Mirim Lee: A Closer Look

By Elizabeth Bethel | Oct 6, 2014

Aug 15, 2014; Pittsford, NY, USA; Mirim Lee hits her tee shot on the 18th hole during the second round of the Wegman

Twenty-four year old Mirim Lee, winner of the 2014 Reignwood LPGA Championship, is having an amazing rookie year on the LPGA Tour. The young South Korean turned pro in 2009 at the age of 19, played for a year on the Korean LPGA developmental tour, then over the next three years, 2011-2013, collected 4 victories — three on the Korean LPGA and one on the Ladies Asian Golf Tour. Lee played in her first LPGA pro event in 2012, the Evian Masters, where she finished T24th. She finished runner-up to Jaye Marie Green at 2013 Q-School and earned her 2014 Tour card. When Mirim Lee teed off at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic in January she was fully ready for the challenges of competing on golf’s big stage.

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Lee’s first top-10 Tour finish came early in the season, in March at the JTBC Founder’s Cup, where she and another member of the 2014 rookie class, Lydia Ko, along with Stacy Lewis, Azahara Munoz and Amy Yang finished in a 5-way tie for runner-up, one shot behind winner Karrie Webb. It was a breathless Sunday round in Phoenix and Lee played a magnificent game, seemingly undaunted by the heavy-hitters surrounding her.

For the next four months Lee played regularly, missing some cuts and finishing well down the board when she made it to the weekend. She didn’t enter the US Women’s Open and missed the cut at the Ricoh Women’s British Open.

Then Lee came alive at the Meijer LPGA Classic in August and took aim at Inbee Park! Park may have owned Moving Day at the Meijer, but Mirim Lee played her way past Suzann Pettersen and was even with Inbee Park at -18 on the 72nd hole. Lee claimed her first Tour victory when she birdied the 2nd playoff hole, then confessed she was “one hundred percent nervous” but edging out Inbee Park in the playoff was “very fun.”

The Meijer victory sent Lee catapulting up the world rankings to number 29, but the season wasn’t over and Lee wasn’t finished. She followed her Meijer win with a T6 finish at her first Tour Major, the Wegman’s LPGA Championship, one stroke ahead of Stacy Lewis and even with Shanshan Feng and Suzann Pettersen. Playing with her eye on the top of the board and in the company of the Tour’s big stars was getting more comfortable.

After the LPGA Championship Lee went through a brief slump, finishing T50th at the Evian Championship, and then came back strong at the Reignwood LPGA Classic last week. On Sunday Lee played her way past Stacy Lewis who had led or shared the lead for three rounds, but who carded a disappointing 4th round 75 on Sunday.

Lee never faltered during her Sunday round, closing the deal with an up and down off a rock on the 17th hole.

Paired with Lewis for the first time, Lee was a little star-struck:

"Honestly, I’ve always wanted to play with Stacy. I played with Inbee before, and I always thought, ‘Wow! That’s what it takes to be one of the best players in the world.’"

Over the past 10 months Mirim Lee has made a solid start toward becoming one of the best players in the world, herself. Her 2nd Tour victory has taken the rookie who can compete off the tee with Lexi Thompson and who’s been outputting Inbee Park and Stacy Lewis to 19th in the world rankings.

Let’s see how Mirim Lee plays this week when she goes up again defending champion Lexi Thompson and her sister rookie, Lydia Ko, at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.