Minjee Lee needed a final-round 64 and then a playoff to win her first Major championship last year at the Amundi Evian Championship. Winning her second Major was much easier. After rounds of 67-66-67, Lee cruised to four-shot victory at US Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club with a final-round 71 and a US Women’s Open record 13-under 271 total.
Lee essentially locked up the title early, starting with a fine shot into the par-5 first hole with her Srixon ZX 4-hybrid that led to a two-putt birdie. She followed with a 30-plus-footer for birdie with her Scotty Cameron by Titleist Timeless blade putter at the second hole to open up a lead that was never threatened.
Currently ranked fourth on the Rolex Rankings, Lee is delivering on the promise she showed when she was the No.1-ranked amateur in 2014. The US Women’s Open win was the 26-year-old’s eighth LPGA victory and second in the past few weeks, having won the Founders Cup last month.
Still, the victory is a bit of a surprise for the Australian given her track record at the USGA’s marquee women’s championship, where Lee had not recorded a top-10 finish in eight previous starts.
Lee’s iron game was particularly strong at Pine Needles, ranking T-3 in greens in regulation, hitting no fewer than 14 over her first three rounds and 13 on Sunday with her Srixon ZX7 irons with Aerotech SteelFiber i80 stiff shafts with Golf Pride New Decade MCC 60 round grips.
What Minjee Lee had in the bag at the 2022 US Women’s Open:
Ball: Srixon Z-Star
Driver: Srixon ZX7 (Mitsubishi Diamana DF50 R), 10.5 degrees
3-wood: Srixon ZX, 16 degrees
5-wood: Srixon ZX, 18 degrees
Hybrid: Srixon ZX, 22 degrees
Irons (5-PW): Srixon ZX7
Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore (50, 54, 58 degrees)
Putter: Scotty Cameron by Titleist Timeless
PHOTO: Kevin C. Cox