Min Woo Lee is too young to be weighed down by a past and too inexperienced to know true defeat. Yet what was supposed to be easy suddenly wasn’t, and his once five-shot lead evaporated into potential scar tissue, threatened by a surge from Scottie Scheffler and the resolve of Gary Woodland and Lee’s own sudden vulnerability.

The charismatic Australian later confessed his awareness that a collapse would only amplify the whispers questioning whether his magnetic personality and showman’s flair were masking a competitive fragility. But a scorecard recognizes only numbers, not narratives. After a white-knuckle journey down the closing stretch, Lee authored his own redemption story, fending off pursuers to earn his breakthrough PGA Tour victory at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

This would be Lee’s day, for better or worse. A Saturday 63 bestowed a four-shot 54-hole lead over Alejandro Tosti and five over the rest of the field. Tosti failed to mount an early challenge, while Lee navigated past a potential disaster at the par-5 eighth. After his drive disappeared under a bush—leading to an extended contemplation of his options, including the unorthodox prospect of hitting off his knees—Lee ultimately took a drop, executed a precise punch-out from the trees, and salvaged par with an up-and-down.

He made the turn at two under and cemented his advantage with birdies at the 12th and 13th, seemingly securing the title and transforming the final five holes into a triumphant procession. The only apparent disruption came from Tosti, who had earlier expressed frustration with Lee’s deliberate pace at the eighth and was conspicuously lagging far behind the group at the 12th in what appeared to be a silent protest.

But championship golf demands execution until the final putt drops. While Lee maintained his lead, Scheffler launched a charge ahead, stringing together four consecutive birdies. Meanwhile, Woodland—who has battled the loss of his game as he’s struggled through the complications from a brain tumor—delivered a 62 for his best performance in years that tied the course record. Lee’s five-shot cushion had dwindled to three and then collapsed to just one at the 16th. Lee hit a catastrophic tee shot that sailed off the broadcast screen and plunged into a pond. He needed every ounce of vigor to escape with bogey, transforming what had been a coronation into a crucible of pressure.

With Woodland in the clubhouse at 19 under, Scheffler’s approach at the 18th fell well short, but the World No. 1 secured his par to tie Woodland. Lee’s approach at the final hole sailed beyond the green, leaving him with a treacherous 50-foot recovery from the back fringe. It was a prime opportunity for Lee to showcase the pitching brilliance that earned him the self-bestowed nickname Dr. Chipinski. But moments like this demand pragmatism over theatrics, and Lee wisely kept his medical practitioner persona in the bag, opting instead for his putter. What followed wasn’t the spectacular highlight from a player who had become a highlight machine. Instead, a perfectly calibrated lag putt under duress that secured not a clip of fleeting glory but the victory that remained out of reach.

Now, the Houston Open, while boasting a formidable field, hardly qualifies as a crown jewel on the tour schedule. Yet Lee’s meteoric rise has been firmly fixed in the golf cognoscenti’s crosshairs for years. A former U.S. Junior Amateur champion, Lee announced his professional arrival by claiming the DP World Tour’s 2020 ISPS Handa Vic Open at just 21, then silenced any whispers of luck by conquering the Scottish Open the following summer.

He transplanted his talents stateside in 2023, immediately contending at both the Players Championship and U.S. Open before punctuating his season with a triumphant return home at the Australian PGA Championship. What elevates Lee beyond mere talented competitor to potential superstar, however, is his magnetic connection with galleries. His recklessly entertaining style of play comes paired with an infectious energy that evokes a golden retriever who’s discovered an unattended espresso bar. He’s cultivated a massive social media following and stands among the rare players who wear their emotions not just on their sleeve but emblazoned across their entire being.

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Kenneth Richmond

Unmistakably of his generation, he’s built a personal brand around the rallying cry, “let him cook.” This confluence of skill, charisma and marketability marked him as golf’s next breakout star—significant because while the roster of international hall-of-fame caliber players runs deep, those who have genuinely resonated with American audiences form a much more exclusive club.

Lee, to his credit, has delivered consistently solid performances, entering Houston with four top-20 finishes in six starts this season. Yet the absence of a U.S. victory on his resume, combined with his escalating fame, sparked inevitable murmurs—not widespread, but persistent nonetheless—questioning whether Lee’s celebrity outpaced his accomplishments. Such scrutiny might seem premature and unfair, but elevated visibility invariably brings heightened expectations and responsibility. With his performance in Houston, punctuated by strong resolve down the stretch, those doubts have been silenced. It serves as a declaration of sorts of the heights he might reach, with all eyes pivoting toward that storied sanctuary in Georgia that will provide the ultimate testing ground for his newfound confidence.

Augusta National awaits, but that challenge will come. Late Sunday, Lee savored the well-earned spoils of victory—not a gift bestowed by popularity or branding but captured through skill and determination. The man finally cooked, delivering a dish that left the golf world ravenous to discover what creation he might serve up next.

Main Image: Jonathan Bachman