Although she did not compete in the 76th U.S. Women’s Open, Min Lee has found a groove in her game as of late.
The eight-year LPGA and Epson Tour veteran opened the third edition of the Mediheal Championship with three birdies for a 2-under par 70. Highlighting her first round was a bogey-free effort coming in on the front nine.
“I just tried to play my game. If I missed it, just miss it on the right side of either the fairway or the green because it's playing long today with the cold and wind,” said Lee, who carded birdies at Nos. 2, 5 and 9. “I think I was being smart. I had a lot of chances for birdie putts on my front nine and they finally started dropping on the back nine.
“I missed the cut here in 2018, but this course has always been one of my favorite golf courses to play a tournament. The layout, you have tree lines, and you're in San Francisco. It's a very nice environment to me, and I really enjoy playing here.”
Lee earned a tied for 31st result in her most recent LPGA start at the Pure Silk Championship presented by Visit Williamsburg. A week later, she captured her third career Epson Tour title winning the Mission Inn Resort & Club Championship.
To top it all off, Lee celebrated her 26th birthday exactly one week ago. She would have loved to play at The Olympic Club, but spending time with friends and cooking traditional Taiwanese dishes undoubtedly made up for it.
“It definitely gave me a lot of confidence. Pure Silk was the last tournament before a reshuffle, so it was really important for me to move up in position [on the LPGA Priority List],” Lee said. “Moving on to the Epson tournament, I was relaxed and just trying to have a good week. It was very successful. Bringing all that confidence here, I think I just played the same game.
“I was here [last week], down in the south bay, and it was a lot warmer. I took a lot of time celebrating. We just kept cooking, every day.”