honest claim. Even if she finishes dead last, though, it’s still a spectacular foundation for a legacy that has only begun to grow.

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The post Minjee Lee already has had a career year in 2022. At the LPGA finale, it could become legendary appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

While the PGA Tour determines its POY honour via player vote, the LPGA uses a season-long points race with a foursome of golfers still able to claim the top honour. Lydia Ko enters the week with a one-point lead over Minjee Lee, 150-149, and a 20-point lead over Brooke Henderson and Atthaya Thitikul.

Brooke Henderson. Steve Dykes

The winner of the CME earns 30 points, so if Ko or Lee claims the title this week, they are guaranteed to also win POY. If Henderson or Thitikul wins the CME, they can claim the top player honour if both Ko and Lee finished third or worse.

There are various other scenarios that can play out that would secure the POY award for any of the four, as this graphic from the LPGA shows:

With the points race so tight, it’s natural to ask what happens if there’s a tie: Two players can win player of the year. It actually happened quite recently, in 2017 when So Yeon Ryu and Sung Hyun Park tied for points at the end of the season and shared player of the year honours.

Minjee Lee

Winning the POY award, of course, helps define a player’s legacy, but it also comes with something more tangible in the form of a point towards a player’s bid to make the LPGA Hall of Fame. Ko, a nine-year tour veteran, currently has 22 HoF points to her credit, with players needing 27 to qualify. Lee has 10, Henderson has 14 and Thitikul has 2.

Only four players met the points total since it was updated in 1999: Annika Sorenstam, who was inducted in 2003; Karrie Webb (2005); Se Ri Pak (2007); and Inbee Park (2016).

Ko has a second chance at winning a Hall of Fame points this week if she can pull out the Vare Trophy, which honours the player who has the lowest scoring average for the season. Ko won the Vare in 2021 and currently leads the category with a 69.049 average, .386 lower than Thitikul. It’s not an insurmountable difference, but would require Ko to have one of her worst performance week in quite a while. If Ko, 25, could win the POY and the Vare, she would be just three points away from qualifying for the LPGA Hall.

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The post At the LPGA 2022 finale, four players are in the hunt for Player of the Year. Here’s how each can win appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

In the final major of 2022, we have our eyes on five players:

Minjee Lee

Minjee Lee. Alex Burstow/R&A

Officially, the Rolex World Rankings show Lee is ranked No. 2 behind Jin Young Ko. Unofficially, however, a large group of followers will say the 26-year-old Australian is the best player in women’s golf right now. While Ko hasn’t won since March, Lee has two titles — the Founders Cup and the US Women’s Open — plus a T-2 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in that time period. Lee loves the majors and has the game to pick up her third in a 13-month span this week at Muirfield.

Celine Boutier

Celine Boutier. Mark Runnacles

The 28-year-old from France has won twice on the LPGA Tour, but has yet to win a major. Though she missed the cut in two of her last three her events, she finished second in last week’s Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open, a sign of her game trending in the right direction and her comfort on links courses. Boutier has played well in Women’s Open before, her best finish coming in 2019 where she finished sixth.

Madelene Sagstrom

Madelene Sagstrom. Dylan Buell

Sagstrom has proven she knows how to win, collecting three Epson Tour titles before her first LPGA win in 2020. The talented Swede is due for her next victory and is seeking some personal vengance with this event after making a bogey on the last hole at Carnoustie a year ago to finish T-2 behind Anna Nordqvist. Sagestrom has shown good recent form with a T-15 at the Scottish the week before Muirfield, which included a 64 on Sunday.

Lydia Ko

Lydia Ko. Mark Runnacles

Ko was in control at last week’s Women’s Scottish Open until Sunday, where she did not make enough birdies early enough to maintain her momentum from the first three days. But for those first three rounds, Ko reminded viewers she has a game that can simply dominate. She has won once in 2022, but that number is a little misleading. She’s been playing a lot better than that. She has earned sixth other top-five finishes, which means this one-win season could’ve easily already been a multiple-win season. Her best finish in the AIG Women’s Open was T-3 in 2015. Who would be a better winner at this year’s iconic venue?

Ingrid Lindblad

Ingrid Lindblad. Harriet Lander/R&A

The AIG Women’s Open has made a habit of producing some incredibly unexpected champions. You’ll recall Hinako Shibuno at Woburn in 2019, where she was playing outside of her home country of Japan for the first time. And then Sophia Popov in 2020, the No. 304 player in the world who had no status on the LPGA Tour and was considering retirement only to win at Royal Troon. In that vein, who could be more surprising than a 22-year-old amateur from Sweden who got into the field through Monday qualifying? Lindblad is a three-time first-team All-American at LSU and made her biggest splash in the golf world at the US Women’s Open in June at Pine Needles. After rounds of 65-71-71-76, she finished T-11. There could be some magic for Lindblad at Muirfield.

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