Min Woo Lee is finally a winner on the PGA Tour after holding his nerve under pressure to win the Houston Open.
Lee seemed to be cruising to a win but he found water late in his final round to give both Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland a chance at forcing the playoff.
In the end, Min Woo held his nerve to hole out on 18 with a fine two putt and win by a single shot to win his first PGA Tour event in 56 attempts.
- READ MORE: PGA Tour player left ‘upset’ after what Min Woo Lee did during the final round of the Houston Open
Of course, the sight of Scheffler in his rear-view mirrors coming down the stretch only added to the nerves.
And speaking about trying to hold Scheffler off, Lee has admitted it was a tough ask.
Min Woo Lee shares what it was like holding Scottie Scheffler off at the Houston Open
Speaking to the media on course immediately after rolling in his putt to win, Min Woo Lee was holding back the emotion as he explained his victory.
However, he found time to mention Scheffler and paid tribute to the world number one for pushing him.
“I played unbelievable up until that bogey but it is hard. It’s really hard,” Lee admitted.
“Scottie is a wonderful golfer and he keeps you on your toes. This is my first time being in front and trying to hold a lead and I am glad I got it done. But I am exhausted. It was a lot of mental grind and I am so proud of the way I handled myself. I have to thank a lot of people. It was unbelievable.
Quizzed further on just how his journey had been and what he’d gone through to finally hit the point of winning, Lee admitted that he’s been inspired by a few near misses.
“A couple of not so great messages the last few tournaments. Not finishing it off at The Players is a tough week but just a bit of a kick in the butt and I knew I was going to get to this point,” he continued.
“Heck I wasn’t even supposed to play this tournament so thank you, Brent, my manager, for putting this tournament in the schedule. Houston is going to be in my heart for a long time, first PGA Tour win and let him cook.”
Can Min Woo Lee win The Masters?
With Scottie Scheffler likely to be in the mix at the Masters in a few weeks’ time, Min Woo Lee will know he needs to play even better to win at Augusta.
However, he is an emerging talent and his record in just three attempts at the Masters is not too bad at all.
Min Woo has missed the cut once but the other two times he’s finished T22 and T14 in his very first attempt at the course.
With a win now under his belt and the monkey off his back so to speak, Lee can go to Augusta and be confident of being in the mix.
Indeed, play like he did around Houston, and he will have every chance of winning.
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