Mirim Lee became the sixth South Korean to win the ANA Inspiration from Rancho Mirage, California on Sunday. The tournament is significant because it is one of the majors on the LPGA Tour. Due to coronavirus, the event took place in September in 2020 rather than April. Lee follows in the footsteps of former South Korean champions Grace Park (2004), Sun-Young Yoo (2012), Inbee Park (2013), So-yeon Ryu (2017), and Jin-young Ko (2019).
Lee won the ANA Inspiration on Sunday in a playoff. She defeated Brooke Henderson of Canada and Nelly Korda of the United States on the first extra hole with a birdie. All three golfers had a score of -15 after 72 holes. But, Korda or Henderson were unable to get a birdie in the playoff.
It was the play of Lee down the stretch that deserves the highest praise. On the 16th, Lee had a sensational birdie from an approach shot where her ball was 90 feet from the hole. Then after a bogey on the 17th hole, Lee delivered a miraculous eagle to put her at -15.
Lee now moves up 73 spots in the Rolex Women’s Official Women’s World Golf Rankings. She moved from 94th in the world to 21st. It was also Lee’s first career major title. Her best major result previously was a second place finish behind Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, at the 2016 British Women’s Open.
In other golf news, John Daly of Carmichael, California has been diagnosed with bladder cancer. Daly, who won the 1991 PGA Championship and 1995 British Open, is still active on the Champions Tour.
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