THE AMUNDI EVIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 9, 2025

Minjee Lee

Evian Resort Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Hello everyone, and welcome to the 2025 Amundi Evian Championship. I'm joined by our most recent major champion winning the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship, Minjee Lee. Like I said, you're our most recent major champion. Describe the past couple weeks.

MINJEE LEE: It's been really good to have the last two weeks off. The first week was a little more hectic doing a few media commitments and going out and celebrating.

So I've had the past week to just be relaxed and do some practice and get ready for Evian.

Q. Any specific ways you celebrated?

MINJEE LEE: Just good laughs, good food, good company, couple drinks here and there; as you do.

Q. We saw Min Woo's message to you. Did you get any other messages that stood out?

MINJEE LEE: I got a whole bunch of really lovely messages from all over the world. Yeah, no, I've been overwhelmed with gratitude and a lot of love and support.

So it's really been great.

Q. And last one from me. You won here in 2021. What kind of memories ane emotions come back when you're at this golf course, at this location?

MINJEE LEE: Definitely the playoff. I think that was probably one of my more exciting playoffs. So just the final round. I played really well to get into that position.

So I just felt like I just really great vibes, great memories, obviously like playing each hole I can kind of reflect and think back at what happened that round. You know, just gives me good energy and just, yeah, happy vibes I guess.

Q. Looking at that win in 2021, big key was the par-5 performance here. What is it about this golf course or even the par-5s that suits your eye and let's you attack out here?

MINJEE LEE: I think that year maybe the conditions, it was a little bit firmer and faster, so a few of the par-5s on the back nine and obviously on the 9th -- wait, is it 9? Yeah, 9 is reachable. It was reachable most of the days.

I don't know if 18 was a -- yeah, 18 obviously was reachable. So I think having those I think at 9 and 18, it's just like momentum shifters if you have a birdie or you can ride that momentum into obviously the back nine or finish off well with a birdie on 18.

So I think it's just obviously -- on 15 it's also a par-5. There is a few shots you can get back those last few holes. I think it's just in important times when you're maybe a shot back or a shot forward you can really make birdies and try and shift the scores there.

So I think it's just in important stages, yeah.

Q. That reaction you had at KPMG when you made the last putt was one of the more emphatic I think ones we've seen from your 11 victories on the LPGA. Could you just describe the relief and just the kind of let-the-breath-out feeling of getting that third major title and first win since 2023?

MINJEE LEE: I think I had a little bit of a buffer so I wasn't as like, what do you say, too nervous or like I had a lot riding -- obviously winning has a lot riding on it, but I don't think if you're one shot back you have it make to win.

I had a couple there, so it was more enjoying walking up the fairway. I don't remember what I thought. I just looked at Mikey and I just thought this feels different to my other wins, other major wins.

So, no, it was just a lot of my energy and a lot of my time led up to that moment, so I think it just meant a lot more to me than the other ones. All of them meant a lot to me. I felt like I really deserved this one.

Q. Much has been made of your broomstick in the bag this year. Coming back to a venue you played so many years with a different putter in the bag, have you had to make any adjustments or any lines look different, anything that might've changed?

MINJEE LEE: Not really, because the year I won I actually switched to cross-handed at this event as well. It was -- or that year. So, not really.

I've had many changes over the course of my career, and it's not just at this event that I've had something different in my bag.

So not really. I'm just enjoying my time here and enjoying every moment.

Q. You were saying how big of a win it was two weeks ago and how tough the conditions were. It happens a lot that after a win like that it's hard for a while to find the motivation, the grit. How do you do it, to go back and say, let's go back to work and start again?

MINJEE LEE: Yeah, I definitely think it's tough. Over the course of my career and after my first two major wins I had a little bit of that.

I feel like because KPMG, I felt like it was a little bit different because it kind of shifted my focus or it gave me a little bit more, I wouldn't say like realization that I was fine with my putter being a broomstick, but more just I was just -- I feel like I did everything right and I just played within myself and just obviously putted well and did a lot of things well.

But just kind of a little more validation I think. For me, even though I've been on Tour for a while, it was just a little bit different. And then having that last week -- last two weeks off I was able to really reset and refocus on what my goals were this year.

So I just kind of had a good time off to really not lose that kind of -- lose the motivation after KPMG.

Q. In connection with the validation, we were talking with Nelly a little bit about the next generation coming really hard and pushing. So the fact that you could win like you won, gives you kind of a way to withstand that push from the younger generation?

MINJEE LEE: I mean, I feel like there is so many that are so young now and that are so good. They're always pushing me and pushing all of us older girls.

So, yeah, no, I think it's obviously like I get motivation from that, but I think I'm much more self-motivated at the moment. Just have a few things I wanted to work on, and obviously there is some goals that I would like to meet by the end of the year.

So, yeah, I just feel like I'm in a good headspace at the moment.

Q. We found a stat that said Minjee Lee always eats in the par-5s in this golf course.

MINJEE LEE: I hit?

Q. Eat.

MINJEE LEE: I eat something. What's the first par-5, the fifth? No, 7 and 9 and then 15 and 18.

Q. So you eat on all of those.

MINJEE LEE: I mean, at the 9th hole I definitely eat something because I'm hungry. That's my snack time, the 9th hole.

And then, yeah, maybe by the time 15 comes around I'm hungry again. Don't want to lose focus on the last few holes.

Q. What do you eat then?

MINJEE LEE: Mostly fruit. I like fruit and sometimes I eat a bit of my caddie as trail mix.

Q. Adding to Sarah's question of relief, how much did the loss in Lancaster motivate you and shape you to where you are now?

MINJEE LEE: I think last year at Lancaster just hurt me more than pushed me, so I probably lost a bit of motivation. Even though I think I finished top 10, it was just, yeah, just -- I just couldn't find motivation and purpose to really like compete for the rest of that year, so I think my results suffered a little bit because of that.

But, you know, going into the beginning of this year and this offseason, I kind of sat down with my coach and we kind of talked about what I wanted to do and like how much time I wanted to put into golf itself.

So I was like, oh, I probably want to play for three or four, what, five years more, so we just said, let's give 100% and see where it leads us for this year. Here I am now.

So I think I'm obviously always going to give me 100%, but it was just like in all aspects, like physically, mentally, and obviously like in golf, all aspects of golf.

Yeah, that's where I am right now.

Q. Is it fair to say that was one of the toughest points of your career?

MINJEE LEE: I think I struggled a little bit last two years before the end of last year, so probably no.