Back in 2019, Jeongeun Lee finished at six-under 278 to claim the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open victory at the Country Club of Charleston in South Carolina. She claimed the event’s first $1 million winner’s check, and it was also her first win as an LPGA Tour rookie. “This is kind of really interesting how I finished six under at an L.P.G.A. tournament,” Lee stated. She often adds ‘6’ to her name: Jeongeun Lee6. After all, she was the sixth Jeongeun Lee on the Korean LPGA tour. Interestingly, her Korean fan club has also embraced the number and they call themselves ‘Lucky 6’.

However, imagine winning one of the most prestigious tournaments in golf, only to realize later that it was a really big deal. That’s exactly what happened with Lee6. She carded a one-under 70 in the final round to claim her first LPGA victory. Her performance was impressive, especially considering the challenging conditions on the course. The temperature was high, and the wind made it difficult for the players to navigate the course. But it was only later that she realized what a big achievement it was.

“I didn’t know that was huge honor, a huge tournament. But now I can feel it that it was so amazing and I made a lot of things but I did not know that then,” she admitted. It was just another tournament for her.

She revealed this on the latest episode of ‘Par 3 Podcast With J.R. Smith & Stephen Malbonon’ on YouTube. It’s a refreshingly honest comment from a player who has spent years honing her craft. For context, the US Women’s Open is one of the most coveted titles in women’s golf, and winning it is a dream for many players, including stars like Nelly Korda. Korda has been open about her desire to win the tournament, and it’s considered a major milestone for any American golfer.

She further stated, “Then next week, I played another tournament… I didn’t celebrate with friends and family. So, if I go back, I want to celebrate. Just cancel next week’s tournaments, but I couldn’t. I didn’t know that.”

Despite her initial lack of awareness about the tournament’s significance, Lee6 has proven herself to be a formidable competitor, and her win at the US Women’s Open is just one of many achievements in her impressive career. But how did Korda perform this year?

Nelly Korda’s 2024 U.S. Women’s Open heartbreak

Nelly Korda’s 2024 season had been nothing short of phenomenal—until the U.S. Women’s Open in May, that is. The 26-year-old golf sensation, who had been dominating the LPGA Tour with 14 wins, had a disastrous start to the tournament.

Her opening round was marred by a career-high score of 10 on the par-3 12th hole, where she hit three balls into the water. “Just a bad day in the office,” Korda had stated, despite being the U.S. Women’s Open’s overwhelming favorite. After all, she had six victories in her last seven tournaments, which included a major that tied an LPGA record for five wins in a row.

But Korda’s poor performance during the U.S. Women’s Open left her 10 over 80 and in 136th place on the leaderboard, a whopping 12 strokes behind leader Yuka Saso. Unfortunately, things didn’t get better from there.

Korda ultimately missed the cut, which marked the third time in her last five U.S. Women’s Open starts that she failed to make the cut. It was a disappointing outcome for a player who had been on fire all season.

“I just didn’t really know what to hit… Sometimes it’s not really good seeing the girls play in front of you because of them — Gaby up short of the water, and I think Ingrid went into the water. It was just a tough day,” she shared.

“I’m human,” Korda said. “I’m going to have bad days. I played some really solid golf up to this point. Today was just a bad day. That’s all I can say.”

Despite her poor showing at the U.S. Women’s Open, Korda had been incredible all season, and this one bad tournament can’t define her. She had been dominating the LPGA Tour, and her 14 wins were a testament to her skill and dedication and hey, if anyone can do it, it’s Nelly Korda.