US Women's Open Golf 2019: Jeongeun Lee6 Shoots 6-Under to Win 1st Major

Jeongeun Lee6 is the 2019 U.S. Women's Open champion, becoming the first woman to take home $1 million in the tournament's history.  

Lee6 survived bogeys on two of her final three holes to shoot one under par for the day and complete the event at six under. Sunday marked her first win on the American LPGA circuit, and the rookie became the 11th different winner in the last 11 U.S. Women's Open tournaments. 

Once Lee6 took the outright lead on 12 with a birdie, she did not relinquish it. Celine Boutier gave her a scare as she arrived on 18 just one stroke off the lead, but she couldn't maneuver out of the bunker and double-bogeyed the final hole to finish three under par.

However, the final round was plenty jumbled for a while.

Once someone took the lead, she would squander it away. For example, Gerina Piller nailed three birdies in a row, but she bogeyed two holes in a row once she was tied for the lead. Piller finished tied for fifth with a 68 in the final round—her best score of the tournament.

Fellow American Jaye Marie Green tasted the lead, too. A birdie on the fifth hole gave her an outright lead at six under par. But like Piller, she finished three under and tied for fifth.

Top-ranked American Lexi Thompson missed eight fairways Sunday and is still seeking her first win of the season. Despite her rough final round at two over, the 24-year-old finished in a tie for second at four under par, establishing her new best finish of the season.

Final Leaderboard

1. Jeongeun Lee6 (-6)

T2. Angel Yin (-4) 

T2. So Yeon Ryu (-4) 

T2. Lexi Thompson (-4)

T5. Gerina Piller (-3) 

T5. Mamiko Higa (-3)

T5. Jaye Marie Green (-3)

T5. Celine Boutier (-3)

T5. Yu Liu (-3)

Full leaderboard is available at USGA.org

Payout information courtesy of Golf Digest

Higa, the 36-hole leader, struggled with her putter in the final round and bogeyed five holes. The 25-year-old shot a bogey-free 65 on Thursday—the lowest round in a debut in U.S. Women's Open history, according to Golf Central. She tied for fifth at three under overall after she shot three over in the final round.

Lydia Ko had a more disappointing finish, tied for 39th at five over par, but she did provide a spark along the way. Ko drained a hole-in-one on the 11th hole, heralded as the most difficult hole at the Country Club of Charleston. She celebrated accordingly: 

Just as the last 11 U.S. Women's Opens have each produced a different champion, the last eight LPGA majors have eight separate winners. The next major will be the KPMG Women's PGA Championship from June 20-23 at Hazeltine National Golf Course in Chaska, Minnesota. 

The next tournament, though, is slated just five days away when the ShopRite LPGA Classic begins June 7 at the Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club in Galloway, New Jersey.