Danny Lee (golfer)
Danny Lee | |||
---|---|---|---|
Personal information | |||
Full name | Danny Jin-Myung Lee | ||
Born | Incheon, South Korea | 24 July 1990||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
Weight | 168 lb (76 kg; 12.0 st) | ||
Sporting nationality | New Zealand | ||
Residence | Irving, Texas, U.S. | ||
Spouse |
Yoomi Kong (m. 2017) | ||
Children | 2 | ||
Career | |||
Turned professional | 2009 | ||
Current tour(s) | Web.com Tour | ||
Professional wins | 4 | ||
Highest ranking | 34 (14 February 2016)[1] | ||
Number of wins by tour | |||
PGA Tour | 1 | ||
European Tour | 1 | ||
Asian Tour | 1 | ||
PGA Tour of Australasia | 1 | ||
Korn Ferry Tour | 1 | ||
LIV Golf | 1 | ||
Best results in major championships | |||
Masters Tournament | T17: 2016 | ||
PGA Championship | T36: 2019 | ||
U.S. Open | T57: 2016 | ||
The Open Championship | CUT: 2015, 2016 | ||
Achievements and awards | |||
|
Danny Jin-Myung Lee (Korean: 이진명; born 24 July 1990) is a New Zealand professional golfer. Lee was born in Incheon, South Korea, and emigrated to New Zealand at the age of eight.[2] He became a New Zealand citizen on 2 September 2008 in Rotorua,[3] where he attended Rotorua Boys' High School.
Amateur career
Lee became the youngest ever winner of the
In October 2008, Lee represented New Zealand at the Eisenhower Trophy in Adelaide, Australia. A final round 11-over 84 saw him finish T37 in the individual standings.[6][7] The New Zealand team finished tied for 11th.[8]
In February 2009, Lee won the
Lee's first major was the 2009 Masters Tournament, where his first round two-over 74 put him in a position to make the cut. In the second round he eagled the par-5 eighth and played the front nine in 34, but a six-putt led to quintuple bogey on the 10th, dropping him to five-over for the tournament. He was unable to recover, eventually finishing 11-over par.[13]
Professional career
2009: Bid for PGA Tour status falls short
Lee turned professional after the 2009 Masters Tournament,
In April, Lee signed a two-year endorsement contract with Callaway Golf, to use Callaway clubs, balls, and signage on his clothes. The company has not released how much his contract is worth, but sources say it is for US$1 million per year.[15]
Lee was allowed to use seven sponsor exemptions during the PGA Tour season, and gained three other starts courtesy of his U.S. Amateur and Johnnie Walker Classic titles. His goal was to earn $537,958 which would have given him temporary membership and allowed him to receive an unlimited amount of invitations.[16] That figure is the amount earned by the player who finished 150th on the 2008 money list.
Lee made six out of eleven PGA Tour cuts after turning pro, with two top-25 finishes. He tied for 13th at the
In August, Lee became the youngest player to play in a
Lee then switched his focus to the European Tour, as well as playing selected events in Asia. He made his maiden appearance as a professional in Europe at the
Lee entered the PGA Tour's qualifying school at the first stage level,[20] beginning his campaign in McKinney, Texas on 20 October.[21] Needing to finish in roughly the top third of the field, rounds of 72-78-69-76 saw him fall well short of advancing to the second stage.[22]
After arriving back in Asia for the Singapore Open, Lee cited swing changes, illness and cold weather as reasons for his disappointing performance in Texas, and confirmed an intention to play mainly on the European Tour in 2010.[23] He also announced he had signed Korean-born Suckki Jang, an affiliate of Hank Haney, as his new coach.[24] He then played the WGC-HSBC Champions, the Hong Kong Open, and represented New Zealand with David Smail at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup, all with limited success.
2010
Lee made a poor start to the 2010 season, making just two cuts in his first nine events on the European Tour.
On the eve of the BMW PGA Championship in May, Lee announced a new partnership with English caddy Peter Coleman. "I finally feel that I am in the right position with my swing and that has got me really excited," Lee said.[25]
However, after receiving a sponsor's invite to play the
Lee eventually finished the Race to Dubai in 159th place, making 10 out of 20 cuts with a best finish of T21 at the BMW International Open in June.[27]
Late in the year, he successfully negotiated the first two stages of PGA Tour qualifying school in California.
2011
Lee began a noticeable return to form a couple of months into the new year. A tie for 7th in the
In May, a tie for 5th in the Stadion Classic at UGA was followed by an outright third at the BMW Charity Pro-Am.
In June he injured his left wrist during an
In early October Lee won the WNB Golf Classic in Texas, beating Harris English in a playoff. The $94,500 first prize lifted him to 4th on the money list, assuring him of a place inside the final money list's top 25, those being the players who gain PGA Tour cards for the following season.
