The U.S. Women’s Open provided the largest purse in women’s golf history at $10 million. Australia’s Minjee Lee captured her second major at Pine Needles in Southern Pines, North Carolina, to earn $1.8 million.
Lee, in dominating fashion, won with a four-stroke victory of –13, 271 total, over second-place American Mina Harigae.
“This is pretty special,” said the 26-year-old tour veteran Lee. “This is the one that I’ve always wanted to win since I was a little kid. So it just feels pretty amazing to be able to get it done today and I just can’t believe it.”
The always calm-looking Lee admitted, “I was pretty nervous all day.” But no one came close to catching her second-lowest score on Sunday of even-par 71—following opening rounds of 61–66–67. Lee was three strokes from tying Juli Inkster’s tournament record of 16 under in 1999 at Old Waverly….