Min Woo Lee won his first PGA Tour event on Sunday with a one-shot victory at the Houston Open.
Lee made two mistakes in the final round, taking a drop on the 8th and 16th holes, but he played well enough to see off Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland.
The Australian was already popular due to his social media presence, however, he seems to have picked up some more fans with his latest performance.
Three-time Masters champion Sir Nick Faldo recently shared his thoughts on Lee’s golf swing and temperament.
Sir Nick Faldo speaks about Min Woo Lee’s golf swing after Houston Open
Lee’s exceptional talent had been known for a while, but he had yet to put it all together over four rounds in the United States.
He’s now accomplished the key milestone of landing his first PGA Tour victory, and it’s fair to assume that it won’t be his last.
Reflecting on Lee’s display at Memorial Park, former world number one Faldo said: “He looks good, doesn’t he? Technically really good.
“I guess the learning process, when you make a mess of it and then you finally get through it, probably does you the world of good. You get a nasty shock and how do you react? He obviously reacted very well. You’ve got to calm yourself down and finish it off.
“He played great. I was watching his swing and all that sort of thing. Great consistency, ‘proximity to hole’ they call it now – that 15-foot circle.
“He looked great and fended off Scottie and Rory [McIlroy] right there. It’s got to feel good for him. If you’re going to win, it’s never easy. He’ll remember that for the rest of his life. That was a great first win.”
Houston Open viewing figures prove Min Woo Lee is fan favourite
Lee has an enormous fanbase, particularly among the younger generations of golf fans, which far supersedes his current achievements in the sport.
For example, he has 753,000 followers on Instagram, where he regularly posts engaging content, compared to 482,000 for world number two Xander Schauffele.
Of course, social media isn’t an exact measurement of popularity, but it certainly seems that Lee draws more attention than most players.
His aimpoint antics before the winning putt epitomised what he’s all about, speaking of which Faldo added: “He’s a good entertainer. He’s kind of needed out there right now.”
That probably explains, at least partially, why the viewing figures at the Houston Open were so much higher than usual.
44% more fans tuned in to watch Lee win the tournament than Stephan Jaeger last season, with Scheffler contending both times.
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