Paired with world No.1 Scottie Scheffler for the third round at Memorial Park Golf Course, Lee unleashed a blistering 7-under 63 to take the 54-hole lead at 17-under par. It surpasses his 64 from Round 2 as his best in the US.

He is four strokes clear of 2024 runner-up Alejandro Tosti (65) and five shots ahead of Scheffler (69), Kiwi Ryan Fox (65) and American Ryan Gerard (68), taking the 54-hole lead for the first time in his PGA TOUR career in his 56th start.

The 26-year-old was the 36-hole leader at THE PLAYERS Championship just three weeks ago and will call on that experience to try and close out his first PGA TOUR win.

“It was a very good learning curve the last PLAYERS just a few weeks ago, being in the lead,” said Lee.

“I don’t know, felt like I wasn’t myself.

“I want to be in this situation more and more, so I had to really look into it myself. Just keeping my head down really and try and hit one shot at a time.

“It’s a long day so you can’t get ahead of yourself, and you’ve just got to hit one shot at a time and keep trusting your game.”

Trust is a key word for Lee at present.

He and coach Ritchie Smith have worked hard in recent years to shallow out his angle of attack to deliver more consistent iron play.

The combination of hitting more than 72 per cent of greens in regulation and leading the field in Strokes Gained: Putting has proved to be a lethal one with 18 holes to play.

“It’s just a lot of trust,” added Lee, who can become the eighth Australian to win the Houston Open.

“We’ve been working on this for the last two, three years, but just the last couple weeks since PLAYERS it kind of clicked in.

“It’s kind of just like a little nugget that I figured out.

“Anytime into the wind I just want to get steep and hit it low, and normally it comes out hot off the face and becomes very hard to control the iron

“To shallow it out and have less spin I think definitely helps.

“At first it doesn’t feel amazing because you think you’re going to flip it left all the time, but

after a couple times I trusted it and I could really see the shot.”

Sunday’s final round is an opportunity, too, for Ryan Fox.

Making his 63rd start on the PGA TOUR, the four-time DP World Tour winner can join Bob Charles as the only Kiwi winners of the Houston Open but knows it will take something special.

“It’s go out, take some flags on, hope the putter gets hot basically, and see if you can put some pressure on early,” said Fox.

“I’ve certainly been in the situation Min’s been in the other way on the DP World Tour. I think I had a six-shot lead and it was down to one after about five holes after a bad start and a good start from others.

“Obviously he’s a great player and I can’t control what he does. I’ve just got to go out tomorrow and put some good swings on it and hope I can put some pressure on him and be up there come the last few holes tomorrow afternoon.”

Lee is not the only Australian entering the final round at the top of the leaderboard.

Victorian Steve Allan has a one-stroke lead at the Galleri Classic on the PGA TOUR Champions, good mate Cameron Percy just two shots back as he also chases a first win on the seniors circuit.

Photo: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images