Min Woo

Lee

Lee is coming off a career-best finish on the PGA TOUR (T5 at the U.S. Open). His previous best was a T6 at THE PLAYERS this spring. Finishing inside of the top 10 earned him a spot in this week’s field and he added his name on Monday. The young Aussie will be making his tournament debut at the Travelers. It’s been boom or bust for the 24-year-old who has five top 25s on his PGA TOUR resume (all in big events) but also missed cuts in 14-of-26 tries.

The young Aussie swallowed a 74 on Saturday but would have been right in the hunt had he just managed an even-par round on Moving Day. “Yesterday I just put too much pressure on myself and was actually pretty nervous in a way. My practice was so good that I kind of put a little bit of pressure on myself, and today’s was a little different.” Lee finished second this week in GIR (53) behind only Rory McIlroy. It certainly looks like a good learning week for the young, 24-year-old. This will go in the books as his fifth top 30 in eight major championship appearances but easily beats his previous best (T14 at the 2022 Masters).

The young Aussie had his coming-out party at THE PLAYERS where he posted a T6 finish. That earned him most of the Non-Member FedExCup Points that he needed for STM and then he crossed the threshold last week with a T18 at the PGA Championship. He’ll need to land inside of the Top 125 on the final FedExCup Points list this year in order to earn full status for the 2024 campaign. After last week’s top 20 he would sit at 140th on that list so there is still a lot of work to be done. He missed the cut in his 2022 debut at Colonial Country Club but will arrive with a bit more momentum this time around.

This was as exciting as it gets with the 41st-seeded Lee circling six birdies and a pair of eagles while 26-seed Theegala answered with seven birdies on his card. “I think it would be one of the best rounds all day, and it sucked that one of us had to win. But it was wonderful, and that’s what you want in match play. We both played really well.” Highlights included a pair of chip-in birdies in addition to the obvious eagle highlights. Lee will now rest and get ready for his Thursday match against 11-seed Matt Fitzpatrick who lost his opening match to J.J. Spaun.

The non-member played in the final group alongside Scottie Scheffler but couldn’t find the same magic that earned him that tee time. “I hung in there pretty well. I didn’t have it all today. It’s funny how yesterday I felt like I had the best swing in the world, and then today I just felt like nothing could go right. So nice finish and I’m pretty proud of the result and I think it will take me a long way.” he split 8-of-14 fairways but managed just 8 GIR. Lee will earn 89 Non-Member FedExCup Points for this seven-way T6 finish which is also the best finish for him in a PGA TOUR event (T14 at the 2022 Masters).

The young Aussie arrived without any past experience at TPC Sawgrass but got straight to work with six birdies on his first 13 holes to claim the early lead. He traded two birdies with three bogeys on his way into the clubhouse. “Everything was clicking, especially the putting. I think the putting was really solid.” The 24-year-old walked off the course ranked 2nd in strokes gained putting. Lee missed the cut last week at Bay Hill to snap a long stretch of steady golf but he’s right back on track. At 50th in the OWGR, we will certainly start to see more of him in the States.

The young Aussie rallied his way into the top 50 OWGR to play his way into this event, on the number. He had a letdown last week, missing the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational but that’s the only blemish in recent months. Before that, he rattled off finishes of T26 or better in nine straight events, worldwide. Speaking on his first impressions of the course, “It’s very intimidating off the tee. But it also kind of goes in my favor because I like really like seeing shapes off the tees. You kind of have to play it off the trees or play it off a bunker, which I really enjoy.” He took on the front nine today and is expected to learn the back nine tomorrow when playing alongside Jason Day and Adam Scott.

The 24-year-old doesn’t have any tournament history to lean on this week but it’s hard to match his current form. Spending his time on the DP World circuit, he arrives with eight straight finishes of T13 or better. He missed the cut in eight of his 11 starts on the PGA TOUR last year so gamers will be banking on his current form if they invest this week.

Playing out of Category 20 this season, starts are tough to come by for the veteran, Canizares. That makes today’s round even more special. Only 11 golfers in the field entire field turned in a red number today so his 6-under 64 really lapped the field. This Sunday rally will jump him to 21st in the early-season DP World Tour Rankings and also earns him a spot at the 151st Open via The Open Qualifying Series. The two others to punch their ticket today included Min Woo Lee and Haydn Barron.

“I’ve been playing in America the past six months after being over earlier in the year,” said Lee, who kicked off 2022 with a T-35 in Abu Dhabi and finished T-58 last week at the Irish Open. “I feel like my game has improved from playing in America. Courses are tough over there and I’ve been playing really good and been able to lock in a little bit and feel like every week I’m learning something new.” The 23-year-old Australian has made 10 starts in the U.S., making just three cuts with respectable finishes at the Masters (T-14, where he tied a tournament record by shooting 6-under 30 on the first nine holes in the final round) and U.S. Open (T-27). Last year at the Scottish Open, Lee rallied from three shots back on the final day to finish regulation tied with Matthew Fitzpatrick and Thomas Detry, and he prevailed with a birdie on the first hole of sudden death to secure his first Rolex Series title. He’s made the cut in two previous event appearances, finishing T-30 in 2020. Visit the link below to read Lee’s full comments.