Tokyo-Bound Lee Joins Elite Australian Major Group

Tokyo, Japan: When Australian Minjee Lee sets foot on the Kasumigaseki Country Club next week it will be as a Major champion.

The 25-year-old from Perth became the latest Australian Major winner when she birdied the first hole in a sudden-death play-off against Korean Jeong-eun Lee6 in the Evian Championship in France.

Lee is only the fourth Australian female to win a Major, after Karrie Webb, Jan Stephenson and Hannah Green, who is also part of the Australian team at the Tokyo Olympics.

A member of the triumphant Australian team at the 2013 Queen Sirikit Cup in Chinese Taipei, as an amateur Lee also helped Australia to victory in the World Amateur Championships in 2014 and was twice winner of the Australian Amateur.

At the Evian Resort, Lee pulled off an astonishing comeback, overturning a seven-stroke overnight deficit to Lee6 with a closing 64.

“I just tried to make as many birdies as I could. I think I saw the leaderboard maybe once or twice. I just tried to play to the best of my ability, and it’s really great to win a Major. Yeah, it’s amazing,” said Lee, whose younger brother, Lee Minwoo won this month’s Scottish Open on the European Tour.

In Tokyo, Lee is joining up with Green for the women's event, while Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman will represent Australia in this week’s men’s competition.

Former Open champion Ian Baker-Finch is back for a second stint as Australian Olympic golf team captain and he expects his team members to be in contention.

“We’ll definitely be performing at a high level and they’ll be doing their best in Tokyo,” Baker-Finch told Golf Australia.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we won a medal or two in both the men’s and women’s competition. They’re in strong form and they’re all up for it.

“I want to make sure that when the team arrive - guys first week, women second week - everything is done, and they’re treating it like the Major of all Majors.

“They’re there to represent their country, regardless of how they play or how they feel or perform or whatever, they’re representing Australia. They’ll have the green and gold on, and representing our flag, and they all know that all too well.”