Fresh from a third major victory, Minjee Lee believes there is no limit to the heights she can reach in the remainder of her already illustrious career.
The 29-year-old displayed the mental fortitude of a true champion during her three-shot victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship last month, never relinquishing the lead she began the final round with.
In doing so, Lee undoubtedly cemented herself as an Australian sporting great, a title that “does not feel real” to her.
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Only seven-time major winner Karrie Webb and five-time British Open champion Peter Thomson boast more major crowns among Australian golfers than Lee.
Her clinical performance at Fields Ranch East, outside of her US home in Dallas, Texas drew her level with Jan Stephenson, while taking her past Greg Norman and David Graham on the list of the Australian golf major champions.
Lee admits that being among the creme de la creme of Australians to ever grace a fairway is still quite “surreal”.
FRISCO, TEXAS – JUNE 22: Minjee Lee of Australia poses with the trophy after winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship 2025 at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco on June 22, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. Alex Slitz/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Alex Slitz / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
She was even humbled by messages of congratulations from the likes of Webb and three-time tennis major champion Ash Barty after her Women’s PGA win.
Lee may still view legends like Webb and Barty a little starry-eyed, but she does not shy away from her ambitions to leave a mighty legacy on the game of golf, and having a similar impact on others.
In her press conference after winning the Women’s PGA, Lee made it clear that her “ultimate goal” is to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame.
She even said being among the best of the best was why she started pursuing golf.
“After a few years as I grew up a little bit – I probably didn’t even know when I was younger what it meant,” Lee told foxsports.com.au of her Hall of Fame quest.
“Now, I know it’s really hard to get in it and you have to be spectacular and incredible.
“So, it’s always in the back of my mind, but I still have a lot of points to get in there.
“It’s something I can’t worry myself with right now, but I can chip away at it and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
Lee on 3rd Major win: “Just means more” | 02:33
The dream was born from watching Webb lift major trophies on television and on YouTube in the lounge room of Lee’s childhood home in Perth.
The US Women’s Open became the first piece of silverware she craved after watching Webb’s back-to-back victories in 2000 and 2001 in awe.
Lee did add it to her own trophy collection with a four-shot victory at Pine Needles in 2022.
Twenty-seven points are needed for entry with two points given to major victories and one point for each LPGA tournament victory.
With three majors among 11 careers wins on women’s golf’s leading tour, Lee still has some work to do to join Webb and the 34 other women in the Hall of Fame.
But she has no doubts she can get there, even if she may have scoffed at the notion a short time ago.
“You can’t really put a limit on your potential. After the last few years, I kind of didn’t think I would get back into this position,” Lee said.
“I think almost having low expectations or not really thinking about it too much frees you up a little bit more.
“I think going into KMPG (Women’s PGA) and then winning that third major, my game was fine. It was more getting into the mental head space that I was able to tap into when I won Evian and the US Open.
“I think this one was more the mental challenge of the grind than your technique or the real technical parts of golf. For me, it was trying to get into position and try to stay there because the weather was so hot and so windy.
“It was the mental toughness and trying to really tap into that, maybe subconscious, but it was a little more conscious.”
MJ Lee – Full Championship Presentation | 03:53
Lee reached the heights of world number two in 2022 in an unforgettable season that included her US Women’s Open triumph.
She won the LPGA’s Annika major award, named in honour of ten-time major champion Annika Sörenstam, for being the best performed player across the five women’s majors that year.
Statistics that year said she was the best iron player in the world.
Golf Digest reported that in 2022, Lee was more accurate than every single PGA Tour player from the fairway.
From 100 yards to 125 yards out, she put it 12 feet from the hole on average.
From 125 to 150 yards, 16.4 feet.
From 150 to 175 yards, 20 feet.
From 175 to 200 yards, 22.5 feet.
Lee won twice more on the LPGA in 2023 but there were warning signs on those numbers.
If she was hitting that close all the time, she could have been winning more often.
Then, a winless drought of exactly 20 months ensued.
For the average tour professional, such a gap is common, but for Lee it was cause for alarm.
Aside from a more than two-year gap impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, it was Lee’s longest stretch between wins on the LPGA.
Her world ranking slipped to 24th before her Women’s PGA success – but it jumped to sixth as a result.
The downturn prompted news articles and questions about her decline, but the external noises were nothing compared to the internal ones.
“I am my own hardest critic,” Lee said.
“I feel like because of the expectations I do put on myself, whenever I don’t reach a certain goal or something that I really want to do, it does hurt me more than I think.”
