Min Woo Lee really did not understand much concerning the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass prior to he made his Players Championship launching today.
But he did understand something.
“I just know it was scary,” Lee claimed Saturday night after authorizing for a six-under 66 that moved him to within 2 of Scottie Scheffler’s 54-hole lead. “I mean Sawgrass is scary. There’s a lot of times where people have faltered, and you don’t want to be one of those. But as long as you can control your emotions and go out there and have fun, which I did, it was fun playing really good golf.”
On Sunday, much more enjoyable looked to be in shop when Lee, playing in the last pairing together with the ruling Masters champ, stuck his method on the par-4 1st to 6 feet and also gathered the birdie putt to reduce Scheffler’s lead in fifty percent.
Two openings later on, Lee nabbed a share of the lead when Scheffler bogeyed the par-3 third and also Lee made a scrappy the same level.
Fun!
But then came the watery 392-yard par-4 fourth. After obstructing his tee fired right into the ideal harsh, Lee was required to pitch back right into the fairway and also except the water protecting the environment-friendly. He had simply 92 lawns entrusted to the opening for his 3rd however his wedge shot flew simply 74 lawns, struck the front of the environment-friendly and also rotated back right into the water.Kerplunk
It all caused a triple-bogey 7 and also Lee was back in chase setting.
“It happened really quick,” he claimed after his round. “It’s one of those things where it’s Sunday and you just make a couple bad decisions and it all kind of falls down.”
Indeed, it was the type of untidy opening in the largest round of his life that can have sent out Lee reeling. But he kept his calmness and also played the following 6 openings in also. Trouble was, Scheffler had actually begun doing Scheffler points, birdieing 8, 9 and also 10 to confiscate control of the event.
By the moment both showed up on the tee at the par-5 11th, Scheffler was 6 in advance of Lee and also 4 free from the club leader, Tyrrell Hatton, that remained in at 12 under. Lee required to make something take place, and also promptly. Instead, he uncorked possibly his worst swing of the week, hooking his tee shot deep right into the evergreen left of the fairway.
Lee can have gone high or reduced with his healing shot. He went high and also clipped a branch, his round hanging back right into the barky prison from whence itcame Now striking 3, he still really did not have a clear path back to the fairway and also struck a beefy strike shot from the yearn straw. His round progressed simply 36 feet– and also still Lee really did not have a clear course back to safety and security. He struck his 4th shot under some elbowing in branches and also over a shelter on the left side of the fairway. His round hardly brought the sand and also worked out in the left harsh. After 4 swings, Lee still had actually not discovered the fairway.
PGA Tour
He disabled with his 5th shot, leaving himself a 30-yard pitch, which he stood up and also down for a double-bogey 7.
It’s tough to win any kind of Tour occasion with a set of hockey sticks on your card– not to mention the Players Championship– and also such held true for Lee on Sunday.
“It’s funny how yesterday I felt like I had the best swing in the world,” he claimed Sunday night, “and then today I just felt like nothing could go right.”
Well, not absolutely nothing
An all-natural showman, Lee had actually been playing to the galleries all week, and also when he showed up on the phase that is the Stadium Course’s wild par-3 17th opening, Lee had another bunny up his sleeve: a high soft discolor that touched down gently on the island environment-friendly, captured the incline left of the opening and also rotated to within 5 feet of the mug, attracting barks from the group.
“It’s hard to engage the crowd when you’ve just made triple bogey and double bogies and you’re trying to keep your head up high,” Lee claimed. “But just for a second there you just have to stop and really look at the crowd and you’re here for a reason and you’ve done really well and, yeah, that was probably the most people I’ve ever seen on one hole, on 17, so it was pretty cool.”
Lee authorized for a four-over 76 to connect for 6th, 9 rear of Scheffler.
“I’m pretty proud of the result and I think it will take me a long way,” Lee claimed. “It could have been a lot worse. That’s for sure. It wasn’t easy. That’s part of it.”
