Minjee Lee leads U.S. Women’s Open by herself in record-breaking style

After being tied for the lead at the 2022 United States Women’s Open after 36 holes with Mina Harigae of the United States, Minjee Lee of Australia is all alone in first place after the third round. On Saturday, Lee shot a score of four-under-par 67 to move from -9 to -13.

Lee’s overall score of 200 (67 in rounds one and three and 66 in round two) is significant because it is the lowest overall score in the history of the United States Women’s Open after 54 holes according to ESPN. American Juli Inkster had the previous record of 201 in 1999.

Harigae is the only other player in contention at the moment as she is in second place at -10. Lee is seeking her second major title as she also won the 2021 Evian Masters.

On Saturday in the third round, Lee parred the first four holes at Southern Pines in North Carolina, and then recorded a bogey on the par-three fifth hole to drop back to -8. It is the sixth hole where Lee took control of the second major of the year on the women’s golf calendar. In a span of seven holes from the sixth to the 12th holes, Lee had five birdies. She was one-under-par on the sixth, ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th holes.

On the back nine, Harigae had back-to-back bogeys on the 11th and 12th holes, before moving back into contention with a birdie on the 16th hole. The 32-year-old native of Monterrey, California has never reached the top 10 of a major at any point of her major golf career, which started in 2007.

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