Minjee Lee hunting more majors and golf's top ranking

Australian golf superstar Minjee Lee is making no secret of her ambitions to win multiple majors and claim the women's world No.1 ranking in 2023.

MINJEE LEE of Australia plays her tee shot on the first hole during the final round of the ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California.
MINJEE LEE of Australia plays her tee shot on the first hole during the final round of the ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. Picture: Jeff Gross/Getty Images

A revitalised Minjee Lee has set herself the mountainous task of topping her glorious 2022 season with an even more triumphant campaign this year.

Australia's ambitious world No.3 bagged her second career major at last year's US Open, then finished joint runner-up at the Women's US PGA championship and tied for fourth at the British Open.

Such consistency earned the West Australian major player-of-the year honours.

The financial spoils were also plentiful - and historic.

In addition to banking the biggest pay cheque ever in women's golf - $US1.8 million ($A2.63 million) - for her US Open victory, Lee collected $US1 million ($A1.46 million) as the AON Risk Reward winner for her unrivalled strategic attacking play.

Yet she craves even more in 2023.

"Two majors is kind of my goal," Lee said ahead of her season opener at the Honda LPGA Thailand starting on Thursday.

"Most of my goals revolve around the majors now, and they're probably right up the top of my priority list ... and world No.1 is at the back of my head, yeah."

Lee went painfully close on multiple occasions to scaling golf's rankings summit last year and candidly admits being No.1 for the first time "probably means everything to me at the moment".

"I've been close a couple times and, because I wanted it so much, it hurts to not be able to be in that position," she said.

"So obviously I don't know what it entails (to get there) because I haven't been there before.

"But if I keep going through my processes in my golf game and just stick to what I know and what I'm good at, then I know that playing good golf, that's like the result of it.

"So I'm going to try not to put too much pressure on myself."

Lee's fifth at the Australian Open in December, her last event of 2022, was her only top-30 result from nine tournaments post the British Open in July.

"Also one of my big goals is not to be too tired by the end of the year," she said.

"I want to pace myself throughout the year and be happy. If I'm happy, I'm happy on the golf course as well.

"Towards the end of last year I kind of tapered off a little bit, so I still have quite a lot in me.

"I have goals that I want to meet and a lot of things that I want to do yet.

"So, yeah, I do have high expectations, but last year the US Women's Open was big for me and the other majors are there for me to win as well.

"So my expectation is there."

Lee hasn't played in two-and-a-half months.

But the 26-year-old says the break - during which she holidayed in Tasmania, caught up with family and friends in Perth and attended New Zealand's world No.1 Lydia Ko's wedding in Korea - has recharged her batteries.

"All my trips, they were all pretty chill and very different cultures everywhere I went. So I really enjoyed it. Ready to get the week started," Lee said.

"It's just really nice to be starting the year here. I always love coming back to Thailand. The food, the atmosphere is always amazing."