Min Woo Lee (born 27 July 1998) is an Australian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and the European Tour. He won the 2020 ISPS Handa Vic Open, the 2021 Abrdn Scottish Open and the 2023 Fortinet Australian PGA Championship on the European Tour. He also won the 2023 SJM Macao Open on the Asian Tour.
| Min Woo Lee | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Nickname | Woozy, The Chef[1] |
| Born | 27 July 1998 Perth, Western Australia |
| Sporting nationality |  Australia |
| Residence | Perth, Western Australia |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 2019 |
| Current tour(s) | PGA Tour European Tour PGA Tour of Australasia |
| Professional wins | 4 |
| Highest ranking | 31 (3 March 2024)[2] (as of 21 April 2024) |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 3 |
| Asian Tour | 1 |
| PGA Tour of Australasia | 2 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T14: 2022 |
| PGA Championship | T18: 2023 |
| U.S. Open | T5: 2023 |
| The Open Championship | T21: 2022 |
Professional career edit
Lee turned professional at the start of 2019.[3] He played a number of events on the European Tour and had early success, finishing 4th in the Saudi International and tied for 5th in the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth, both events played in February. These were, however, his only top-10 finishes of the season and he finished 117th in the Order of Merit. In October he was tied for 6th in the Genesis Championship on the Korean Tour. At the end of the year he was solo 3rd in the AVJennings NSW Open and then tied for 3rd in the Australian PGA Championship, an early season event on the 2020 European Tour.
In February 2020 he won the ISPS Handa Vic Open, an event co-sanctioned with by the European Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia.
In July 2021, Lee defeated Thomas Detry and Matt Fitzpatrick in a playoff at the Abrdn Scottish Open.[4] With this win, he earned entry into the 2021 Open Championship.[5]
In May 2023, Lee earned special temporary membership on the PGA Tour.[6]
In October 2023, Lee won the SJM Macao Open on the Asian Tour. He shot a tournament record of 254 (30-under-par) and won wire-to-wire by two shots ahead of Poom Saksansin.[7] One month later, Lee won the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship.[8]
Personal life edit
Lee's parents, Soonam and Clara Lee, were both from South Korea, and emigrated to Australia in the early 1990s. Lee's older sister, Minjee Lee, is also a professional golfer. When Min Woo Lee won the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur, they became the first brother/sister pair to win the USGA's junior championships, Minjee Lee having won the U.S. Girls' Junior in 2012.[9]
Lee has a large social media presence, with over 200,000 followers on Instagram and 100,000 on TikTok.[10] His presence has led to him being described as possibly the "first golf cult hero" by Golf Magazine.[11]
Amateur wins edit
- 2013 Drummond Junior
- 2014 Drummond Junior
- 2015 Western Australia Amateur, Drummond Junior, Aaron Baddeley International Junior Championship
- 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur
- 2017 Western Australia Amateur
- 2018 South Australia Amateur Classic
Source:[12]
Professional wins (4) edit
European Tour wins (3) edit
| Legend |
| Rolex Series (1) |
| Other European Tour (2) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 Feb 2020 | ISPS Handa Vic Open1 | −19 (66-67-68-68=269) | 2 strokes |  Ryan Fox
|
| 2 | 11 Jul 2021 | Abrdn Scottish Open | −18 (68-69-65-64=266) | Playoff |  Thomas Detry,  Matt Fitzpatrick
|
| 3 | 26 Nov 2023 (2024 season) |
Fortinet Australian PGA Championship1 | −20 (64-66-66-68=264) | 3 strokes |  Rikuya Hoshino
|
1Co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia
European Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021 | Abrdn Scottish Open | Thomas Detry, Matt Fitzpatrick
|
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Asian Tour wins (1) edit
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 Oct 2023 | SJM Macao Open | −30 (62-64-65-63=254) | 2 strokes |  Poom Saksansin
|
PGA Tour of Australasia wins (2) edit
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 Feb 2020 | ISPS Handa Vic Open1 | −19 (66-67-68-68=269) | 2 strokes | Ryan Fox
|
| 2 | 26 Nov 2023 | Fortinet Australian PGA Championship1 | −20 (64-66-66-68=264) | 3 strokes | Rikuya Hoshino
|
1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour
Results in major championships edit
| Tournament | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T14 | CUT | T22 | |
| PGA Championship | CUT | T18 | ||
| U.S. Open | T27 | T5 | ||
| The Open Championship | CUT | T21 | T41 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Summary edit
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 7 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 4 (2023 PGA – 2024 Masters, current)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (2023 U.S. Open)
Results in The Players Championship edit
| Tournament | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T6 | T54 |
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Results in World Golf Championships edit
| Tournament | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | T28 | ||
| Match Play | T26 | T31 | |
| Invitational | 62 | ||
| Champions | NT1 | NT1 | |
1Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
"T" = Tied
NT = No tournament
Note that the Championship and Invitational were discontinued from 2022. The Champions was discontinued from 2023.
Team appearances edit
Amateur
- Nomura Cup (representing Australia): 2017
- Bonallack Trophy (representing Asia/Pacific): 2018 (winners)
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Australia): 2018
- Sloan Morpeth Trophy (representing Australia): 2016 (winners)
References edit
- ^ Woodard, Adam (26 November 2023). "Why Min Woo Lee rocked a chef hat to celebrate his 2023 Australian PGA Championship victory (before he even won)". Golfweek. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "Week 9 2024 Ending 3 Mar 2024" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "Min Woo Lee turns professional". Australian Golf Digest. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ "Australian Min Woo Lee wins Scottish Open after three-way playoff". www.abc.net.au. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ "Min Woo Lee wins Scottish Open after 3-way playoff". Associated Press. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ "Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee join the PGA Tour as Special Temporary Members". PGA Tour. 24 May 2023.
- ^ Monteverde, Marco (15 October 2023). "Min Woo Lee goes wire-to-wire to claim victory at the Macau Open". Herald Sun. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ "Min Woo Lee serves up a victory at the Australian PGA Championship". Associated Press. 26 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "Australia's Min Woo Lee wins US Junior Amateur". Associated Press News. 24 July 2016.
- ^ "Min Woo Lee's fast-growing social media presence is helping his golf". European Tour. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- ^ Colgan, James (21 July 2023). "Call of Duty, Post Malone and not getting 'canceled': Min Woo Lee is golf's viral superstar". Golf Magazine. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- ^ "Min Woo Lee". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
External links edit
- Min Woo Lee at the European Tour official site
- Min Woo Lee at the PGA Tour of Australasia official site
- Min Woo Lee at the PGA Tour official site
- Min Woo Lee at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
- Official Instagram
- Official TikTok