[Photo: Getty images]
There’s never been a better time to let Min Woo Lee cook, as his social media catchphrase goes.
Since the younger brother of Minjee Lee won the 2016 US Junior Amateur, we’ve all known what the Perth native is capable of. His regular ball speeds with the driver of 190 miles an hour (and higher), plus his brilliant shotmaking and short game, are bound to pay off in a big way soon.
At the recent Players Championship, Lee raced to 11-under-par through two rounds to be in the final group in Saturday’s third round at TPC Sawgrass. Although he faded dramatically with rounds of 78 and 73 on the weekend, he showed glimpses of the type of player who could win the Masters – such is his creative shotmaking talent. Now is the time to let Lee cook.
Lee will rest up and not play competitive golf until the Masters (April 10-13). The 26-year-old loves Augusta National and the demands it places on golfer’s ability to work the ball both ways and have a world-class pitching and chipping action. Lee was T-14 on debut at Augusta in 2022, when in the final round he tied the Masters record for the lowest front nine score with a six-under 30. He missed the cut in 2023 but last year Lee finished T-22 at Augusta.
While he awaits his fourth career start at the Masters, Lee chatted recently to Australian Golf Digest about the Players Championship result, his and Minjee’s episode in Netflix’s Full Swing docuseries, the Masters and more.
You looked like you had a good time at TPC Sawgrass?
MWL: “Yeah, it has been where I’ve played in my only final groups out here on the PGA Tour. I mean, it’s a course that just suits my eye, something about it that, it creates a look for me. And I really enjoy it. I like it off the tee. You can’t just hit driver everywhere. It’s challenging. That third round [78] was tough, and I just felt uncomfortable over the ball and it was blowing a gale. It was frustrating, but I need to not beat myself up and learn from it. It was an experience.”
How much does a creative course like TP Sawgrass or Augusta National suit your creativity, as someone who works the ball both ways and tries all the shots?
MWL: “Yeah, of course, there are a couple of the holes that are a bit longer [at Sawgrass], so nice. But yeah, it’s a course where you have to shape it both ways, and it’s fun. There isn’t a straight shot out there.”
You’re becoming a big star as it is in golf, but how did you enjoy watching the episode of Full Swing that featured you and Minjee, and what’s the feedback been like?
MWL: “It’s been great. I got a lot of support from it, which is awesome. And, yeah, I guess the viewers can see the pressures of me [and Minjee to an extent] trying to make it onto the Olympics team and representing Australia. It was a very cool episode. I’m glad everyone liked it.”
Do you feel TPC Sawgrass, where you were T-20, gave you a good litmus test of how your game looks a month out from the Master? Does it place similar demands of your game?
MWL: “Yeah, exactly. [Sawgrass was] a true test of everything in your game. It was a great course and a good test for Augusta, which is right around the corner.”
How do you rate your game so far this year? Four top-25s from six starts and two top-20s at Signature events on the PGA Tour?
MWL: “It’s good. It’s trending. It’s going very well with the majors season almost here.”
Finally, Karl Vilips … what have you made of his rise from Stanford and winning [the Puerto Rico Open] recently on the PGA Tour for the first time? You grew up with him for a little while, in Western Australia, before he moved to the US aged 11.
“Yeah, he’s played amazing golf. I grew up with him when we were little kids playing junior tournaments. It’s awesome to see. Obviously, he left [WA] midway through his life but we had some good tournaments together before that. It’s nice to see a couple of the younger boys coming through now in Australian golf like Karl.”
His talent level seems really high. Does it look like that way to you?
MWL: “Yeah, of course. I mean, you don’t often just come out and just win a tournament on the PGA Tour [laughs]. I’m still trying to chase that. It’s amazing for him to get a win, and hopefully the confidence keeps building.”
