Minjee Lee, coming off the weakest season of her career, has bounced back nicely in the early stages of 2025.
The two-time major champion, 10-time winner on the LPGA Tour finished runner up at the Blue Bay LPGA. Though she finished six strokes back from the winner Rio Takeda, it was still her best finish on tour since October 2023, when she last won at the BMW Ladies Championship. That title was the second in three starts.
The 28-year-old from Australia is now in her 11th season on Tour and facing one of the biggest win droughts of her career. Still, signs are positive that Lee is moving in the right direction.
So far this season, Lee has two top five finishes in four starts along with an additional 11th place. In 2024, Lee had only one top five, at the Blue Bay LPGA. Lee has made all four cuts and currently sits at No. 7 in the CME Standings.
So is this early level of play for Lee sustainable? I think it is.
The reason for the potential stability is that Lee has seemingly figured out her putting. In 2024, Lee was one of the worst putters on the tour, and that isn’t exaggerating. Despite ranking No. 2 in strokes gained tee-to-green last season, she was No. 157 in strokes gained putting. She was losing almost a full stroke with the flat stick.
Prior to the season, she switched to a long, broom style putter. Lee said the look of the putter is a comfortable fit, and that it fits her putting stroke. Clearly whatever it was worked, because Lee is now putting at an impressive clip. Though the season is new, and relatively few players have played close to a full schedule, Lee ranks No. 3 currently in strokes gained putting now gaining 1.87.
The truth is Minjee Lee doesn’t have to be one of the best putters on tour to compete. There’s a strong argument that could be made that she is the best iron player in the women’s game. So, even if her putting evens out to around tour average, expect to see Lee near the top of leaderboards again like she was prior to 2024.
