HOUSTON — Min Woo Lee saved his calm amid super costs by Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland, profitable the Houston Open on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title with the perfect lag of his life that arrange a closing par for a one-shot victory.
Lee bent over and repeatedly clutched his fists when his 55-foot putt settled inches from the cup on the 18th gap, leaving him a tap-in par for a 3-under 67. He completed at 20-under 260, breaking the match file by 4 photographs.
“It is arduous — it is actually arduous,” Lee stated. “Clearly, Scottie is a superb golfer and he retains you in your toes. The primary time being in entrance, I am glad I bought it performed. I am very exhausted. It was quite a lot of psychological grind. I am so pleased with how I dealt with myself.”
Each shot mattered after Lee made one dangerous swing to make what appeared like a Sunday stroll flip very hectic. He led by 5 photographs on the again 9 till Woodland, who performed his final 4 holes in 4-under par to tie the Memorial Park course file with a 62, made his cost.
Scheffler, in his closing begin earlier than defending his Masters title, ran off 4 straight birdies to get inside one shot till his 7-iron on the 18th gap got here up some 25 yards in need of the pin. He chipped to some toes for par and a 63.
Lee was nonetheless in management till he sliced his tee shot on the par-5 sixteenth into the water, having to hit his third from the tee and doing properly to two-putt from 40 toes for bogey. That ended 41 consecutive holes with no bogey, and dropped his result in one shot with two to play.
Lee missed properly to the left on the 18th — not a difficulty as a result of Memorial Park has minimal tough — and his method went simply over the again of the inexperienced. He selected to putt as an alternative of chip, and it labored out to close perfection.
Woodland was on the vary, watching on his telephone. It was his finest end since he had mind surgical procedure to take away a tumor in September 2023. That is closing yr of his exemption from profitable the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Seashore, and the runner-up end will serve him properly.
Scheffler was within the scoring space watching Lee clinch the victory. He appeared over at his caddie and laughed. He closed with a 63 and could not have performed way more.
“Simply attempting to place as a lot stress on Min Woo as I may have,” Scheffler stated. “I hoped to have the ability to try this on the entrance 9. I wasn’t capable of get off to a ok begin. And he performed some actually good golf. I believe he made one mistake on 16, however I believe he did some actually good things on the market and he simply went out and beat us this week.”
The 26-year-old Lee, whose older sister Minjee Lee is a significant champion on the LPGA Tour, had received thrice on the European tour and as soon as on the Asian Tour. He grew to become the fifth participant this yr to win for the primary time on the PGA Tour.
Sami Välimäki of Finland additionally tied the match file of 62 and completed fourth.
Rory McIlroy shot 64, with bogeys initially and end of his closing spherical earlier than the Masters. He tied for fifth and was headed house to get the ultimate touches on his sport earlier than going to Augusta Nationwide to attempt to full the profession Grand Slam.
The opposite battle on the course was between Michael Kim and Ben Griffin, each attempting to maneuver inside the highest 50 on this planet rating and earn a spot within the Masters. Kim made a 6-foot par putt on his final gap for a 69 to tie for thirty second, permitting him to maneuver to No. 50 by the slimmest or margins over Griffin. The distinction of their two-year common factors was 0.2.
Lee already was within the Masters from being within the prime 50 on the finish of final yr. Now he has a PGA Tour title, setting him up for the remainder of the $20 million signature occasions this yr.
“Everybody out right here is aware of how gifted the child is. He is an absolute stud,” Woodland stated. “Everyone knows when you break via for him sky is the restrict, so actually completely happy for him. For me, it was nice simply to get these juices flowing once more, simply to see some outcomes.”
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