Australia’s Min Woo Lee at the 2017 Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s. Picture by ANDREW GRIFFIN
MIN Woo Lee has announced his arrival on the world stage in style this season… and he is aiming to impress further on home soil when he tees it up at the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth on Thursday.
The 20-year-old Perth native proved that he could go toe to toe with the biggest stars in golf when he finished fourth in the Saudi Arabia International – an event that featured four of the top five players in the Official World Golf Ranking eventually won by World No. 3 Dustin Johnson.
That result came just one week after the 2016 US Junior Amateur champion made his first professional start in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
This week presents another first for the rising star from Western Australia, who tees it up at the Lake Karrinyup Country Club event for the first time as a professional.
Min Woo Lee said: “When I woke up today I was so excited. Just the fresh air in Perth. There was something to it.
“I heard the weather is going to be so good this week and I’m excited.
“Home crowd, and I had lots of fun last year, so I’m pumped. I love the format. It was unfortunate I lost in the third round but I’m looking forward to this year.
“Obviously I played well in Saudi. I had a really good lesson in Abu Dhabi, missed the cut and then kind of had to switch my mentality.
“There were a few names up there in front of me that were really good, and it’s okay if they beat me because they’re top five in the world. But it was nice to beat, I guess, most of the pros there.
“I’m not sure what my plan is, just whatever opportunities I get, I’ve got to play well in those,” said Lee, who flew home early having missed the cut in the Web.com’s Panama Championship on Friday.
The younger brother of LPGA winner Minjee Lee, added: “I kind of got half the points already to keep my European Tour card so that is definitely a chance that I can go to the European Tour – but who knows?
“Whatever starts I get I will take advantage of it, hopefully,” said the former amateur who lost in the third round of the British Amateur to Sussex’s Charlie Strickland at Royal St George’s in 2017, having been one of the favourites to land the world’s oldest amateur championship, which carries an invitation to the Masters.
Lee, who finished in tied fifth position in the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth as an amateur in 2018, looks set to emulate fellow Australian Lucas Herbert, who kick started his European Tour career with a third place finish in the same event last season.
He went on to comfortably secure his playing privileges for the 2019 season, finishing in 46th place in the Race to Dubai Rankings.
Herbert notched up five top five finishes and seven top 10 – including a career-best tied second place finish in the Portugal Masters behind Hertfordshire’s Tom Lewis.
Herbert said: “It sets up really well for me here with the results that I’ve had.
“It’s a really cool place, I love being here. Perth is an awesome city. Getting back here is always a fun week of the year.
“I think it’s a good change up from the rest of the year. Obviously I like matchplay but only getting six hole matches is good.
“You have to be on your game really quick and really early.
“There are a lot of good players here so there are plenty of worries to think about when it comes down to those matches on Sunday.
“Tom Lewis has gotten the better of me a few times last year.
“I would love to finish top 20 in the Race to Dubai. Given the year I had last year, I think top 20 is a reasonable goal.
“Hopefully, that will give me a chance to play some more Majors and WGCs this year and next year, which will ultimately give me the exposure I need to the best players in the world, and to take my game to the next level again.”
Lewis, the Welwyn Garden City Golf Club ace, also tees it up in Western Australia this week in a field that includes Belgian Ryder Cup player Thomas Pieters.
The ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth provides another innovative week on the European Tour, with 54 holes of traditional stroke play across the first three days – followed by an exciting six-hole knockout match play format for the fourth and final round.
