St. Paul cornhole player is now a world champion

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - For at least an hour a day, at least five days a week, Dia Lee practices tossing bean bags at a hole in a wooden board.

But the 38-year-old mother of four also knows how to throw her hat in the ring to become a world champion.

"It makes me feel proud. It makes me feel happy, and the success is not just my own. It's my husband's. My kids. My sponsor's," Lee told FOX 9.

Lee says she started playing cornhole three years ago when she and her husband were introduced to the game at her sister's boyfriend's house during the pandemic.

Since then, the couple has not only organized their own weekly cornhole tournament at the National Guard Armory in northeast Minneapolis.

They also travel on weekends to play in and win tournaments around the country.

"A lot of people think it's so easy. All you have to do is put it in the hole. But once they try it, they are like, 'Oh my goodness! This is a lot more difficult than it seems,'" Lee said.

Earlier this month, Lee won the Women's Singles title at the American Cornhole League's World Championships in South Carolina.

She also qualified to become a professional cornhole player, joining only a couple of other Minnesotans who have gone pro.

"There are still some days when it's shocking. Oh my gosh, did I really do that? Then some days I reflect, and I am like, I really did do that," Lee said.

Going pro means competing in televised tournaments, possible sponsorship deals, and cash prizes. But when it comes to not putting expectations on herself, Lee says she's got it in the bag.

"I'm just going to keep the door open and see what comes next, and if I do well, I do well," said Lee.