Min Woo Lee shared his disappointment along with his performances within the PGA Tour’s largest tournaments this 12 months, marking himself as “regardless of the lowest grade is”.
Chatting with Australian media to announce he’ll play the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland in November, Lee slammed his personal efforts within the signature occasions that boast a US$20 million (A$30.7m) prize purse.
The 27-year-old’s season ended on the FedEx St Jude Championship, the primary occasion of the PGA Tour’s three-week lengthy FedEx Cup playoffs, as a part of a disappointing displaying by the Australian contingent this season.
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With Jason Day failing to play his approach into the highest 30 within the season-long standings ultimately week’s BMW Championship, no Australian will tee it up on this week’s Tour Championship at East Lake in Georgia.
It’s the first time since 1998 that Australia won’t be represented within the PGA Tour’s season finale.
Lee was the second better of the Australians this season, ending 57th within the standings.
However he began the primary occasion of the playoffs on the bubble in fiftieth place, and did not progress after ending in a share of final place.
Regardless of the season ending in disappointment, Lee registered his first PGA Tour victory by holding off world No.1 Scottie Scheffler on the Houston Open within the lead-up to The Masters.
That feat bumped up his general evaluation of his season.
“A+ for the win. It’s one thing that I’ve all the time wished to do since I used to be just a little child,” Lee mentioned when requested to grade his 12 months.
“After which signature occasions, in all probability regardless of the lowest grade is.
“It wasn’t an excellent 12 months within the signature occasions. I want I’d performed just a little bit higher.
“Tried to notch that prime 50, however it’s what it’s. It’s not a large deal.
“I can nonetheless get into these occasions subsequent 12 months.”
“In all probability like a B (general),” Lee continued.
“It was a really profitable 12 months security-wise.
“I’ve bought one other two and a half years on the PGA Tour and that’s fairly superior.
“We clearly wish to be on the Tour Championship within the close to future.
“So, that’s going to be the purpose subsequent 12 months.”
Lee turns consideration to Masters after win | 02:28
Lee missed the lower within the final three majors, and got here forty ninth at The Masters.
His greatest end in a signature occasion was tied seventeenth on the Pebble Seaside Professional-Am in February.
His subsequent greatest lead to these elevated occasions was forty eighth at The Genesis Invitational two weeks later.
The poor leads to the more durable assessments served as a steep studying curve for Lee.
His win in Houston got here at Memorial Park, a public golf course that was remodeled right into a PGA Tour venue, the place the tough isn’t overly punishing and it will probably encourage lengthy bombers to tee it excessive and let it fly with little consequence.
Lee realised that the signature occasions lend themselves to a extra correct fashion of golf, and he could need to go “backwards” in a single side of his recreation to enhance his outcomes.
“The signature occasions have been (performed at) programs that I sort of found out afterward that they have been a really robotic sort of golf,” he mentioned.
“A whole lot of fairways, numerous greens and really correct.
“Which is one thing that I clearly wrestle on.
“I hit it lengthy and I’m a bit fiery and wayward however I can nonetheless recuperate from there.
“However when the tough is that thick, you may’t actually miss fairways and should you do, you simply need to hack it out.
“Which is a major-type course.
“In a approach, studying from that, you wish to change into very correct and also you wish to be a robotic golfer, which sort of sucks in my golf as a result of I’m not that sort of an individual and never that sort of golfer.
“So, studying from that, they have been saying decrease my pace to strive get just a little extra correct, which is sort of backwards.”
The West Australian is at present again house in Australia, having fun with time on the Gold Coast with associate Gracie earlier than returning to motion on the DP World Tour’s BMW PGA Championship and the French Open subsequent month.
Watching Gracie’s sister play within the QAFLW for the Southport Sharks earlier than sticking round for the VFL recreation is a far cry from life in the US.
Lee is a social media sensation courtesy of his {golfing} wizardry and his fun-loving character, and his content material led to a friendship with pop star Justin Bieber.
Final month, Lee attended Bieber’s golf-themed get together to announce his new album.
The pair message each other considerably continuously with Bieber even sending movies of his golf swing to ask Lee for ideas.
However attending the get together got here barely out of the blue, because it was occurring in Los Angeles, whereas Lee was in his US house of Las Vegas.
“It was a spontaneous textual content,” Lee recalled.
“I used to be with my mate, Zach, and Gracie and we have been in Vegas and LA’s solely an hour flight.
“We mentioned we in all probability we now have to go. We in all probability ought to go.
“It was a really cool second.
“Received to fulfill a few different celebs, and be round them, and have a golf theme get together, and hearken to his music too, it’s superb.”
Two years in the past when Lee went viral for a miraculous chip-in eagle on the ninth gap at Royal Queensland on his method to successful his maiden Australian PGA Championship, rubbing shoulders with celebrities would have been nearly unthinkable.
Lee was already plying his commerce within the US and had attracted a cult following, but it surely was the spotlight reel from the venue that can host the golf competitors within the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Video games that helped his popularity develop.
A key characteristic of it was his interplay with an adoring crowd, a lot of whom wore chef hats in reference to his ‘let him cook dinner’ moniker on his Instagram and TikTok accounts.
It has change into a development around the globe since, and reflecting on his journey to hanging out with celebrities, Lee mentioned he’s “speechless of it”.
“I’m simply me and JB is likely one of the largest artists on the earth,” he added.
Lee is but to decide to tackle the likes of Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott on the Australian Open in December.