Australia’s Minjee Lee returned to the winner’s circle after winning the Kroger Queens City Championship in a playoff. The 27-year-old from Perth overcame England’s Charley Hull at the second extra hole with an impressive tap-in birdie. It was Lee’s ninth LPGA Tour title and first win since the 2022 US Women’s Open.
Lee, a two-time major champion, fired rounds of 67, 69, 65 and 71 to reach 16-under. Hull carded a 3-under 69 on Sunday to match Lee at the top of leaderboard after regulation play. Lee held a five-shot lead with eight holes to play after starting the final round with a two-shot advantage and adding three birdies on the front nine. However, the former world No. 2 produced a double bogey at the par 5, 12th hole and eight pars on the back nine. With the door to victory ajar, Hull pounced with three consecutive birdies at the 14th, 15th and 16th holes to join Lee at 16-under. Lee holed a clutch par putt on the final green from five feet to force the event to extra holes.
China’s Ruoning Yin finished two shots back at 14-under in outright third place. The 20-year-old sensation scored two LPGA Tour wins earlier this year including a major victory at the Women’s PGA Championship in June.
America’s Ally Ewing took solo fourth place at 12-under after firing a sizzling 6-under 66 on Sunday.
With the win, Lee will bank the US$300,000 first place prize cheque and has jumped to 13th place on the Race to CME Globe.
1. Minjeee Lee -16
2. Charley Hull -16
3. Ruoning Yin -14
4. Ally Ewing -12
T5. Mel Reid -11
T5. Mi Huang Lee -11
T5. Ariya Jutanugarn -11
T5. Yuka Saso -11
T5. Morgan Metraux -11
T5. Peiyun Chien -11
Other Australians
T36. Gabriela Ruffels -4
T41. Stephanie Kyriacou -3
T55. Sarah Kemp -1
MC. Grace Kim
MC. Karis Davidson
MC. Su Oh
Photo credit: Dylan Buell /Getty Images
