Lee rises again and wins Portland for first LPGA title

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — In a year of having to bounce back, Andrea Lee recovered from two early bogeys and pulled away with five birdies on the back nine Sunday to close with a 6-under 66 and win the AmazingCre Portland Classic for her first LPGA Tour title.

Lee took the lead for good with an 18-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole and then hit a superb bunker shot from left of the 17th green to save par and keep a two-shot lead.

She was in the middle of the 18th fairway when she watched Daniela Darquea of Ecuador finish with a third straight birdie for a 66 to pull within one shot. Lee drilled her approach to 15 feet and lagged her putt to within inches to tap in for the win.

It was quite a turnaround for Lee, a former No. 1 amateur from Stanford whose game got off track to the point her LPGA status suffered and she started the year on the developmental Epson Tour.

And then she climbed her way out of it, winning on the Epson Tour, taking advantage of sponsor exemptions with solid play and finally cashing in at Columbia Edgewater Country Club for her first win.

Her face was awash in a mixture of champagne and tears, especially when she paid tribute to her grandfather, who died late last year.

“He always believed I was a champion, and today I am one,” Lee said.

This took a great deal of patience and resilience with eight players having a chance to win throughout the final round and every mistake seemingly magnified.

Lee started in a three-way tie with Lilia Vu, another former No. 1 amateur at UCLA, and Ayaka Furue of Japan. Lee immediately fell off the pace with bogeys on the second and third holes.

“I told myself to stay patient because I still had a lot of golf left,” Lee said. “I managed to get three birdies back, and then