Lee Jeong-eun6 Claims First Victory in Seven Years on Epson Tour

Lee Jeong-eun6 won the US Women's Open, the most prestigious major championship, in 2019 and claimed Rookie of the Year honors that season. She recorded 10 top-10 finishes and ranked third in prize money earnings. In 2020, she dropped to 57th in the money list with just one top-10 finish, but this was an inevitable result of participating in only five events due to COVID-19. In 2021, she competed in 24 tournaments, posted eight top-10 finishes, and surged back to 13th in the money rankings.

After maintaining her form in 2022 with five top-10 finishes and 42nd place in earnings, Lee's sudden decline began in 2023. She plummeted to 75th in the money rankings with only one top-10 finish—a tied-fifth place at the BMW Ladies Championship held in Korea. In 2024, she recorded no top-10 finishes, missed the cut in 10 of 20 events, and fell to 113th in earnings. Last year, she made just seven cuts, finishing 124th in prize money and 118th in CME points, losing even her exemption status as a major champion.

Typically, Korean players on the LPGA Tour return to compete domestically at this point, but Lee chose differently. She firmly believed that a player who cannot succeed in America cannot expect to succeed in Korea. Instead, she opted to rebuild her career on the second-tier Epson Tour.