Evin Priest
Lytham St Annes: Three-time major winner Minjee Lee has backed her maturity and experience to overcome a four-month dip in form ahead of this week’s Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham.
Lee, 30, entered the upper echelon of Australian golf greats last year when she won the Women’s PGA Championship for a third career major. She surpassed dual major champions Greg Norman and David Graham (two) on Australia’s all-time list.
The Perth export then tied for third in her next major in 2025, the Evian Championship in France, before starting this season’s LPGA Tour with top-five finishes.
Hopes were high that the gifted ball-striker would soon eclipse the majors tally of five-time British Open winner Peter Thomson and eventually dream about seven-time champion Karrie Webb’s haul.
But in April, Lee’s form plummeted. In her eight starts leading into the links major, the world No.13 has withdrawn from two tournaments, missed three cuts and not finished better than a tie for 28th. At last week’s Women’s Scottish Open, Lee opened with an 85 and was 10 over through 13 holes in her second round when she withdrew due to illness.
Lee yesterday said she would “rather not” discuss the illness because it was “in the past.” Instead, the 11-time LPGA Tour winner said she was confident four days of recovery had readied her for a links golf test.
“I’ve taken it easy the first few days and then yesterday, a little bit more practice,” Lee said on Wednesday at the Royal Lytham & St. Annes course. “Prep has been going better. Just been trying to find a few things in my swing.”
Having turned professional in 2014 before gaining her first LPGA Tour victory in less than a year, Lee has been around the traps long enough to appreciate the ebb and flow of form. It’s why she’s not dwelling on a lean 2026.
“I had a few good finishes at the beginning [of 2026], but after that I’ve not really produced any great results,” Lee said. “Struggled a little bit the past month, but golf is a funny game. It is humbling me at the moment. I try and take the positives out of each week.”
When thinking of the final women’s major of the year, former world No.2 Lee has learned the hard way not to obsess over the majors.
Lee took six years to break through at the 2021 Evian Championship and added a second title at the 2022 US Women’s Open. She stayed patient through the 2023 and 2024 seasons, recording one major top 10 result until her 2025 Women’s PGA Championship triumph.
“I have been on tour a long time and I do know how to bounce back and try and work things out,” Lee said. “This is a new week.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play a lot of majors. I’ve grown up and matured. I don’t think I put near as much pressure on myself. And not that I don’t want to do well now, but I think I approach it a different way. I’m just a little older, maybe a little more wiser and mature. I think a bit calmer.”
That experience, Lee says, can translate to links golf. She intends to play smart when Royal Lytham demands low-flighted shots through the wind and when negotiating erratic bounces on the firm, fast, and lumpy turf.
Lee enjoyed a stunning run on links courses when she finished third, fifth, and fourth in three
straight Women’s British Opens from 2020 to 2022.
“If I do put it in the bunker, I know when to take my medicine, and maybe before I didn’t really know my way around links as much,” Lee said.
“I think there’ll be quite high winds [this week]. You’ve got to pick a good target and hit it there and trust the wind will bring it back.
“You’ve got to trust your foundations and that practice will transfer over to the tournament. I don’t think you need your absolute A game; I don’t even know if I’ve ever felt like I’ve had my absolute A game to play.”
Which is why Lee believes she can contend for a fourth major title.
