Big payday for sensational Min Woo Lee
Min Woo Lee chips during his second street 63 in Saudi Arabia. Image: Getty
The young Australian sensation Min Woo Lee has his very first top five-place in a professional tournament with the second, consecutive 63 in the Saudi International on the European Tour.
Lee, 20, member of the rookieploeg of Golf Australia, with talented young professionals, supported his Saturday seventieth with another sensational round and finished fourth behind the American former world leader Dustin Johnson.
It was only his second start as a professional, he became professional on January 12 and took sponsor invitations to play in Dubai (where he missed the cut) and King Abdullah City in Saudi Arabia.
Lee earned 152,000 euros for his finish, which amounts to $ 240,000, with rounds of 69-70-63-63 being 15-downs, four shots behind Johnson. He started the last day by going out in 31 shots, made a bogey from behind the green on the par-four 12th, then birdied the last two holes for his brilliant seven-under-63.
It opens all kinds of options for the Royal Fremantle member, who has graduated from the Western Golf and Australia Western Australia golf clubs to win an American junior championship and represent Australia, in the footsteps of his older sister Minjee, who is one of the best women's players in the world.
Lee has a limited status on the Web.com Tour and plans to start the tour in an attempt to pave the way to the US PGA Tour. But with so many points in the season-long race of the European Tour to Dubai, he will almost certainly be tempted to play more European matches to try to play his way to that tour as Lucas Herbert did last year.
After the round of Sunday night he said he had admitted that he & # 39; super-proud & # 39; was on his efforts on such a big stage.
"I did not know what to expect today," he said. "I just knew that I really had to keep my head in the game and every shot that was really fully dedicated had to touch, and I'm glad I did.
"I know those guys are superstars, I just said, play my own game and I'm glad I posted a good score, I'm just happy with my second start as a professional." & # 39;
Lee is going to Panama this week for a start of the Web.com tour. "This is a big step," he said. "It's the best finish I've had as a professional and I'm pretty sure, and to do it on a big stage against big players, it's great."