Two years after playing his way into the final group alongside world No.1 Scottie Scheffler in his debut appearance, Lee backed up an opening round of 5-under 67 on day one with 6-under 66 to be tied with American Akshay Bhatia at 11-under par.

The pair are one stroke clear of another American, JJ Spaun, with major champions Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa and American Alex Smalley tied for fourth at 9-under par.

Lee leant on his 2-iron off the tee to navigate his way around the Pete Dye masterpiece, a course he has already shown a great affinity for.

A birdie at the par-4 10th was the ideal springboard to Round 2, further birdies at 15 and 16 seeing the 24-year-old make the turn in 3-under.

That would be just a precursor to what was to follow as he picked up four birdies in five holes from the par-4 first.

It is familiar territory for the West Australian who believes he has the tools both physically and mentally to finish the job.

Lee was tied for the lead through three holes of the final round in 2023 before hitting a shot into the par-4 fourth that spun back into the water, the resulting triple bogey all but ending his chances.

“Big learning curve. Especially the fourth hole, that’s probably one shot that I regret in my career,” said Lee, whose tie for sixth was his first PGA TOUR top 10.

“It was a wedge that I got steep on and it’s been the narrative for a long time.

“My approach play, I just see the ball flight coming in low and I get a little bit too steep. It’s nice to actually just hit it up in the air and trust it.

“That’s a big part of why I’m getting a little bit better with my approach play.

“A bit more level-headed and a lot of learning between then and now.”

The secret weapon to Lee’s success at Sawgrass this week is a 2-iron that has been a fixture in his bag for a number of seasons.

“If your 2-iron goes 300 yards, it’s pretty good. I just love the club,” said Lee, who would have had the outright lead if not for a closing bogey at the par-5 ninth.

“I can step up on the tee and hit a little draw and if it just gets past some hills and bounces off hills, it goes a long way.

“It can nearly go as far as 3-wood or a driver sometimes if it plugs. Instead, it rolls all the way. It rolls 50, 60 yards sometimes.

“When I hit it good it ends up going a long way. That helps.”

Lee will play a lone hand for Australia across the final two rounds after Adam Scott (72), Karl Vilips (78) and Cam Davis (80) all missed the cut, Kiwi Ryan Fox (70) tied for 49th at 2-under par.

Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images