The Lowdown on Australian PGA Winner Min Woo Lee

MIN WOO LEE thrilled home fans with a three-shot victory at the Australian PGA Championship.

The 25-year-old, who had been out in front since round two, almost had a hole in one at the fourth and chipped in for eagle at the ninth on his way to a three under 68 at Royal Queensland GC as hew saw off the challenge of Rikuya Hoshino.

Standing up to the pressure of holding the overnight lead, Lee delighted the home crowds and was surrounded by friends and family as he tapped in for a final hole bogey to secure the Joe Kirkwood Cup and finish his week on 20 under par.

Lee said: “It is unbelievable. I've always thought I could win, but it took a while to get over the hump, but two wins in the last month or so. Yeah, I'm really proud of my team and myself and yeah, I made it interesting early on and through the middle, but ended up hanging on, so I'm really proud.

"I know Rikuya is a really good player and he kept knocking on the door, but it was the exactly same as my last win, just the playing point. I just kept coming, so I knew I just needed to keep playing well and do my thing and I did. Yeah, I'm really proud of the way I made some up and downs and some putts."

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Who is Min Woo Lee?

Min Woo Lee was born in Perth, Australia, on July 27, 1998.

His parents, Soonam and Clara Lee, were both from South Korea, and emigrated to Australia in the early 1990s. His older sister, Mine Lee, is also a professional golfer. When Min Woo Lee won the 2016 US Junior Amateur, they became the first brother and sister to win both the USGA’s  junior championships, Minjee having won the US Girls Championship in 2012.

Lee turned professional at the start of 2019 and played a number of events on the DP World Tour, finishing fourth in the Saudi International and tied fifth at the ISPS Handa World Super 6. He finished 117th in the Race to Dubai. In October he was tied for sixth in the Genesis Championship on the Korean Tour. He was also third at the NSW Open and tied third at the Australian PGA Championship.

The breakthrough came in February 2020 he won the ISPS Handa Vic Open.

In July 2021, Lee defeated Thomas Detry and Matt Fitzpatrick in a playoff to land the Scottish Open.

In May 2023, Lee earned special temporary membership on the PGA Tour.  In October 2023, he won the Macao Open on the Asian Tour, shooting a tournament record of 254 (30-under-par) and won wire-to-wire by two shots ahead.

Lee averages 291.25 yards from the tee, finds 76.79% of fairways and hits 65.28% of greens in regulation. He averages 25.75 putts per round, gets up and down from the sand 44.44% of the time and has a stroke average of 66.

What's In Min Woo Lee's Bag

Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond S (10.5°)

Fairway: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond HL (16.5°)

Utility: Callaway X Forged UT ’21 (19°)

Irons: Callaway Apex MB ’18, 4-10

Wedges: Callaway JAWS Mack Daddy 5 10 S 50°

Putter: Odyssey Tri Hot 5K Double Wide

Golf Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X