Min Woo Lee is poised for his first PGA Tour win.
Getty Images
Aussie Min Woo Lee springboarded himself proper into the thick of it on the Players Championship after holing his second shot on the first gap Saturday.
The eagle obtained the two-time DP World Tour winner to eight below and one off the lead after only one gap.
Five hours later and after a 66, Lee is two photographs off the lead of Scottie Scheffler at 12 below, however the one purser inside three photographs of the World No. 2. That’s regardless of practically lacking the sphere for the Players two weeks in the past.
Lee may not have probably the most title recognition, so listed here are 5 things to know concerning the 24-year-old.
You in all probability know his sister
Getty Images
Min Woo is the youthful brother of reigning U.S. Women’s champion Minjee Lee.
Their mom, Clara, is additionally a golf skilled, which makes excellent sense when you think about how profitable each youngsters are, each rating within the high 50 of their respective world rankings (Minjee is No. 5 whereas Min Woo is No. 50).
Minjee has gained eight instances on the LPGA Tour, together with two majors.
She additionally gained the 2012 U.S. Girl’s Junior Amateur. When Min Woo gained the 2016 U.S. Boy’s Junior Amateur, the pair grew to become the primary siblings ever to each win a junior am title.
When Min Woo performed the Masters for the primary time final yr, Minjee caddied for her little brother within the Par 3 contest.
He’s been profitable on the DP World Tour
What Min Woo Lee has realized from his two-time main championship sister
Luke Kerr-Dineen
While Lee is looking for his first PGA Tour win this week, he has discovered the winner’s circle twice on the DP World Tour. He was victorious on the 2020 ISPS Handa Vic Open in his house nation of Australia.
He additionally prevailed in a playoff towards Thomas Detry and Matt Fitzpatrick on the 2021 Abdrn Scottish Open, the yr earlier than the occasion began being co-sanctioned by each the DP World and PGA Tours.
He’s performed in 4 DP World Tour occasions this season and hasn’t completed exterior the highest 13, together with a runner-up end on the Abhu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Those finishes have him third within the tour’s Race to Dubai standings.
Power is no difficulty
Getty Images
The common ball velocity on the PGA Tour this season is just below 173 mph. Lee hit 172 mph on the twelfth gap Saturday with an iron!
He has clocked 190 mph or quicker ball velocity 13 instances this week and leads the sphere in driving distance on all tee photographs. His 124.64 common clubhead velocity in his two occasions on the PGA Tour this season would rank third for the season if he certified.
While distance is not a very powerful trait at TPC Sawgrass, Lee, who checks in at simply 6-foot, 165 lbs, should not have any difficulty in maintaining with Scheffler off the tee Sunday.
He simply barely made the sphere this week
Lee isn’t a member of the PGA Tour, however he made his first Tour begin of the season final month on the Honda Classic and put collectively a strong last spherical of 66 to end T26.
While Lee entered the week at No. 47 on this planet, the end ended up bumping him down to precisely No. 50, the place he nonetheless is this week.
Had Lee shot 67 on Sunday and completed T28, he wouldn’t have earned sufficient factors to keep forward of Lucas Herbert and would have fallen to No. 51. The cutoff for the highest 50 within the Official World Rankings to qualify for the Players was after the Honda and he would have had no different manner into the sphere.
“It’s one of the biggest regular season events, and it’s obviously considered the fifth major, and it would have been guttering to come 51st in the ranking and not get in,” Lee mentioned Saturday. “I think it ended up being one-eighth of a shot with the ranking points. Things did favor in my way, and you got to make the most of it.”
A strong end shall be key for his profession
How the Players Championship grew to become golf’s weirdest occasion
James Colgan
While Lee isn’t a PGA Tour member but, a solo fourth or higher Sunday would earn him Special Temporary Membership for the rest of the season.
To earn Special Temporary standing, a participant should earn the equal variety of non-member FedEx Cup factors as final season’s A hundred and fiftieth-place finisher within the standings. Special Temporary members are in a position to play on limitless sponsor exemptions. If they safe sufficient FedEx Cup factors to place inside the highest 125 on the finish of the season, they earn membership for the next season.
Akshay Bhatia earned the standing final week on the Puerto Rico Open and Tom Kim did it final season earlier than securing his standing together with his win on the Wyndham Championship.
Of course, Lee would love to win, securing a five-year membership to the PGA Tour and exemptions into all 4 majors for the subsequent three years.
“I obviously played the majors last year and played really well in them,” Lee mentioned. (*5*)
