LANCASTER, Pa. — All it took a was a putting tip from a pair of major champions for Andrea Lee to contend for her first U.S. Women’s Open title.
Well, that’s maybe not entirely true, as Lee has hit some spectacular golf shots this week at Lancaster Country Club. But that guidance has certainly made a difference for the 25-year-old, who currently holds the second 54-hole lead/co-lead of her LPGA Tour career after three rounds in Pennsylvania.
Lee was struggling with her flat stick at the Cognizant Founders Cup in Clifton, N.J., and looked to 33-time LPGA Tour winner Beth Daniel and two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Meg Mallon for some putting advice, words of wisdom that have worked well for Lee, who is currently fifth in this week’s field in strokes gained putting (+3.06).
“It's just a little putting thought,” said Lee after her second round. “I was getting a little handsy at Founders Cup, and they told me to use the bigger muscles a little bit more, use my shoulders. Honestly, a very simple tip. A couple of other things, but I won't disclose those. It's been working super well, and I’m very thankful for them. I call them like my side putting coaches now.”
Lee is tied for the third-round lead at 5-under with Australian Minjee Lee and Thailand’s Wichanee Meechai, the lone American amongst the top 10 on the leaderboard. She opened her week with a 1-under 69 and then backed that up with another 69 on Friday at Lancaster, a round that saw her hole out from 180 yards for eagle on the par-4 1st hole.
Moving Day saw more steady play from Lee, who grabbed early birdies on holes one and three to quickly move to 4-under. She bogeyed the fourth hole but erased that mistake with a birdie on the par-4 5th hole, making three pars and one bogey on the par-3 8th hole to turn in 34 at 3-under overall.
The Stanford University alum parred her next five holes, picking up a pair of back-to-back birdies on holes 15 and 16 to get to 5-under for the tournament. Lee ultimately parred the final two holes at Lancaster Country Club to close out the day, carding a 3-under 67 and joining Meechai as the only other player in the field to card three consecutive rounds in the 60s at this difficult venue.
“I had a couple of bogeys on the front nine and managed to go bogey-less on the back, which was pretty good out here,” Lee said. “I played really solid, steady golf and had a few putts drop, which is nice to see. Yesterday, coming off my round, I felt like I was even more nervous than I was today, just knowing that I was going to be in the final group of a U.S. Women's Open. Today, I walked out on the tee, and a lot of people were saying, ‘Go, Andrea!’ It was nice to hear that and have the support from the crowd.”
While the putting advice from Daniel and Mallon has proven effective on the challenging greens at the 79th U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally, Lee has also been getting some mental coaching from another major champion, more counsel that has helped her along as she works to collect her second LPGA Tour victory.
“Michelle Wie West texted me last night, and she told me whatever the outcome is, just put your 100 percent effort into it,” said Lee. “No matter what happens, it's a privilege to be in this moment, to have this opportunity. I really took that to heart, and today, I just tried to have fun out there and play the golf course and not try to play against the field.”
It’s a mentality that has paid off through three rounds at Lancaster Country Club and is one Lee will continue to implement during Sunday’s final round. She hasn’t won on the LPGA Tour since becoming a Rolex First-Time Winner in 2022 at the Portland Classic, a year that also saw Lee win for the first time as a professional on the Epson Tour, as she claimed the Casino Del Sol Golf Classic title in April.
And even though those wins might seem like a long time ago now, there are lessons that Lee learned in her moments of triumph that she hopes to apply to tomorrow as she battles it out for her maiden major victory.
“My first LPGA win in Portland, coming down the stretch, I had like a one-shot lead going into 17 and my heart was just racing. That was the most amount of pressure that I'd ever felt in my career,” Lee said. “I was thinking to myself, if not now, then when. You have this opportunity. Why not just grab it right now? I learned a lot from that week, and hopefully, that'll help me going into tomorrow, just those emotions and how to control them.”
And Lee will also be leaning on the confidence she’s built both this week and this season, reminding herself that she is a player who can capitalize on the biggest moments, that she can win major titles just like her mentors have done before her.
“I think I'm steadily getting a little bit better every year and am finding my rhythm out here on Tour. I feel really comfortable, especially this season,” Lee said. “I feel like this is the most comfortable I've felt out here and the most fun that I've had since turning professional. I'm trying to keep it as light as possible and have a good mindset going into every single tournament, and I think that's panned out well for me so far.”
Make that three at the top!@andrea_lee54 joins the lead at -5 💪pic.twitter.com/VgWMPcE9XM
— LPGA (@LPGA) June 1, 2024
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