Min Woo Lee recounts his PGA Tour breakthrough at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, where he held off world No.1 Scottie Scheffler in the final round
Winning is an amazing feeling, and I was very proud of the way I handled myself. Mentally, it was a grind and I’m super-proud to win. It’s been one of my goals to become a winner on the PGA Tour and I’m happy to tick that off my list.
They always say the difference between winning and losing is the six inches between your ears. I think that was a big part for me during the week. I always felt like I have the assets to win; it was just, Can you do it mentally? These guys who win regularly, they’re all mentally strong, very locked in and laser-focused, so I think that’s something I have learned.
Even with a four-shot lead going into the last day in Houston, it was tough. Scottie Scheffler was making a charge, but I was proud of how I kept myself in it. I played solidly and had one slip-up on the 16th hole with the drive into the water. It was tough to tee it up again, but thankfully I managed to make a nice bogey there and followed up with two really good pars to get it done.
I wasn’t calm calm, and I was also freaking out. There were a lot of emotions, but I have a good caddie (Brian “Bo” Martin) and he just said, “Hey, it’s OK. Let’s take our medicine and move on.”
Looking back now, I think the putt on the 18th hole from off the green was a very good one. It was one of the better putts I hit during the weekend that helped me get the win, so it will be ingrained in my head for a long time. We kept it together and to close out the tournament and win by one shot was really nice.
After getting home to Las Vegas that night, I had an In-N-Out burger, which is one of the meals I really enjoy in the US. The next day, we had a nice dinner with my sister Minjee, who was town for an LPGA tournament, my mate Zach, my coach Ritchie and my girlfriend Gracie. It was a nice time with them as they are my biggest supporters, along with my parents.
Now that I’m world No.22, it’s surreal. It’s crazy to be the leading Australian in the Official World Golf Ranking. I’ve looked up to these guys and I still do, but it’s awesome to be the No.1-ranked Aussie. I still feel like a little kid growing up, like I’m 18, 19, 20. It is so much fun and it’s cool to be in this position. I feel like I inspire kids and inspire people to love and play golf.
Hopefully, I can keep going.
Photograph: Getty images