RISING THROUGH THE RANKS

We speak to Min Woo Lee about his rapid ascent, controlling his emotions and how he managed to get a lesson from Tiger Woods

- MARK TOWNSEND

Min Woo Lee has packed a lot into his first 24 years. At the age of 17, he became the first Aussie to win the US Junior Amateur, four years after his sister, Minjee, had done the same. He’s also hit balls in front of his hero Tiger Woods, played the Old Course backwards, won a Rolex Series event on the DP World Tour and shot 30 on the front nine on his debut at Augusta. In March of this year at The Players Championship, he teed off in the final group alongside eventual winner Scottie Scheffler and was tied for the lead with 15 holes to play.

The general rule of thumb is that most interviews take place later than the arranged time, if at all. I’m speaking to Lee in Abu Dhabi an hour ahead of our scheduled chat as he’s waiting for his shoes to turn up. There’s not a lot of fuss about Lee and some additional time is pencilled in the following day for some photos. He’s cool, has a dry sense of humour and is particularly modest and easy to get on with. When you ask the people who are part of the moving jamboree that is the DP World Tour which players truly stand out, Lee’s name quickly pops up.

There’s an awful lot to like about Lee’s swing. At Sawgrass, his 2-iron stinger caught many of the headlines and he’s able to tap into some remarkable power. In his rookie season on tour in 2019, he led the driving distance stats with an average of 321 yards and, in among that front nine of 30 at Augusta last year, Lee picked up a pair of crystal highball glasses for an eagle at the 2nd.