Minjee Lee overcame a seven-shot deficit in the final round of the Evian Championship to force a playoff and defeat Jeongeun Lee6 on Sunday for her first major title.
Lee, 25, won the playoff hole by two strokes after Lee6 hit her second shot into the water and finished with a bogey.
The victory is Lee’s sixth on the LPGA tour. Lee is also the first Australian to win at Evian since 2006, when seven-time major winner Karrie Webb won it before it was considered a major.
A 7-under masterful performance put on by @minjeegolf.
— LPGA (@LPGA) July 25, 2021
Watch her final round highlights 👇 pic.twitter.com/wKJKlLVQkR
“I’m speechless … been waiting for this for so long. It just feels unreal to have won. In the playoff, and all throughout today, I played really well to get myself in that position,” Lee said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform, it’s just really nice to have a major title under my belt.”
Lee trailed Lee6 by seven shots heading into the final round, but four birdies on the last five holes gave her a 7-under 64 for the day and helped her draw even. Lee6 recorded three straight birdies to finish with a 71 and force the sudden-death playoff.
The drama on Sunday was preceded by a record-setting performance Friday. Lee6 tied the record for the lowest round in a major with a 10-under 61 in the second round.
Yealimi Noh, the 19-year-old American, finished third after carding a 67 in the final round.