{"id":832666,"date":"2026-07-30T04:09:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T04:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/832666\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T04:09:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T04:09:15","slug":"even-greats-like-minjee-lee-have-form-slumps-the-battle-to-end-it-has-started","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/832666\/","title":{"rendered":"Even greats like Minjee Lee have form slumps. The battle to end it has started"},"content":{"rendered":"

Evin Priest<\/p>\n

July 30, 2026 \u2014 11:43am<\/p>\n

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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\u2019s Women\u2019s British Open at Royal Lytham.<\/p>\n

Lee, 30, entered the upper echelon of Australian golf greats last year when she won the Women\u2019s PGA Championship for a third career major. She surpassed dual major champions Greg Norman and David Graham (two) on Australia\u2019s all-time list.<\/p>\n

\"MinjeeMinjee Lee during the Scottish Open at Troon.Getty Images<\/p>\n

The Perth export then tied for third in her next major in 2025, the Evian Championship in France, before starting this season\u2019s LPGA Tour with top-five finishes.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s haul.<\/p>\n

But in April, Lee\u2019s 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 In her eight starts leading into the links major, the world No.13 has withdrawn from two tournaments, missed three cuts and not finished better than a tie for 28th.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\u2019s Women\u2019s Scottish Open, Lee opened with an 85 and was 10 over through 13 holes in her second round when she withdrew due to illness.<\/p>\n

Lee yesterday said she would \u201crather not\u201d discuss the illness because it was \u201cin the past.\u201d Instead, the 11-time LPGA Tour winner said she was confident four days of recovery had readied her for a links golf test.<\/p>\n

\"MinjeeMinjee Lee after winning the Women\u2019s PGA Championship in Texas in 2025.Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve taken it easy the first few days and then yesterday, a little bit more practice,\u201d Lee said on Wednesday at the Royal Lytham & St. Annes course. \u201cPrep has been going better. Just been trying to find a few things in my swing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s why she\u2019s not dwelling on a lean 2026.<\/p>\n

\"MinjeeMinjee Lee is chasing a return to her best form.Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a few good finishes at the beginning [of 2026], but after that I\u2019ve not really produced any great results,\u201d Lee said. \u201cStruggled 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

When thinking of the final women\u2019s major of the year, former world No.2 Lee has learned the hard way not to obsess over the majors.<\/p>\n

Lee took six years to break through at the 2021 Evian Championship and added a second title at the 2022 US Women\u2019s Open. She stayed patient through the 2023 and 2024 seasons, recording one major top 10 result until her 2025 Women\u2019s PGA Championship triumph.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been on tour a long time and I do know how to bounce back and try and work things out,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThis is a new week.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been fortunate enough to play a lot of majors. I\u2019ve grown up and matured. I don\u2019t think I put near as much pressure on myself. And not that I don\u2019t want to do well now, but I think I approach it a different way. I\u2019m just a little older, maybe a little more wiser and mature. I think a bit calmer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Ryan<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Lee enjoyed a stunning run on links courses when she finished third, fifth, and fourth in three
straight Women\u2019s British Opens from 2020 to 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I do put it in the bunker, I know when to take my medicine, and maybe before I didn\u2019t really know my way around links as much,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019ll be quite high winds [this week]. You\u2019ve got to pick a good target and hit it there and trust the wind will bring it back.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to trust your foundations and that practice will transfer over to the tournament. I don\u2019t think you need your absolute A game; I don\u2019t even know if I\u2019ve ever felt like I\u2019ve had my absolute A game to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which is why Lee believes she can contend for a fourth major title.<\/p>\n

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