DA YEON LEE

Lee's breakout season came in 2018. She finished in the top ten for the first time in her career: 7th on the money list with over 561 million won earned. She collected her second career win at the E1 Charity Open in May, and had 8 total top tens. Included in that were two second place finishes and two thirds.

2019 was an even better year for Da Yeon Lee; it was the season that she broke through to become one of the biggest stars on the KLPGA. For the first time, she had multiple wins in a season, and they came back to back in the summer. The first was the biggest of her career: the Korea Women's Open, arguably the most important event on the Korean tour and her first career Major win. A few weeks later she grabbed another win at the Asiana Airlines Open in early July.

Lee seemed to be in contention almost every week in 2019. She almost claimed her second Major at the KB Star event, finishing second to rookie Hee Jeong Lim. She had three seconds, three thirds, and ten total top tens in 2019. She wound up third on the money list, just missing the billion won mark with 912 million won earned.

Da Yeon also played for the KLPGA at the yearly KLPGA/LPGA team event, the OrangeLife Champions Trophy. She teamed with Jung Min Lee to square her match against Amy Yang and Mi Hyang Lee, then lost 1 down when teamed with Hye Jin Choi against Jeongeun Lee6 and Jenny Shin. She lost 3 & 2 against Mi Hyang Lee in singles. The KLPGA won the event 15-9.

Da Yeon got 2020 out to a great start by winning the Hyosung Championship in December in Vietnam. It was her fifth career win. But in 2020, the whole world was rocked by the Covid19 pandemic. The KLPGA and LPGA tours canceled or postponed many events. Lee had a good year, but not quite as strong as the previous one. She finished 11th on the money list with around 385 million won earned. She didn't win after the Vietnam victory, but she did collect four more top tens, including a pair of thirds.

Da Yeon also participated in the annual KLPGA/LPGA event, the OrangeLife Champions Trophy. She skipped the team portion, but lost in singles to Min Young Lee 2 & 1. The KLPGA won, 10.5 to 7.5.

In 2021, Da Yeon had another strong season. She finished 8th on the money list with 665 million won earned. She had one win at the Hanwha Classic, one of the biggest money events on tour each year. She had four additional third places and a fourth, and notched seven top tens in total.

Lee also played three LPGA events in 2021. She missed the cut at the US Women's Open, her second career Major start. She also struggled at the Mediheal, finishing 68th. But at the BMW Championship in Korea in the Fall, she had a great week. She finished tied for third, albeit several shots behind the two top players. This was her career best LPGA finish to date.

In March, 2022, she played in a KLPGA team event, representing her sponsor Mediheal. She and her teammates wound up winning the unofficial event.

Da Yeon's 2022 season was cut short due to injury; the last event she played was in mid-July. Before that, she had collected three top tens, the best of which was a third. She finished 50th on the money list despite playing only half the season.

Da Yeon returned to the tour full strength in 2023. It didn't take her long to get back into the winner's circle, claiming a victory at the year's first Major, the KLPGA Championship, in late April. She got a second win later in the year at the Hana Financial Championship in September. She notched a total of 7 top tens during the season, achieving a second place on top of the two wins. She earned 729 million won in 2023, 8th on the money list.

Da Yeon has shown increasing interest in playing overseas and possibly going to the LPGA tour at some point. She played at the US Women's Open at Pebble Beach, finishing tied for 53rd. At the end of the year, she teamed with So Young Lee to be one of the five Korean squads contending for team and individual awards at the Simone Asia Pacific Cup in December. She wound up finishing second in the individual contest behind Thai star Atthaya Thitikul, and fourth in the team standings.