Minjee Lee poised at CME Group Tour Championship
Minjee Lee in action in round two – image Getty Images
Australia’s Minjee Lee is just one shot off the pace at the halfway stage of the US$7 million CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida.
Lee added a second round of 67 to her opening 64 to trail only Alison Lee and Nasa Hataoka in the season-ending event, sharing 3rd place with Amy Yang and Ruoning Yin.
Lee has found a rich vein of form late in the season having won two events and been runner-up and 6th in four of her last five starts to be in 6th place in the race to the CME Globe entering this week’s event at the Tiburon Golf Club.
Lee has played the event limited to the leading 60 players on the season-long Race to the Globe on eight occasions for a best of 5th two years ago, but given the manner in which she is playing currently and the position she has created over the opening two days a breakthrough win in the lucrative event is a strong possibility.
“My putting, it kind of — wasn’t as hot, say, the first half of the year,” said Lee after her round.
“So I feel like I worked really hard in that area of my game, so to see it all kind of coming together at Kroger and Korea and even here, I’m feeling like — it feels good because you get rewarded for how much effort you but you have put into that area.”
It is a significant event on the LPGA Tour schedule and Lee is keen to improve on her previous showings.
“It’s pretty great to be obviously a part of the LPGA and be a part of a tournament that Terry has elevated to such great heights.
“So, you know, to win it would be such a great honour. Obviously just winning on the LPGA is really hard, so it’s always special and always good if you’re able to be at the top of the leaderboard come the last day.
“So, yeah, no, hopefully it’s a good weekend and we get to be in that position come the end of the day on Sunday.”
Other Australians in the field are Grace Kim 16th, Hannah Green 33rd, Sarah Kemp 52nd and Stephanie Kyricaou 55th.
