Hometown hero Min Woo Lee will use this week’s ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth tournament to plot a course for the remainder of 2019, admitting he could temporarily turn his attention away from America and towards the European Tour instead.

Fourth at the Saudi International two weeks ago, Lee currently sits inside the top-30 in Europe’s Race to Dubai standings but also has limited status on the secondary Web.com Tour in the US after qualifying for final stage of Q School whilst still an amateur.

His management company, IMG, facilitated sponsor invitations at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the Saudi International where he stared down some of the biggest names in world golf with weekend rounds of 63-63 to run fourth.

The 20-year-old immediately flew from Saudi Arabia to Panama to make his Web.com Tour debut but after missing the cut hastily added the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 tournament to his schedule.

A rookie year as a professional comes with a high level of uncertainty but Lee knows a strong display this week – where he made it through to the third round of matchplay last year – could shore up a more complete schedule in Europe.

“I’m not sure what my plan is. Whatever opportunities I get I’ve got to play well in those,” said Lee of a playing schedule that he is constructing on the fly.

“I’ve kind of got half the points already to keep my European Tour card so that is definitely a chance, that I can go to the European Tour.

“I think I’m in the top-30 of the Race to Dubai which I think makes it easier to get invites. I’m not too sure, but, like I said, I have to get the opportunities and play well in them.

“Whatever starts I get I will take advantage of it, hopefully.

“Obviously a win gets you on the European Tour, but a high finish obviously helps my ranking and my Race to Dubai points. We’ll just see what happens.”

Despite stating his intention to play predominantly in the US this year, Lee took affiliate membership of the European Tour prior to his professional debut at Abu Dhabi.

As was the case for Lucas Herbert last year, affiliate members may only receive seven sponsor invitations over the course of the year but can extend that to an unlimited number by equaling the number of points achieved by the 110th-ranked player from last year.

Given the start he has made so early in the season, fellow West Australian Jason Scrivener believes it is the path he should follow.

“In my opinion he should probably go through Europe, especially with the fourth-place finish,” said Scrivener, who has made a brilliant start to his fifth year on the European Tour.

“He’s probably a third of the way to keeping his card and it’s a great tour now.

“I know it’s not the PGA TOUR but it’s the second-best thing.

“I think it’s definitely the way he should go.

“There’s obviously a lot to learn. It’s a big transition but now that he’s got a bit of momentum, fourth place is a big hurdle to get over early in your career.

“Feeling comfortable at the top end of a tournament like that with some big names is pretty impressive.

“I’m sure he’ll build from that and keep learning.”

With his sister, Greg Norman Medal winner Minjee Lee, in Adelaide this week to contest the ISPS HANDA Women’s Australian Open, Min Woo’s late change of plans necessitated a hasty return flight to Perth for his father, Soonam.

He has been recruited as Min Woo’s driver and chef for the week, helping to bring the comforts of home after a head-spinning start to his professional career.

“He cooks every day for me, whatever I want, so that’s nice,” said Lee.

“He’ll cook a bit of Korean food. It’s nice and healthy and tasty so I’m excited to be home and get home cooked meals.

“After 11 holes in Panama I was 7-over. My manager was walking around and I was like, ‘When is the next flight to Perth?’

“If I made the top-25 in Panama I would play the next week, but that didn’t go to plan so I was just straight to here.

“I went from Panama to New York and was originally supposed to go to Hong Kong and then Perth.

“A few hours after we left New York I was sleeping and the guy opened up my window and he was like, ‘We’re landing.’ I was like, ‘Oh, sweet, that was the quickest 16-hour flight I’ve ever had.

“Then he said we had to go back to New York so I stayed at the airport for five hours and changed my flight.

“Originally I was supposed to get in on Sunday but I ended up getting in on Monday so here I am.

“I didn’t sleep too well Monday night but I’m sure I’ll sleep good tonight.”

The best players from the Asian Tour will be back to headline the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth when the A$1.6 million event starts at the Lake Karrinyup Country Club on Thursday.

Following a three-week break, the action on the Asian Tour resumes with the European Tour and ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tri-sanctioned event set to delight the crowd in Western Australia.

The stakes at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth are also going to be higher as it is the final event for players to boost their world rankings and break into the top-50 so as to qualify for the World Golf Championships- Mexico Championship next week.

South Africa’s Justin Harding, who finished third on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings after two standout victories in Indonesia and Thailand last year, is among the hopefuls eyeing a good result in Perth.

