Date: October 28, 2018
Author: Martin Blake

Minjee Lee second in Taiwan

 

Australia’s Minjee Lee played a blazing final-round 66 to clock up yet another big finish on the LPGA Tour in Taiwan today.

Lee rolled in six birdies, including at her last two holes, to card the round of the day and finish outright second behind first-time winner Nellie Korda of the United States.

At 11-under, Lee finished two shots shy of Korda having started the final day knowing that she needed something low to win.

It was her 13th top-10 finish of a season in which she has earned well over $US1 million.

Already second on the Race to CME Globe season-long rankings, she is threatening to overhaul Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand at the top, with a handful of tournaments including the tour championship remaining.

Lee, 22, went into the weekend ranked a career-high fifth in the world and will likely go a step or two higher after this week’s result.

She is playing another LPGA event in Japan this week, along with Jutanugarn.

Lee said the tour championship with its $US1 million bonus was “my goal now”.

She is delighted with her consistency. “I guess the hard work is paying off,’’ she said.

Meanwhile in the World Golf Championship’s HSBC Champions event in Shanghai, Jason Day finished tied-11th behind American Xander Schauffele.