[PHOTO: Getty Images/PGA Tour/X]
Min Woo Lee took a wild ride up the 18th at TPC Sawgrass during a thrilling par save that kept him within one shot of the first-round lead at the Players Championship.
The West Australian took an iron off the tee but blocked it way right over the hospitality tent and into a tricky mound of rough where the green was blocked by trees. Lee then deliberately played a pitch shot along the cart path and into the pine straw, where he crafted a delicate punch shot along the fairway that settled 20 feet from the hole.
The social media star sent fans wild when he drained the par putt for a five-under-par 67 that left him one shot behind co-leaders Lucas Glover, J.J. Spaun and Camilo Villegas (66). Lee shared fourth with Ponte Vedra Beach local Billy Horschel. Occasionally, Lee threatened to shoot a 63 with a series of classy iron shots negated by missed birdie attempts within 20 feet, particularly at the 13th, 14th and 16th.
“Yeah, I just had a feeling that if I hit a good 2-iron, which I have been all day, I could have a short wedge in but I managed to produce the worst swing of the day about 40 yards right of where I wanted to hit it,” Lee said. “I literally had no shot [for the second]. [The approach shot] I wanted to hit the cart path maybe once, but not four times. [For the third shot] I just thought, if I can get it past a tree, it would be a straight shot up to the green, but it literally was stuck behind a tree, and I was like, nice one, good job. That third shot could have easily gone in the water had I just pulled it, but used a bit of magic and tried to cut up a pitching wedge out of the rough and – out of the pinestraw, and it was absolutely perfect. I was just very happy to have a par putt. I managed to sneak it in on the right edge and it summed up the day. It was a really solid day.”
Lee, who is renowned on social media for hitting “stinger” 2-iron shots from tee boxes that barely get airborne, used his trusty long iron “about six times” for tee shots on day one at TPC Sawgrass. Fans around the grounds constantly cheered him on to hit his signature shot, including that failed 18th tee ball.
“I didn’t hear that; you can get carried away with a stinger,” he said. “It’s a very tough shot to do under pressure, you have to get very steep. I usually just do that anyway, so I try to hit the normal 2-iron, and if it comes out low, it comes out low. I launch it pretty low anyway so it looks like a stinger. I probably should have hit a stinger after that [blocked tee shot] on 18.”
Bizarrely, Lee had five front-nine birdies and only one on the back side and a lone bogey at the par-5 11th. The world No.56, who played in the final group with Scottie Scheffler in 2023 only to fade to a T-6 result, said he was feeling at home on the tricky Pete Dye-designed TPC given the creativity it demands.
“I just love this course. It just suits so well,” Lee, a three-time DP World Tour winner who is chasing a maiden PGA Tour victory, said. “The wind was a bit confusing today, but I really enjoy coming here. I just love playing shots off tees and not hitting driver every [hole]. Driver is a weapon of mine [Lee’s ball speed with driver is regularly more than 190 miles an hour, one of the longest on tour], but I love hitting that 2-iron everywhere. If it’s a little firm, it plays into my hands.”
Karl Vilips, in his Players debut, was climbing rapidly up the leaderboard at four-under before a double-bogey at the par-4 sixth (his 15th) and bogeys at the eighth and ninth to close his round. Last week’s Puerto Rico Open winner, Vilips, sat even-par after a 72.
Adam Scott struggled to a two-over 74 while Cam Davis was four-over (76). Jason Day withdrew hours before his tee time with a severe stomach bug.
TV COVERAGE: The Players Championship is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
*All times AEDT.
Round 1: Thursday 10:30pm-10am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Round 2: Friday 10:30pm-10am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Round 3: Saturday 10:30pm-10am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Final Round: Sunday 10:30pm-9am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
