Lee charges to second LPGA victory

West Australia's Minjee Lee has completed a remarkable final round charge to make up a five-stroke deficit on the lead and win the LPGA’s Lotte Championship by a single stroke.

The 19-year-old had a career best bogey-free eight under 64 around the Ko Olina Country Club course in Hawaii to overhaul and move ahead of 54-hole leader Katie Burnett and South Korea’s In Gee Chun.

In fact, with nine holes left to play in the championship Lee was still four shots in arears, despite being two under for the day. She then orchestrated a final round charge Arnold Palmer would have been proud of.

Minjee Lee has water dumped on her by Japan's Haru Nomura and South Korea's Sei Young Kim after her victory.
PHOTO: Christian Petersen/Getty Images.

After birdie on the par-4 11^th moved her within three shots of the lead and then she pounced, picking up four shots in three holes starting at par-5 13^th where holed a 30-metre pitch for eagle. Birdies at the next two holes had Lee right back in the thick of the action atop of the leaderboard.

Job done: Lee celebrates a birdie putt on the 17th hole. PHOTO: Christian Petersen/Getty Images.

“I think after I went eagle, birdie, birdie, I think the second birdie I was like, Oh, I’m going to be really close,” Lee said. “I just did all I could do, and, yeah, here I am.”

LEADERBOARD  |  VIDEO: FINAL ROUND HIGHLIGHTS

Australia’s No.1 female player then rolled in another birdie, her sixth of the day, at the 71^st hole to allow her to walk to the final tee with a one-stroke lead.

Lee safely accounted for the tough closing hole with a par to set the clubhouse mark at 16 under, with Burnett and Chun still able to tie with a birdie at the last hole. Both the players found the green in regulation but were unable to convert their birdie chances, leaving Lee with her second LPGA Tour win.

With the victory, Lee becomes just the fifth player in LPGA history to claim multiple wins before her 20th birthday joining a list that includes current World No.1 Lydia Ko and American Lexi Thompson.

Lee, who was the 36-hole leader before dropping out of the lead with a third round 74, said she spoke with her coach, Ritchie Smith on the eve of the final round and he convinced her all was not lost.

“I spoke to my coach and he was like, You're only five back. Just shoot 8-under and you'll be fine,” Lee smiled, “And I shot eight under, so that was good.

“[He said] Just because I had a not-so-great round yesterday didn't mean I couldn't shoot a low score today.I just came out with, I don't know, a fresh mindset, and just played one shot at time.”

Lee is projected to move from No.17 to No.12 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, and will bank a winner’s cheque, which moves her to $1,237,560 in LPGA Tour career earnings.

"This win is definitely a big confidence boost, the last few weeks I was there, but not quite there in the end. Now my game seems to be coming together really well, “ Lee said.

Queensland’s Sarah Jane Smith finished T39 at three under, while Su Oh, of Victoria, was even (T47), NSW’s Sarah Kemp was two over (T59) and Katherine Kirk climbed back to three over par on the back of a closing five under 67.