“I played nicely in Hong Kong and Mauritius towards the end of last year and also posted a couple good results in Dubai and Saudi Arabia this year. So I’m just seeing if I can keep riding the wave and momentum and push on,” said the South African.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond is also hoping to seek inspiration from his compatriot’s winning performance last year and achieve a similar feat at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth, which is the only tournament in professional golf that features an innovative stroke play and match play format.

“It was pretty amazing to see what that win has done for Kiradech (Aphibarnrat) last year. He broke into the top-50 in the world and went on to play the Masters.

“I remembered we were just talking before the tournament started last year and how he did not even get to play a practice round as he was the last player to enter the tournament. He then went on to win the tournament. It’s pretty inspiring,” said Jazz.

Harding and Jazz along with Thailand’s Poom Saksansin and American Kurt Kitayama are among the leading Asian Tour contenders for the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth.

The ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth, which will also welcome 26 Asian Tour champions, combines 54 holes of traditional stroke play across the first three days with an exciting knockout match play format for the fourth and final round.

A regular cut will fall after 36 holes before the field is then further reduced to the top-24 players following 54 holes of regulation play, with any ties for 24th place being decided by a play-off.

Those remaining players will then earn their places in the six-hole shootout.

Any matches tied after the six holes will be decided by playing the new Shootout Hole – a purpose-built 90-metre hole constructed at Lake Karrinyup, with a tee placed adjacent to the 18th fairway and utilising the 18th green.

The ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth is a revolutionary golf tournament designed to retain the traditions of the game whilst appealing to a broader audience.

Australian Min Woo Lee will make his first professional start on Australian soil at his home event, the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth.

A Perth local, Lee is excited by the chance to play the event as a professional having placed an incredible seventh in 2018.

“I had a really good tournament at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth last year as an amateur so I am thrilled to have the chance now to play it as a professional,” said Lee.

“When I didn’t make the cut at Panama on the Web.com Tour, I knew I had to see if I could come down to Perth and play the ISPS HANDA World Super 6.

“It’s an awesome event and is so much fun to play. There aren’t many opportunities to play match play as a pro so to change it up a bit and have some fun battling it out head-to-head is great.”

After making his professional debut on the European Tour earlier this year, Lee hopes his knowledge of the Lake Karrinyup Country Club course will play in his favour.

“It’s a course that I’ve played plenty of times and for me, really, it’s another great opportunity to play against some high calibre players,” added Lee, who finished fourth at the Saudi International earlier in February.

“I’m really excited to be coming back to Perth to play at home again. Lake Karrinyup Country Club is looking amazing so I can’t wait to get out there and hopefully record another high finish on the European Tour.”

Lee joins a strong Australian contingent at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth, an event tri-sanctioned by the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, European Tour and Asian Tour.

“We are delighted to extend an invite to Min Woo Lee to compete in the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth. The PGA and the Tour believe in fostering our up and coming young talent and providing them the opportunity to compete in world class tournaments on home soil is an excellent way of doing this,” said Gavin Kirkman, CEO of the PGA of Australia, which owns the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

“At the 2018 ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth, Min Woo showed the world his prodigious talent and he continues to grow and develop. It has been excellent to see him get off to such a fast start in his professional career and we hope he uses the Super 6 as a springboard for his 2019 season.

“Min Woo is a true future star of Aussie golf and I would encourage everyone to come out to Lake Karrinyup to support him.”

International stars including England’s Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston and Tom Lewis, Belgium’s Thomas Pieters and Japan’s Yuta Ikeda will all tee it up at Lake Karrinyup Country Club alongside Australian stars Lucas Herbert and ISPS HANDA Vic Open winner David Law.

The ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth begins on 14 February, 2019.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond is not about to rest on his laurels as he heads back into action with the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth getting underway next week.

Jazz continued to underline his status as one of the rising stars of the game when he defeated a host of world-class players including Sergio Garcia, Paul Casey and Davis Love III for his third Asian Tour victory in Singapore last month.

But he has since moved on from that win and is determined to put up another good showing at the Lake Karrinyup Country Club when the Asian Tour, European Tour and ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tri-sanctioned event is played there from February 14-17.

“That win in Singapore was pretty exciting. I got back home to Hua Hin and everyone threw me a party. But it’s straight back to business and the grind of practising after that,” said Jazz.

