Teenage sensation Minjee Lee is on the verge of taking over from Karrie Webb as the top-ranked Australian golfer in the world.
Perth’s Lee has soared another three spots to No. 17 on the official rankings after her tied-fourth finish in Canada over the weekend, immediately after her maiden LPGA Tour victory in the Kingsmill Championship late last month.
She is just one spot behind the 40-year-old veteran Webb, who is ranked No. 16 and has been the leading Australian player on the women’s tour for more than a decade.
“I am? That’s cool,’’ Lee told golf.org.au from New York today. “I mean, Karrie’s a very, very accomplished player and I respect her enormously. It’d be pretty cool (to overtake her), but it’s pretty cool already, right now, to be that close to her. I really like Karrie.’’
Webb has been a strong supporter of Lee in her climb toward the top of the golf world in the past couple of years, hosting her along with several other top Australian players at a major in the United States. “She (Webb) sent me a message (after the Kingsmill win),’’ said Lee. “I saw her at the next tournament and she’s always very supportive. It’s nice to have people like that with me.’’
Lee, who recently turned 19, is a two-time Australian amateur champion out of Royal Fremantle Golf Club who also won the US girls’ championship in 2012, and was ranked the No. 1 amateur in the world.
She is in her rookie season on the LPGA Tour after being joint medallist at the tour’s qualifying tournament last year.
So far she has earned $US377,500 and is 11th in the Race to CME Globe, the LPGA’s season-long points competition.
The chance to overtake Webb for the first time comes at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Westchester Country Club in New York this week, the second major championship of the LPGA season.
Watch for a full and exclusive interview with Minjee Lee on golf.org.au tomorrow.