Lee Min-ji wins the Cognizant Founders Cup

Korean-Australian golfer Lee Minji (photo) won the Cognizant Founders Cup, achieving her seventh win for the Women’s LPGA.

At the final fourth round of the competition, which was held at the Upper Montclair Country Club in New Jersey, on Monday, she hit three birdies and a bogey, scoring a 2-under 70. With this, her score totaled to 19-under 269, surpassing Lexie Thompson (US) who had 17-under 271, by two shots. It was her seventh win at the LPGA Tour, just 10 months after her winning the Evian Championship in July 2021. She will be awarded 450,000 dollars.

Lee has shown steady achievements for the season. She won a joint second title in the HSBC Women’s World Championship in March and joint third for the DIO Implant LA open in April. She stayed in joint 23rd place (during the JTBC Classic in March) even when she wasn’t performing top-notch. "I just feel like I've kind of been trending. I've been hitting it really, really well this whole — I mean, this whole season, and I just felt like it was kind of around the corner. I kept knocking on the door, and here I am now,” she said.

Entering the final round as the top lead by one shot, Lee scoring bogeys on the eighth hole without any birdies. She conceded to Thompson and Angel Yin (age 24, US) as joint lead. Lee scored her first birdie at the 12th hole, moving on to her second at the 14th hole, taking the single lead. Her birdie at the 18th hole determined her victory.


Dong-Wook Kim creating@donga.com