“This will be my third time playing at Lake Karrinyup and I feel like I’ve got to know the course a lot better now. I haven’t played much match play events and the first time I got to play in such a format in my professional career was at the Friendship Cup late last year where I won all my matches. So I hope to get into the shootout on Sunday and see what happens,” added the 23-year-old.

Jazz’s victory in Singapore played a huge role in breaking him into the top-100 on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) for the first time in his career.

While the young Thai is pleased with his achievements which will set him up for bigger playing opportunities, he knows how cruel the sport can be and why it is important for him to stay on top of his game.

“There has been lots of ups and downs in my career. You are only as good as your last event. So you got to try to be as good as you can every week. I didn’t think I would be able to break into the world’s top-100 so fast. But now that it has happened, I’m aiming higher and want to break into the top-50. It’s a step-by-step process,” said Jazz.

Jazz was just 14 when he played his way into the history books by becoming the youngest ever player to make the halfway cut at an Asian Tour event in 2010.

He missed the grade at the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2017 but bounced back remarkably with his breakthrough victory in Bangladesh the same month.

Jazz dared to believe he can turn things around and sometimes it takes failure to bring out success.

“I made peace with pressure. I’ve learnt how to handle the pressure somehow and I guess those setbacks helped in my game,” said Jazz.

Jazz will be part of a strong Asian Tour field that also features Order of Merit champions Gavin Green of Malaysia and Australia’s Scott Hend. Other marquee players expected to headline the event include Thomas Pieters, who is one half of the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf winning Belgium team, Australian Lucas Herbert, New Zealander Ryan Fox, Spaniard Jorge Campillo and Japan’s Yusaku Miyazato.

Much-loved golfing personality Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston will contest his first ISPS HANDA Vic Open, then make his return to Lake Karrinyup Country Club for the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth in February.

The 2019 ISPS HANDA Vic Open will be his first at 13^th Beach Golf Links on the Bellarine Peninsula, where he will tee it up against some of the world’s best on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour.

The Englishman, who will challenge the field for a second time at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth, returns to Australia just months after a strong finish at the Australian PGA Championship in December to compete in back-to-back tournaments.

“It’s awesome to be coming back to Australia so soon,” Johnston said.

“The ISPS HANDA Vic Open will be a new one for me but I’m really excited to be getting back to Perth as well.

“Looking at the fields for both events, with guys like Geoff Ogilvy and the like out there I’m going to have to bring my A game.”

Missing the cut in Perth last year has added extra motivation for the Englishman who wants to experience the unique ISPS HADNA World Super 6 format for himself.

“I really enjoyed playing at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 last year, but was disappointed to miss the cut. The weekend is where that format is different and I definitely want to experience that this year,” he said.

”I also can’t wait to be playing alongside the women for the first time in the Vic Open – that’s also a really innovative concept that I’m looking forward to experiencing.”

Having most recently competed at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, “Beef” hopes back-to-back events at the ISPS HANDA Vic Open and ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth can kick-start his 2019 season.

“I’ve got a bit of practice to do but spending a couple of weeks in Australia will hopefully get my year rolling. Hopefully I can get in a groove and bring out some of my best golf.”

Known as a colourful character of the golf world, Johnston continues to be a favourite with fans in Australia.

“Beef’s exciting style of golf and the way he interacts with crowds has seen him quickly gain a following in Australia,” said Gavin Kirkman, CEO of the PGA of Australia, which owns the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

“The ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth is all about changing things up and having a bit of fun and Beef’s game fits that well.

“He will get a bit of a taste of everything golf in Australia when he is here in February and we’re excited to see him join the line-up for the ISPS HANDA Vic Open for the first time as well.

“We’re grateful that he continues to come out to Australia year on year to play in our events.”

The ISPS HANDA Vic Open and ISPS HANDA World Super 6 fields will feature a number of world-class players in 2019 including Johnston, former US Open champion and three-time World Golf Championship winner Geoff Ogilvy, as well as Japanese superstar Ryo Ishikawa for the ISPS HANDA Vic Open and World Cup-winning Thomas Pieters for the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth.

“We’re thrilled to welcome a range of high-class players to both events and we’re sure that the level of competition will increase yet again in 2019,” Kirkman said.

The ISPS HANDA Vic Open is proudly supported by the Victorian Government.

The ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth event is proudly supported by the Western Australian Government through Tourism WA.