Min Woo Lee

Lee is the younger brother of LPGA star Minjee Lee. They both started playing golf at a young age. Minjee won the U.S. Girls Junior in 2012; four years later, Min Woo won the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2016, making them the first brother-sister duo to win those USGA titles. There was a bit of rivalry when they were young, but in later years Minjee has become a mentor since turning professional. The important thing she taught her younger brother was the work ethic needed to play well.
Min Woo turned professional at the start of 2019. He played several events on the European Tour and had early success, finishing 4th in the Saudi International and T-5th in the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth, both events played in February. These were, however, his only top-10 finishes of the season, and he finished 117th in the Order of Merit. He was T-6th in the Genesis Championship on the Korean Tour in October. At the end of the year, he was 3rd in the AVJennings NSW Open.
2020 Notes: Played in 16 European Tour events making seven cuts with three top-ten finishes. Was 66th in the Race to Dubai, earning euro310,696. He started the year playing on the Australian Tour and was T-3rd in the Australian PGA Championship, co-sanctioned between the Euro and Australian Tour. Lee was just three shots back of winner Adam Scott. Lee popped around the world playing in the South African Open, finishing T-15th and then missing the cut at the Saudi International. He returned home to Australia to play in the Handa Vic Open and, with a final-round 68, won by a shot over Ryan Fox. This victory made him a full-time member of the European Tour. With COVID-19 it stopped golf, and when it returned, Lee only had one top-ten finish, T-6th at the English Open. He played in his last event of the year at the Scottish Championship, missing the cut.
2021 Notes: Played in 21 European Tour events, making 15 cuts with four top-ten finishes. Was 6th in the Race to Dubai, earning euro1,794,617. After ending 2020 missing the cut in his last two events, he missed the cut in his first four starts of the year. He got to the weekend in the no-cut WGC Workday Championship at The Concession, finishing T-28th. He struggled in his next five events, but at the Abrdn Scottish Open shot rounds of 68-69-65-64 to find himself in a playoff with Matt Fitzpatrick and Thomas Detry. On the first playoff hole, Lee made a birdie putt to claim his second European Tour title, and he also got one of the last spots into the Open Championship at Royal St. George's. He missed the cut. He was T-2nd at the Andalucia Masters, three shots back of winner Matt Fitzpatrick. His next start was T-8th at the Portugal Masters, shooting 66 in the final round. He finished T-4th at the AVIV Dubai Championship, three shots back of winner Joachim B Hansen. In the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai was T-16th. He finished the year 49th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
2022 Notes: Played in 14 DP World Tour events, making 11 cuts with three top-ten finishes. He was 32nd in the Race to Dubai, winning euro1,187,969. He was T-4th at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship. Lee struggled over the next eight months, playing in 19 events on the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, and Korn Ferry Tour. His best finish was T-14th at the Masters. Starting at the Spanish Open in August, Lee was 3rd, seven shots back of winner Jon Rahm. He was 3rd again the following week at the Andalucia Masters, nine shots back of winner Adrian Otaegui. He was T-8th at the Nedbank Challenge and ended the season with a T-12th finish at the DP World Tour Championship.
2023 Notes: He began his season finishing T-4th at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship, five shots back of winner Cameron Smith. Next week was 3rd at the Handa Australian Open, six back of winner Adrian Meronk. He came close at the Abu Dhabi Championship, finishing T-2nd, a shot back of Victor Perez. The following week was T-13th at the Dubai Desert Classic. He came to Florida, was T-26th at the Honda Classic, and missed the cut at the Arnold Palmer. In The Players Championship, Lee began the final round two shots behind Scottie Scheffler and moved into a tie for the lead following a birdie at the first hole combined with a bogey from Scheffler at No. 3. But things got messy after that, making two 7s on his card and shooting 76 to finish T-6th, nine shots back of Scheffler who won. For Lee, the final round was more than getting into the Masters via the World Ranking. If he could finish 4th or better, he could have secured special temporary status on the PGA Tour. He was T-31st at the WGC-Dell Match Play and was 47th in the Official World Golf Ranking, earning a spot to play in the Masters. He has 139 non-members FedEx Cup points for 2023, so he needs to get to 175.2 points for Special Temporary Membership to the PGA Tour for the rest of 2023. After missing the cut at the Masters, the RBC Heritage, and AT&T Byron Nelson, he finished T-18th at the PGA Championship, which gave him the points for Special Temporary Membership on the PGA Tour. Finished T-5th at the U.S. Open, five shots back of the winner Wyndham Clark. It was his first career top-10 in a major championship and first top-five on the PGA Tour. Was T-9th at the Travelers Championship and T-6th at the Zozo Championship. Lee?s T-6th at the Zozo is the equivalent of 89 FedExCup points, bringing his season total to 505 non-member points. That would currently rank No. 94 on the FedExCup with three events remaining and held on to earn his card for 2024.
2024 Notes: Finished T-2nd at the Cognizant Classic, three shots back of winner Austin Eckroat.