Before they turned pro: Min Woo Lee
30 Mar 2025
by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com
see also: Min Woo Lee Rankings
SHARE:
Min Woo Lee (USGA Photo)
2016 U.S. Junior Amateur champion Min Woo Lee is officially a winner on the PGA Tour.
Lee finished 20-under with rounds of 66-64-63-67 to win the 2025 Houston Open. He held off world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland by one shot after two-putting from almost 60 feet on No. 18 to secure the win.
"It's hard," Lee said to NBC after his round. "It is really hard. Obviously, Scottie is a wonderful golfer who keeps you on your toes. This was my first time trying to hold a lead, and I am glad I got it done."
He added, "I'm very exhausted. It was a lot of mental grind, and I am just very glad I got it done."
In the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, Lee made a late rally in bad weather conditions at The Honors Course in Tennessee to defeat Noah Goodwin, 16, of Corinth, Texas, 2 and 1.
Four years before that, Lee’s older sister, Minjee, claimed the U.S. Girls’ Junior title, which, according to the USGA, makes them the only brother-sister tandem to win USGA Junior championships.
Lee turned professional at the start of 2019 and finished fourth in the Saudi International and T5 in the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth; in October, he was T6 in the Genesis Championship on the Korean Tour.
In February 2020, he won the ISPS Handa Vic Open, an event co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia.
In July 2021, Lee defeated Thomas Detry and Matt Fitzpatrick in a playoff at the Abrdn Scottish Open. With this win, he earned entry into the 2021 Open Championship. In May 2023, Lee earned a special temporary membership on the PGA Tour.
In October 2023, Lee won the SJM Macao Open on the Asian Tour. He shot a tournament record of 254 at 30-under and won wire-to-wire.. One month later, Lee won the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship.
Amateur wins
2013 Drummond Junior
2014 Drummond Junior
2015 Western Australia Amateur, Drummond Junior, Aaron Baddeley International Junior Championship
2016 U.S. Junior Amateur
2017 Western Australia Amateur
2018 South Australia Amateur Classic