Minjee Lee has grand ambitions after latest LPGA Tour win

Australia’s top ranked female player Minjee Lee has revealed her ultimate ambition is to win golf’s Grand Slam.

Minjee Lee poses with the trophy after winning the Blue Bay LPGA tournament on China’s Hainan Island.

Australia’s top ranked female player Minjee Lee has revealed her ultimate ambition is to win golf’s Grand Slam, after claiming her biggest professional victory at the Blue Bay tournament in China on Sunday night.

Lee, 20, from Perth, has made a stunning start to her professional career, winning three tournaments and more than $2.5 million in prizemoney in less than two years on the US LPGA tour.

She has won twice this year, in Hawaii in April when her world ranking reached a high of 12, and now in China, where she collected $413,000 for the victory.

She has missed just one cut in 25 tournaments this year and that was five months ago.

Lee finished tied seventh at the Olympics in Rio and she may well end her year inside the world’s top 10.

But she has even bigger ambitions, not just to win one major, but to win all of them.

“I think that’s always what I’ll be working towards,” Lee said.

“I guess win major events, you can’t have a Grand Slam without winning major events.

“Yeah, I think that’s what I have to do.”

Her best finish in a major to date was a tie for ninth at last year’s Women’s British Open.

The manner in which Lee achieved her victory in Hainan demonstrated her growing stature and confidence.

She led from the first day of the tournament but was challenged by Jessica Korda from the US and Thailand’s world No 2 Ariya Jutanugarn in the final round.

Jutanugarn joined Lee on 12-under on the 17th hole but Lee fought back and birdied the last to close out the tournament after Jutanugarn found the water. “I think my heart was coming out of my chest,’’ Lee said afterwards.

“I was a little nervous all day, actually. I had to really work for this one.

“I’m glad I came out on top. They’re great competitors.’’

Lee said the victory was particularly special because both her mother Clara, who introduced her to golf, and her grandmother were there to witness it in person.

She walked off the 18th green and into her tearful mother’s arms.

“Definitely my Nan, she’s my biggest supporter. I love having her around,” Lee said.

“She normally comes around for the Asia Swing, so yeah, it’s nice to have won in front of her. She was here, so that’s really nice.”

This win propelled Lee to No 6 on the Race to CME Globe rankings, and she still has a shot at winning the million-dollar bonus when the LPGA Tour championship is held in Florida next month.

She has yet to confirm is she will return for any of Australia’s tournaments over the summer but Australian Ladies Professional Golf director Karen Lunn said Lee’s rise was predictable to those who had watched her progress through the amateur ranks.

She was the world No 1 amateur when she turned professional in late 2014 and went on to lead the US LPGA’s qualifying school that year.

“We were always confident she would get to the top,’’ Lunn said.

“She’s a great golfer and she was always going to be.

“Having that Korean background and that work ethic, it’s no surprise.

“Last year she had a bit of a tough start (to her US career), she missed a few cuts but winning that first event (the Kingsmill Championship in April last year) gave her confidence.’’

Lee is skipping this week’s LPGA tournament in Malaysia to visit family in Korea but will return to the circuit for next week’s Japan Classic.