Minyoung Lee Wins After Two-Hour Playoff... 'Eighth Career Victory'
Victory in the 7th Playoff at the Nichirei Ladies
First Win in 1 Year and 8 Months Since 2024
Oide and Yoshizaki Share Second Place
Minyoung Lee has secured the first victory by a Korean player in Japan this year.
On June 21, at the Sodegaura Country Club (par 72) in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, she shot a 9-under-par 63 in the final third round of the Nichirei Ladies, part of the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour, which has a total prize fund of 100 million yen. She tied with Mana Yoshizaki and Mizuki Oide (both from Japan) at 13-under-par 203. Lee clinched the championship with a birdie on the 18th hole (par 5) in the seventh playoff round.
Minyoung Lee smiles holding the trophy after winning the extended 7th match at Nichirei Ladies. Photo by JLPGA
View original imageThe 63 strokes set a new personal record for Lee for the lowest score in an 18-hole round since joining the JLPGA. This marks her eighth career win on the JLPGA Tour, earning her a winner's purse of 18 million yen (about 170 million won). Lee returned to the top of the leaderboard for the first time in about 1 year and 8 months, since the 2024 Masters GC Ladies Tournament. The last time a Korean player won on the JLPGA Tour was about 1 year and 1 month ago, when Jiyai Shin captured the World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup in May 2025.
Lee went into a playoff with Yoshizaki and Oide. After Yoshizaki was eliminated in the first playoff on the 18th hole, Lee and Oide battled through to the seventh playoff round. In the end, Lee hit the green in two on the seventh playoff hole, narrowly missed a 3.5-meter eagle putt, but easily secured victory with a birdie. As Lee sank her champion putt, fellow Korean golfers, including Sunwoo Bae and Nari Lee, congratulated her with hugs.
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With this win, Lee's total career earnings surpassed 600 million yen (605,912,200 yen), marking the 28th time in JLPGA Tour history a player has achieved this feat. Among Korean players, Jiyai Shin, Mijeong Jeon, Jihee Lee, Sunju Ahn, and Bo-mee Lee have also surpassed the 600 million yen milestone in total earnings.
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