FRISCO, TEXAS – JUNE 22: Minjee Lee of Australia poses with the trophy after winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship 2025 at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco on June 22, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. Alex Slitz/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Alex Slitz / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
She added: “I don’t really work on anything new. It’s always the same patterns and I’m just trying to get that one per cent better with the same patterns I’ve had my whole career.
“It’s just so tough to be perfect.”
Lee’s game simply eluded her during that winless spell.
Her sublime ball-striking was largely still on show week-in, week-out, often ranking highly in strokes gained off the tee and with her approach play.
But Lee languished on the greens.
Consistently burning the edge of the cup prompted a change in tack at the start of this year as the broomstick putter was adopted like fellow Australian major champion Adam Scott.
As it did for Scott at the 2013 Masters, the long putter worked wonders for Lee at the Women’s PGA.
FRISCO, TEXAS – JUNE 22: Minjee Lee of Australia hits a putt from off the green on the 18th hole during the final round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship 2025 at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco on June 22, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“I struggled with my putting for the last few years,” Lee said.
“I think people have touched on it here and there, but it’s really simple. It was that and it was kind of seeping through the other parts of my game.
“It grinded more in me as a person. I didn’t really find too much purpose or motivation in that time.
“Obviously if the career that is so much of your identity is not going well, it’s going to be hard.
“I tried a lot of things. I tried to grind it out. So, I feel like all the good things that are happening are because I grinded and stuck to the things that I believed in the most.”
There was no distinct turning point for Lee on the greens.
Rather it was a gradual accumulation of confidence through “little bits of validation” as Lee put it.
A strong finish across a weekend or compiling solid putting stats throughout a tournament built up her belief.
So too did having several shoulders to lean on.
Coach Ritchie Smith, who is based out of Perth and also works with Minjee’s PGA Tour playing little brother Min Woo as well as world No.11 Hannah Green, is frequently on the other end of Lee’s calls to dissect her game.
But conversations with the likes of Green and other members of Australia’s tight-knit LPGA contingent as helped her through the disappointing times.
Green was one of several Australians, including fellow golfers and support staff, to take great delight in spraying Lee with champagne on the 18th green at the women’s PGA.
lang=”x-default” FRISCO, TX – JUNE 22: Minjee Lee celebrates with her team and is showered with champagne after making her putt on the 18th hole to win the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco on Sunday, June 22, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
It has become accustom among the Australians, who frequently hit the gym, playing practice rounds and eat dinner together while on the road, to share in each other’s success.
“That was such a special moment because Tour is such a lonely lifestyle,” Lee said.
“You travel a lot, you’re away from your family but just to have such a good group of girls that bring a bit of the Aussie flare, reminds me of home and keeps me grounded a little bit.”
Lee is hopeful of recreating such scenes in the coming weeks, let alone the coming years.
The fourth women’s major of the year tees off on Thursday evening AEST at the Evian Championship in France, where Lee claimed her maiden major title in 2021.
She stormed home from seven shots back at the beginning of the final round to prevail in a playoff.
It is also where she made her major debut back in 2014, finishing tied 16th as a teenager who was then the number one ranked amateur golfer in the world.
Her history at the event, coupled with a major victory in her last start, makes it clear to see why Lee returns to the Evian Resort full of confidence.
“Going back there I get all the feels,” Lee said.
“Being an Evian champion is quite cool. It always just reminds me of how far I’ve come.
“I really love it there. Great views, pretty nice weather. Hopefully no rain, it’s a beautiful place.”
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE – JULY 25: Tournament winner Minjee Lee of Australia poses for a photo with her trophy during day four of the The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 25, 2021 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Later this month is when Lee will truly have a shot at history, however.
When she tees off at Royal Porthcawl on July 31, Lee will officially begin her hunt for the career grand slam.
Immediately after her Women’s PGA triumph, she did not even realise that she moved just one step away from the illustrious feat.
Despite the LPGA making the move to five majors a year in 2013, they still recognise winning four different majors as a career grand slam, given the calendar traditionally included four per year.
If a player wins all five, as Webb did, it is called the super career grand slam.
So, on the Welsh Links, Lee has the chance to become a career grand slam winner, which would be a significant step towards her Hall of Fame ambitions.
“I feel really excited to go play,” she said of the Women’s Open.
“I’ve never been to Wales and that’s where it is this year. I feel more excited than anything.
“I don’t feel too much pressure at the moment, but maybe when I get there (I will).
“I’ll give it my best shot regardless.”
