Date: December 07, 2014
Author: Martin Blake /www.golf.org.au

Brilliant Minjee in place for Tour card

A brilliant 66 in the fourth round of qualifying by Australia's Minjee Lee has put her in prime position to make herself a fully-fledged LPGA Tour player by tomorrow.

Lee, 18, twice Australian amateur champion in 2013-14 and also the United States girls' champion in 2012, is placed third in the LPGA Tour qualifying school tournament with only the final round to go at Daytona Beach, Florida.

She only requires a solid round tomorrow to finish in the top 20 who will receive automatic tickets to play on the biggest women's tour in the world next year.

Lee has carded 72-71-68-66 to reach 11 under par, just four shots from the lead held by South Korea's Ha Na Jang at 15 under.

The teenager from Royal Fremantle Golf Club, born in Perth of Korean parents who came to Australia to study and remained in their adopted country, is regarded as the hottest female prospect Australian golf has had since the emergence of Karrie Webb 20 years ago.

Having turned professional earlier this season, Lee is already ranked No. 82 in the world, with only Webb ahead of her among Australians. She already has a top-20 finish in a major, the Evian Championship in France this year, and was tied-22nd in the United States Open at Pinehurst playing as an amateur.

Of the other Australians trying to qualify, Emma De Groot is tied-38th at two-under, in position to sneak into the top 20 with a low round tomorrow.

Victorian Su Oh and Western Australia's Jayde Panos both made the cutline of 70 players who will complete the fifth and final round tomorrow, meaning they will likely qualify to play on the secondary Symetra Tour in 2015.

They are both at two-over par, tied in 68th position. They would receive conditional status on the LPGA Tour if they could climb into the top 45 tomorrow.

Five other Australians — Rebecca Artis, Stacey Keating, Breanna Elliott, Maggie Yuan and Julie Boland — missed the 72-hole cut.