Australian golf’s biggest showman, Min Woo Lee, is making a new home for himself in a very appropriate place, Las Vegas, but he’s keeping Australia very much on his mind.
Not only is Lee, ranked No.32 in the world, determined to represent his country at the Olympic Games in Paris for the first time, he’s already locked in his Australian PGA Championship title defence at Royal Queensland in November.
Buy your 2024 Australian PGA Championship tickets HERE.
Lee said coming back to Brisbane as the defending champion would be a new experience, but one he’s already looking forward to.
“It was obviously big for me to win a tournament in Australia. Being in front of my friends and family was massive and I love Royal Queensland,” the West Australian said today.
“It’s a course I love playing and I feel like it suits my game pretty good.
“The crowds at Royal Queensland are always awesome. It’s a great vibe that just keeps getting bigger.”
After an awesome Australian summer, where he also contended for the ISPS HANDA Australian Open title before finishing third, Lee is settling in to life in the United States where he has been a guest in American pro Kurt Kitayama’s home when not playing tournament golf as a fulltime member of the PGA TOUR for the first time.
His own home in the “Entertainment Capital of the World” is on the way and will make his move away from Perth even more comfortable, helping his bid to build on a season that he has graded as a B so far.
The clear highlight in eight events has been a T2 finish at the Cognizant Classic in Florida.
“It’s massive to have a place to stay in America and not have to travel all the way back to Australia.
“I do miss Australia and I do miss my friends and family but I think it helps having that home base.”
Lee’s next event will be The CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas in early May but the No.2-ranked Australian also has an eye on the Paris Olympic Games in July, with his T22 result at the Masters edging him closer to qualification.
The top 15 in the world and top two ranked players from each country will earn a place in the field at Le Golf National in July.
As it currently stands, Lee and Jason Day (No.22) would be the Australian men’s duo.
“It’s definitely a talking point. Every week I get asked, so it’s in my brain, in my head,” he said of the potential to become an Olympian like sister Minjee.
“I would love to represent Australia. It’s one of the goals I’ve had from the last year or so when the talk started happening.”