(CNN) When Jeongeun Lee6 was 4 years old, her father, a truck driver, was paralyzed in an accident after falling asleep at the wheel.

But despite the family hardship, Lee6 still pursued an amateur and ultimately a professional career in golf, playing in the LPGA of Korea Tour (KLPGA) before moving on to the LPGA.

It has paid off big time. On Sunday, the rookie from the Republic of Korea won the 74th US Women's Open at the Country Club of Charleston, South Carolina, for not only her first major title but also her first career LPGA victory.

Lee6 -- who turned 23 last week -- earns $1 million in prize money with the win. That's the second-largest amount for a winner on the LPGA; the CME Group Tour Championship will pay out $1.5 million to the winner in November.

And her last name is not a typo. Lee6, who prefers to go by "Six," uses the number at the end of her last name because she was the sixth player named Jeongeun Lee in the history of the KLPGA. But instead of staying in South Korea, where her family is, Lee6 wanted to make the move to play in the LPGA in the US.

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