Min Woo Lee impresses in 4th place Tour Championship finish
Min Woo Lee – file image courtesy of Australian Golf Media
Australian Min Woo Lee has completed the FedEx Cup year in style with weekend rounds of 66 and 68 to finish in a share of 4th place in the lucrative event, winning US$1.7 million in the process and finishing the season in 4th place in the FedEx Cup standings.
Lee, who led after round one but struggled a to a round of 73 on day two rebounded with rounds of 66 and 68 to share 4th place, missed a 10 foot eagle putt at the last which would have made a huge difference to his take but either way it was an impressive and rewarding week for Lee who finishes the season as the leading Australasian with a lot of financial and scheduling rewards for his efforts.
Adam Scott was very much in line to be the leading Australasian, but after reaching 13 under and within striking distance of the then leaders, Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland through eleven holes, he would drop three shots on the way home and eventually finish in a three-way share of 11th place and a cheque for US$660,000.
Ryan Fox began the tournament well, but a final round of 74 proved costly, although just making it to Atlanta provides all sorts of benefits in terms of scheduling rewards and others. Fox finished 26th of the original 30 starters and earned US$375,000.
The tournament and the FedEx Cup were deservedly won by Scottie Scheffler, who, after beginning the final round three shots adrift of Viktor Hovland, produced a final round of 66 to Hovland’s 72 to win by three with Ryan Gerard another shot back in third place.
It was Scheffler’s 22nd PGA Tour victory since his first in 2021, accumulating more than US130 million in the process.
“I felt like my thought process going into the postseason this year was I felt like maybe I’ve underperformed in some of the postseasons in the past,” said Scheffler. “I think of years like ’22 and ’23 where I had a lead at this tournament and wasn’t able to win the FedExCup or a playoff event those years.
“To come in this year maybe not winning the tournaments that I could have won throughout the regular season, to come in and win 2 out of 3 playoff events is definitely a nice way to finish off the season.
“That was definitely my motto going into the playoffs. Maybe in years I’ve underperformed in the postseason, and maybe this is a year I’ll perform better in the postseason than I have in the regular season.
“I think just playing tournament golf, I think is a battle as a whole. I think that’s part of why I love it too. I get to play against the course, myself. You have to learn how to handle your emotions, handle pressure, not take days off. That’s something I’m very proud of.
“I feel like I hold myself to a high standard, which I think sometimes can be good and bad. I feel like at times I probably could be a bit of a pain to be around when things aren’t going the way they should. I don’t feel like I take days off. I’m highly competitive, and I’m very proud of being able to have the consistent results I’ve had over the years.
“I feel like it’s something that’s very difficult to do, and it’s something that I’m very proud of. I don’t take tournaments off. I don’t take days off during tournaments. I try to give it my all each and every day. I feel like it’s a gift to play out here on the PGA TOUR, and don’t want to take it for granted.
“I don’t want to look back at the end of my career and feel like I could have done more in order to play well. I want to be able to tell myself when I hang it up that I did everything I could. I feel like years like this kind of show that to myself, how important that is. Yeah, I don’t know how to elaborate beyond that.”
