[PHOTO: Getty Images]
Min Woo Lee may have been rubbing shoulders recently with Justin Bieber and fellow music royalty in Los Angeles, but come November in “Brisneyland” the Australian golfer will be the celebrity when he tees up at the BMW Australian PGA at Royal Queensland.
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Lee was featured on celebrity news websites when he used a brief PGA Tour break last month to travel from his Las Vegas base to a star-studded party in West Hollywood, California. He was invited by megastar musician Bieber and his wife, Hailey Bieber for the launch of the singer’s album “Swag”.
“It was very cool. Yeah, he had a listening party for his new album,” Lee said on Monday afternoon during a call with Australian reporters. “I got to meet a couple other celebs and it was very [special] to just be around them and have a golf-themed party. It was good to listen to his music, too. It’s very good.”
But in three months’ time, Lee will be the most beloved star at Royal Queensland where he will attempt to win a second Australian PGA title having stunned the DP World Tour field with a chip-in eagle during his win in 2023.
Before Lee’s announcement, the DP World Tour-sanctioned field had confirmed Adam Scott and defending champion Elvis Smylie.
“Yeah, I’m very excited,” Lee said. “[Royal Queensland is] one of my favourite courses. My game suits there and I really love playing in Australia and in front of the crowds. I’m very excited for the end of the year and hopefully can get back into contention and play well.
“Winning the Aussie PGA was such a special moment in my career and clearly Royal Queensland suits my game. The atmosphere in Queensland is always amazing to be a part of, especially at the party hole [par-3 17th].”
Lee won for the first time on the PGA Tour in March when he held off world No.1 Scottie Scheffler at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. Despite cooling off in the US since then, having not recorded a top-10 after the breakthrough, the talented Perth product has vowed to sharpen up during a short off-season and arrive at Royal Queensland ready to challenge again from November 27-30.
“A plus for the [PGA Tour] win, it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do since I was a little kid,” Lee said when asked to grade his overall 2025 season. “In the signature events, probably whatever the lowest grade is. I wish I’d played a little bit better, but trying to crack that top 50 [to advance to the BMW Championships], it is what it is, it’s not a massive deal. I can still get into those events next year and see how I go, but yeah, maybe probably like a ‘B’ [grade]. I think it was a very successful year. Security wise, I’ve got another two and a half years on the PGA Tour and that’s pretty awesome. We obviously want to be at the Tour Championship in the near future, so that’s going to be the goal next year.”
For now, Lee, who is currently at home in Perth, will next tee up at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in England in September before another DP World Tour stop at the French Open. After that, it’s off to Royal Queensland, where he’s as popular as Bieber.
