Staff WriterMinjee Lee has etched her name in LPGA Tour history once again, becoming the first two-time winner of the prestigious Rolex ANNIKA Major Award after a campaign marked more by consistency than chaos.
With a total of 78 points collected across all five major championships of the 2025 season—including a triumph at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship—the Australian earned the honour as the player with the most outstanding record in golf’s most gruelling tests.
In what was anything but a smooth Sunday at Royal Porthcawl, Lee finished tied for 13th at the AIG Women’s Open after rounds of 70-76-68-72.
While that result didn’t net her any points—the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award only recognises top-10 finishes—her work had already been done. A win, a top-three, and two additional made cuts were more than enough to secure the silverware.
Lee’s steady hand throughout 2025 majors saw her never miss a cut, starting with a T14 at The Chevron Championship and a T22 showing at the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally.
She then delivered a knockout blow at PGA Frisco, lifting the KPMG Women’s PGA trophy—her third career major and first since 2022. She backed that up with a tie for third at The Amundi Evian Championship, falling just one shot shy of a playoff.
Those finishes gave her the points cushion needed heading into Royal Porthcawl, where several contenders—including Mao Saigo, Maja Stark, and Grace Kim—still had mathematical chances to overtake her. But when none of them made a decisive move, Lee calmly sealed her second Rolex ANNIKA Major Award title.
The award, created in 2014 to honour the player with the best overall performance across the LPGA’s five majors, requires at least one major victory to be eligible.
It’s not for the faint-hearted or the fair-weather players—it’s for the grinders, the tacticians, and those who show up when the stakes are at their most severe.
Lee’s second crown adds her to a decorated list of past winners, including Michelle Wie West (2014), Inbee Park (2015), Lydia Ko (2016), and Nelly Korda (2024).
Notably, Lee previously won the award in 2022 after a similarly elite major campaign, one that included a U.S. Women’s Open win and top-five finishes at both the KPMG and the AIG Women’s Open.
“I just try to peak for the majors,” Lee said earlier this season, “and I think this year I managed to do that in a way that was really consistent.” A lesson in understatement if ever there was one.
🏅 2025 Rolex ANNIKA Major Award Standings
| Rank | Player | Points | 2025 Major Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minjee Lee | 78 | 1 |
| 2 | Mao Saigo | 74 | 1 |
| 3 | Miyu Yamashita | 70 | 1 |
| T4 | Maja Stark | 60 | 1 |
| T4 | Grace Kim | 60 | 1 |
| T6 | Rio Takeda | 38 | 0 |
| T6 | Jeeno Thitikul | 38 | 0 |
| T6 | Ruoning Yin | 38 | 0 |
The Rolex ANNIKA Major Award uses a weighted points system for top-10 finishes: 60 for first place, 24 for second, 18 for third, and so on down to 2 points for 10th. It’s as much a reward for excellence as it is for showing up big when it counts the most.
Lee will be formally honoured at the Rolex LPGA Awards during the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in November.
And while the trophy cabinet grows a little more crowded, her focus remains unchanged—playing her best when the game demands the most.
