It almost seems as if Minjee Lee has been playing golf since she was a baby. She started playing the game when she was around 11 and has yet to put her golf club down!
Minjee Lee has won various tournaments as well as championships, and her list is growing with each season. So far, her success has earned her a fortune of approximately $5 million, which continues to grow.
In today’s post, we’ll share with you all the secrets behind Minjee Lee net worth, her early life in Australia, and her lengthy career.
Let’s begin!
Early Life
Minjee Lee was born in Perth, Australia, on May 27, 1996. She’s the daughter of Clara and Soonam Lee and the sister of Min Woo Lee.
Her parents immigrated in the early 90s from Korea to start a new life in Australia. Her father worked as a spray painter, while her mother worked at the driving range.
As of January 2023, Minjee is 26 years old. She has beautiful black hair, black eyes, weighs about 130 lbs (60kg), and is 5 ft 4 in (1.65m) tall.
She attended the Methodist Ladies College in Perth but later moved to Corpus Christi College, where she could be closer to her new golf course at Melville Glades.
By now, you can probably guess who introduced her to golf. Hint: it wasn’t Mr. Lee! What’s more, Minjee wasn’t the only one into golf at the time.
Her younger brother, Min Woo, soon followed in her footsteps. When he won the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur, the brother and sister became the first sibling to win the USGA’s junior championship.
Golf Career
Impressively enough, the first time Minjee held a club in her hand, she was just around 11 years old. So, it makes sense that her career record is impressive. Here’s what we could gather:
Her Beginnings
Minjee used to practice for a few hours a day until one day when she caught the eyes of famous golf coach Ritchie Smith. He’s still her coach to this date.
To start her amateur career, Minjee won the WA Amateur Open in 2010 while she was still a student at the Methodist Ladies College.
This put a spotlight on Minjee as she was only 14 at the time, winning against ladies that were almost double her age!
As a result, she secured a spot among the top five in the national amateur ranks.
At the start of the 2012 season, Minjee won the U.S. Girls Junior at Lake Merced. She was tailing Alison Lee for almost 30 holes until she finally secured the victory by winning in the last four holes, leaving her with a 1-up lead.
Minjee continued to shine the following year by winning the Australian Women’s Amateur Championship. Unlike the U.S. Girl Junior matches, Minjee controlled this entire game and quickly grabbed the win.
She also kept her title as a winner in this championship during the 2014 matches. On her ALPG Tour, Minjee won the Oates Victorian Open, securing her status as the number-one ranked amateur golfer in 2014.
However, that didn’t last long, as Minjee turned professional when she won the Espirito Santo Trophy later that same year.
Her Professional Record
Soon enough, in 2015, Minjee emerged victorious from the LPGA Tour at the Kingsmill Championship. She also had several top-10 finishes, which included a tie for ninth at the Ricoh Women’s British Open—her best finish in a major championship.
In the next season, Minjee won the Lotte Championship presented by Hershey, almost propelling her from No.17 to No.12 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.
Following that, she also won the Blue Bay LPGA. Unfortunately, the 2018 season wasn’t the best for Minjee, as she lost the LPGA Mediheal Championship.
However, she returned to the game with 13 top-10 finishes, including a victory at the LPGA Volvk Championship and three runner-up results.
Late that year, Minjee was awarded the Greg Norman Medal as the best Australian pro golfer on the international stage. She was also the first woman to win this award.
2019 proved to be another fruitful year for Minjee as she won her fifth LPGA Tour victory at the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open. Plus, she reached number two in the Women’s World Golf Rankings.
In 2020, she notched up 10 top-20 finishes, including a season-best at the LPGA Drive On Championship. In the next season, Minjee won the Amundi Evian Championship, her first major one, by defeating Lee Jeong-eun.
Minjee one her seventh LPGA Tour event by beating Lexi Thompson with two strokes at the 2022 Cognizant Founders Cup.
Her eighth LPGA win followed when she defeated Mina Harigae by four strokes at the Women’s Open later that year.
Sponsorships and Net Worth
Despite Minjee Lee’s major breakthroughs, she’s been dubbed the “invisible champion.” This is likely because she’s not as famous as the likes of Lexi Thompson or Jessica Korda.
As a result, Minjee doesn’t really have any Australian sponsorship. However, she partnered with Hana Financial Group, a Korean financial institution.
As of January 2023, Minjee Lee’s net worth is estimated to be around $5 million. She earned most of her fortune from her LPGA winnings and sponsorships.
Quick Facts
Before we wrap up, here are some interesting facts about Minjee lee that you might find intriguing:
- She sometimes caddies for her brother
- She sees herself as an introvert
- Her golf role models are Rory Mcllroy and Tiger Woods
- She competed on behalf of Australia at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio
To Sum Up
So, did you enjoy reading about Minjee Lee net worth and history? We sure hope you did!
Minjee Lee is a very accomplished golfer with an impressive list of achievements.
From winning multiple LPGA events to landing the Greg Norman Medal, Minjee has come a long way since her amateur days.
