Jeongeun Lee6, After Losing Tour Card and Battling Through Monday Qualifier, Set to Compete in Founders Cup

First Tournament Back in the U.S. After Completing the Asian Swing

Secures Spot in Main Event With Second Place in Monday Qualifier

Riding Momentum After Epson Tour IOA Golf Classic Victory

This is Jeongeun Lee6's story of perseverance and determination. Starting on March 19 (local time), she will compete in the LPGA Tour Fortinet Founders Cup, which will be held over four days at the Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club (par 72, 6,542 yards) in Menlo Park, California, United States. The total prize purse is 3 million dollars.

After the Asian Swing, which ran from February to early March through Thailand, Singapore, and China, the LPGA Tour will continue its season in the United States from this tournament through June. Established in 2011, this tournament has seen victories by Korean players, including Inbee Park, Jin Young Ko, Hyo Joo Kim, and Sei Young Kim. Notably, Jin Young Ko, who recently got married, claimed the championship three times—in 2019, 2021, and 2023.

Jeongeun Lee6, who lost her seed and passed the Monday qualifier in second place, will participate in the LPGA Tour Fortinet Founders Cup. Provided by Epson Tour

This year, an impressive 21 Korean players are set to participate. The roster includes Hyo Joo Kim, Sei Young Kim, Hye Jin Choi, So Mi Lee, A Lim Kim, Jin Hee Im, Hae Ran Ryu, Chella Choi, Yoon Ina, Il Hee Lee, Hee Young Yang, In Gee Chun, Yoo Min Hwang, Minji Kang, Na Rin An, Jeongeun Lee5, Geumgang Park, Subin Joo, Hyojun Jang, and Dong Eun Lee, among others.

Among them, Jeongeun Lee6 is drawing particular attention. The 2019 LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year, Jeongeun Lee6, was relegated to the Epson (secondary) Tour this year after failing to post a single top-10 finish in the regular tour in both 2024 and 2025. Last week, she won the Epson Tour IOA Golf Classic in Longwood, Florida (total prize money 200,000 dollars). This victory marks her first win on American soil in six years and nine months, since her major triumph at the 2019 U.S. Women's Open in June.

Jeongeun Lee6 is especially determined for this Fortinet Founders Cup. On March 17, during the 18-hole qualifier held at the tournament venue, she shot a 4-under-par 68, finishing second and earning one of the two available qualification spots for the event.

Notably, she recorded a hole-in-one from 150 yards on the 4th hole (par 3) during the qualifiers. Recently, a string of good fortune has followed her: a win on the Epson Tour, qualifying for the regular tour, and now a hole-in-one. Jeongeun Lee6 is currently tied for first place in the Epson Tour points standings with 500 points. The top players in the Epson Tour points race will be awarded LPGA regular tour cards for the next season.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.