Ilhee Lee makes great start to Aust Open

South Korean Ilhee Lee has been rewarded for making a last-minute decision to contest the women's Australian Open.

Early Australian Open pacesetter Ilhee Lee has a novel golfing aim - she wants to be the pick of the Lees.

Which will be no mean feat this week.

There are no less than five golfers bearing the Lee moniker at Royal Melbourne - three Koreans, Min Lee from Taiwan and teenaged Australian star Minjee Lee.

But they are all chasing 26-year-old Ilhee Lee, who carded a bogey-free 68 on Thursday morning to claim the clubhouse lead.

It was a far cry from her first visit to the famed sandbelt layout three years ago, when she missed the cut at the Open.

Scarred by that experience, she intended to skip the 2015 event, only to have a late change of heart.

"Now I know how to play this golf course better than when I last played here," said Lee, who marvelled at how the fairways suddenly looked much wider on Thursday.

The Korean had battled a cold early in the week, coming into the tournament with low expectations.

But a great day off the tee and a couple of monster birdie putts at the 13th and 15th holes rocketed her to the top of the leaderboard.

"There are lots of Lees here," said the world No.59, whose sole LPGA Tour victory came two years ago in the Bahamas.

"I want to be the most famous Lee.

"That's my goal."

For the record, there are no less than 10 Lees in the top 80 on the women's world rankings, which reflects the dominance of players with Korean heritage.


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Source: AAP


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