Champion golfer Minjee Lee said the sport is humbling her at the moment as she prepares for a bid to complete the career grand slam at the Women’s British Open beginning today.
But the Australian star believes she can draw on the experience and inspiration from being a three-time major winner, including a triumph in the WPGA Championship last year, despite finding herself in the midst of a perplexing period.
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The 30-year-old has arrived at Royal Lytham and St Anne’s Golf Course in a form slump which included a disastrous appearance in the Scottish Open when she withdrew midway through the second round at 23-over.
That followed testing appearances in her defence of the WPGA Championship and also the Evian Championship, another major she has won, but the flip side is that the Western Australian knows what it takes to win and to work back into form.
“I had a few good finishes at the beginning (of the year) but after that I’ve … not really produced any great results,” she said.
“I’ve struggled a little bit (over) the past month but, you know, golf is a funny game, right? It is humbling me at the moment, but there are many different people and different experiences I can kind of think back on, reflect on … and it’s not the be all and end all anyway.
“So I … try and take the positives out of each week, even if I have a difficult week, and try and build up something from that. I keep saying that, but I have been on tour a long time and I do know how to bounce back and … work things out. This is a new week and I’m just going to approach it like I do all the other weeks.”
‘Totally different’: Lee on PGA Champs | 01:20
Lee was unwell earlier in the year and, after a bright start in the LA Classic won by fellow Western Australian Hannah Green, withdrew when well under par. She performed reasonably in the Chevron Classic and US Open after that withdrawal.
But the 14-time LPGA Tour winner, who has been trying to refine her game with renowned coach Ritchie Smith, was reluctant to divulge what happened in Scotland and the reason for her withdrawal, stressing she was determined to look to the future.
“I’d rather not. I mean, it is in the past, right, so I don’t think it really matters,” she said.
“I’ve had a few days to recover a little bit. I have taken it easy for the first few days and then yesterday I had a little bit more practice, but other than that, it is been OK.”
Minjee Lee had a difficult week at the Dundonald Links Golf Course in the Scottish Open but is an expert at bouncing back. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The Perth resident was in good spirits earlier in the month when following her younger brother Min Woo Lee in the men’s British Open at Royal Birkdale and said she loved the atmosphere when he nailed a lengthy putt on the 18th to make the cut.
Royal Birkdale was bone dry and while it has been warm in England since then, she said Royal Lytham and St Anne’s was greener than she expected it to be given her experience a fortnight ago.
“I think I just had a different appreciation for links golf and how difficult (the course) was playing for the boys, (even with) how straight they hit it or how hard they hit it,” she said.
“Obviously I’ve gone there as a supporter, so it wasn’t like (being there) as a competitor. I had a different kind of mindset. It was just a little bit (of a) different experience and I found it really fun to watch, obviously, my brother play. Even when he made the cut, it was so exciting. It was just fun in a different way.”
The Women’s Open has not yet fallen her way but Lee, who is one of nine Australians in the field, has demonstrated she has the game to succeed on links courses.
The last time the event was played at Royal Lytham and St Anne’s in 2018, she led after 54 holes prior to finishing 10th and has posted five top 10 finishes in 12 appearances in the tournament.
She believes her experiences over more than a decade learning how to master the links, and also the belief that comes from being a major winner, will hold her in good stead as she bids to bounce back from her recent adversity.
“Over the course of my career I’ve been fortunate enough to play a lot of the majors so I feel like over the years as I’ve grown up and matured, I feel like (my approach) has changed a lot,” she said.
“I don’t think I put nearly as much pressure on myself as I used to, and I feel like … early in my career, I used to put so much pressure on myself to perform because I really wanted to do well.
“It is 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, so just a bit more calmer.
“ I mean, if I 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. So just from past experiences … I just maybe know myself a little bit better.”