Min Woo Lee won the Australian PGA Championship by three strokes, using a few different strategies along the way, including donning a chef’s hat.
A bogey on the final hole took him to 20-under for the competition, but a fantastic chip-in from 50 meters for eagle on the ninth hole almost sealed the West Australian’s fourth career victory earlier on Sunday.
CHIP IN FOR EAGLE! 🤩@Minwoo27Lee takes a 4 shot lead to the back nine.#AusPGA pic.twitter.com/kPn03RioFT
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 26, 2023
At the turn, that separated him from nearest competitor Rikuya Hoshino by four strokes (67, 68, 64, 68).
Lee (64, 66, 66, 68) chipped within a metre of the 12th to restore the gap and conclude an outstanding week at Brisbane’s Royal Queensland Golf Club. A bogey on the 10th was a rare wobble.
After he was up and down for par on the 17th, he showed no indications of nervousness.
In homage to his catchphrase, “Let Him Cook,” Lee put on a chef’s hat. The crowd applauded as he ran to the 18th tee, where he drilled his tee shot down the center of the fairway.
.https://x.com/DPWorldTour/status/1728649123077738637?s=20
His final score of two under, two strokes short of the tournament record set by Jed Morgan early in the previous year, came from finding a greenside bunker and missing the putt.
Of the $2 million purse, Min Woo Lee received $340,000 for his work.
On Sunday, Marc Leishman shot a 7-under 64 to move up to third place, one stroke ahead of Curtis Luck (15-under).
After cruising into title contention at the halfway point of the tournament, Adam Scott (12-under) remained motionless, ending his nearly four-year title drought and finishing sixth.
The last champion, Cameron Smith, was eliminated after two dismal rounds and worked on his putting all weekend in preparation for the Australian Open, which gets underway in Sydney on Thursday.
Lee’s overnight lead of three strokes in a furious first half-hour of play was lost by Hoshino after Chile’s Joaquin Niemann (13-under) struck an ace on the fourth hole.
However, Lee steadied, nearly holing an ace of his own on that same hole to swiftly restore some breathing room.
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