Min Woo Lee secured his first PGA Tour win with a dramatic finish at the Houston Open, sinking the “putt of his life” on the final hole to win by one stroke.
The 26-year-old finished the tournament at 20 under par, edging out world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland, who made a remarkable recovery from brain tumor surgery in 2023 and shot a course-record-tying 62, the lowest round of the day. Lee’s three-under par final round of 67 was enough to seal the victory, though it wasn’t without tense moments, especially on the closing holes.
Starting the day with a four-shot lead and three ahead with nine holes remaining, Lee’s advantage was cut to just one after a wayward tee shot on the 16th hole that found the water. Scottie Scheffler had caught fire and birdied 4 holes in a row on 13, 14, 15 & 16, before finishing the last two holes even par. The West Australian held his nerve on the final hole (video embedded above) and even found time to joke with the fans before sinking the deciding putt.
Min Woo Lee will now travel to Georgia to play at Augusta National, competing for the US Masters. Lee’s putting will need to be rock solid again, as it was in Houston where he ranked 2nd in field, but has hit form at the right time going into one of the 4 majors. It remains to be seen whether this first win can catapult Lee to the next level. I think it is onwards and upwards from here and will be eagerly watching him next week.
