Tain Lee birdied the first extra hole of a 9-for-3 playoff on Monday at The Oakland University Golf and Learning Center – Katke Course to earn his spot in the field at this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic.
This marks the fourth time this season that the 31-year-old Maryland native has qualified for a PGA Tour event. “I just know when you hit it tight, it’s always longer than it looks,” Lee told the Detroit News about his 6-inch birdie putt to secure his spot at Detroit Golf Club. “But this was the one time it was actually 6 inches, so I figured I can manage that. But even then, I managed to wipe my putter grip like 10 times before I had to putt.” Lee has made the most of his three previous PGA Tour starts: He made the cut in all three events and finished T-69 at the Farmers Insurance Open in January, T-59 at the Valero Texas Open in April and most recently finished T-14 at the Palmetto Championship at Congaree. “It means it means so much to me now,” added the former NCAA Division III champion. “That first one means a lot because you get to play in a PGA Tour event, but there’s just so much on the line for me now that I didn’t know about two weeks ago. So, yeah, I was nervous for sure on that first playoff hole.”