NorCal's Lee, Harigae Get U.S. Women's Open Exemptions
November 2, 2020 / by Jerry Stewart
Stanford alum Andrea Lee and Monterey native Mina Harigae will be teeing it up in the upcoming U.S. Women’s Open.
The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced that 10 players–including Lee and Harigae–have earned exemptions into the 75th U.S. Women’s Open Championship, which will be contested Dec. 10-13 at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas. The 156-player field for the championship is composed entirely of exempt players due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The additions to the field have been made using the 2020 official LPGA Tour money list. The spots were earned by the top 10 players, not otherwise exempt, through the Drive On Championship, which ended Oct. 25.
Lee is at No. 37 on the list. Harigae is at No. 40.
Lee will be making her U.S. Women’s Open professional debut, having played in three championships as an amateur. Lee was one of only five amateurs to make the cut in the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open at the Country Club of Charleston. With only 12 professional events under her belt, she has already recorded two top-10 finishes. Lee won the 2019 Mark H. McCormack Medal as the leading women’s player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking®, and played on two USA Curtis Cup Teams. Lee also earned a school-record nine collegiate titles while playing at Stanford.
Harigae joins the field for her 10th U.S. Women’s Open, with her best finish a T28 in 2012. She has seven professional wins on the Futures Tour and Cactus Tour and three top-10 finishes this season on the LPGA Tour, including a T4 finish at the LPGA Drive On Championship. Harigae, who won the 2007 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links title, last played in the Women’s Open in 2015.
-NCGA Staff