Galloway: South Korean veteran Lee Il-hee has come up just short of ending her 12-year LPGA title drought. Lee finished as the runner-up to Jennifer Kupcho of the United States by one stroke at the ShopRite LPGA Classic at Seaview Golf Club’s Bay Course in Galloway, New Jersey. A birdie-birdie finish on the par-71 course was not enough as Lee ended at 14-under 199, with Kupcho draining a clutch birdie putt on the closing hole to finish at 15-under 198 and claim her first win in three years.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee had six birdies-five of them on the back nine-and three bogeys for a 68 in the final round. The 36-year-old is winless since earning her first career win at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic in May 2013. She earned US$164,136 for her effort, her first paycheck on the LPGA Tour since 2023. Lee came into this tournament ranked No. 1,426 in the world rankings.
At 11-under through 36 holes, Lee took a one-stroke lead into the final round over four players, including three major champions
: Kupcho, the 2022 Chevron Championship winner; Mao Saigo of Japan, who won the 2025 Chevron Championship two months ago; and fellow Japanese Ayaka Furue, the 2024 Evian Championship winner.
Lee, paired with Kupcho in the final group, tumbled down the leaderboard with three bogeys over her first seven holes, while Kupcho had three birdies and a bogey over the same stretch. By the time both players birdied the ninth hole, Kupcho led Lee by four strokes at 13-under.
Lee, however, wasn’t going down without a fight. She birdied the 10th and the 11th and found herself just one shot back when Kupcho bogeyed the 11th. They matched birdies on No. 14 before Kupcho pulled away with a massive birdie putt on No. 16, giving herself a two-stroke lead with two holes to play.
At the 17th, the shortest par-3 hole on the tour this season at 76 yards, Lee drained her long birdie attempt after Kupcho’s birdie putt lipped out, and the American’s lead was down to one shot with the relatively easy par-5 hole coming up. Lee appea
red to have a chance to at least force a playoff, when she reached the green in two and Kupcho put her second shot just short of the putting surface. From there, though, Lee missed her eagle putt to the left, while Kupcho, after a mediocre first putt from off the green, sank the next putt for the birdie that sealed her win.
Two other South Koreans finished in the top 10. Kim Sei-young, a 12-time winner, had a hole-in-one at the 17th during her final round of six-under 65, which also included seven birdies, one bogey, and one double bogey, and finished alone in third place at 12-under overall. Im Jin-hee tied for fifth at 10-under after shooting 68 on Sunday.