"It feels great to win again," Lee said. "I haven't won a tournament since I won the 2009 Johnnie Walker Classic and it's a great feeling. It's not easy to win and I worked really hard with my uncle and my coach (Bill Choung) for this. I'm really happy it worked."[36] Lee credited the switch to a belly putter in this event as beneficial, and came after pulling out of the previous week's event after 27 holes citing his wrist injury.[37]
Lee finished sixth on tour with earnings of $326,100,[38] making 13 of 18 cuts with nine top-10s. He had the season's lowest scoring average of 68.98.
2012
Lee entered the new season with
After striking up a successful partnership late in the Nationwide Tour season, Lee said he would have Australian Graeme Courts, a former long-time caddy of Loren Roberts, working for him on the PGA Tour.[40]
K. J. Choi introduced Lee to another Australian, Steve Bann, as a potential coach. "I am close with K.J. Choi and he said I was thinking too much about my swing," Lee said. "I was always working on something and I am too technical sometimes so K.J. introduced me to Steve. Steve is a simple guy who is teaching me how to practise with better routine and how to trust my own game and not think too much.[41]
2013
Lee played on the
2014
On the back of six straight missed cuts, Lee adopted a claw putting grip for the Puerto Rico Open in March. He credited the change of putting style for yielding him an instant result; a runner-up finish, two shots behind winner Chesson Hadley.[42]
2015
In the 2015 PGA Tour fall season, Lee finished third at the
2019
In the 2019 PGA Championship, Lee announced he was now working with golf coach George Gankas which was netting him a significant increase in length off his tee shots; especially his driver. He opened with a 64 (−6) and was only one off Brooks Koepka's lead.[43] He then followed with scores of 74, 71, and 77 to finish tied for 36th.
2020
At the
2021
Lee played using Parsons Xtreme Golf equipment during the 2021 season following his departure from TaylorMade.[45]
2023
Following his appearance at the
Amateur wins
- 2007 South Island Amateur (New Zealand), New Zealand Amateur
- 2008 U.S. Amateur
- 2009 Georgia Cup
Professional wins (4)
PGA Tour wins (1)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 Jul 2015 | Greenbrier Classic | −13 (63-69-68-67=267) | Playoff | David Hearn, Kevin Kisner, Robert Streb |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2015 | Greenbrier Classic | David Hearn, Kevin Kisner, Robert Streb |
Won with par on second extra hole Kisner and Streb eliminated by birdie on first hole |
European Tour wins (1)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 22 Feb 2009 | Johnnie Walker Classic1 (as an amateur) |
−17 (67-68-69-67=271) | 1 stroke | Felipe Aguilar, Hiroyuki Fujita, Ross McGowan |
1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia
Nationwide Tour wins (1)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 Oct 2011 | WNB Golf Classic | −18 (64-72-68-66=270) | Playoff | Harris English |
Nationwide Tour playoff record (1–0)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2011 | WNB Golf Classic | Harris English | Won with par on first extra hole |
LIV Golf League wins (1)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 Mar 2023 | LIV Golf Tucson1 | −9 (68-67-69=204) | Playoff | Louis Oosthuizen, Carlos Ortiz, Brendan Steele |
1Co-sanctioned by the MENA Tour
LIV Golf League playoff record (1–0)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2023 | LIV Golf Tucson | Louis Oosthuizen, Carlos Ortiz, Brendan Steele |
Won with birdie on second extra hole Ortiz eliminated by par on first hole |
Results in major championships
Results not in chronological order in 2020.
Tournament | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | T17 | ||||||||
U.S. Open | CUT | T57 | ||||||||
The Open Championship | CUT | CUT | ||||||||
PGA Championship | T43 | T56 | CUT |
Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | ||||
PGA Championship | T36 | T71 | ||
U.S. Open | WD | CUT | ||
The Open Championship | NT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
WD = withdrew
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 7 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 3 (twice)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 0
Results in The Players Championship
Tournament | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Players Championship | CUT | T35 | CUT | T7 | CUT | C | CUT | WD |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
WD = withdrew
C = Cancelled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Results in World Golf Championships
Results not in chronological order before 2015.
Tournament | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Championship
|
T42 | |||||||
Match Play
|
T51 | |||||||
Invitational
|
T51 | T6 | 56 | |||||
Champions | T66 | T58 |
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
PGA Tour and European Tour career summary
PGA Tour | European Tour | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Wins | Earnings ($) | Money list | Wins | Earnings (€) | Order of Merit |
2009 | 0 | 359,846 | n/a † | 1 | 110,543 | 164 |
2010 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 88,257 | 159 |
2011 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 358,477 | 84 |
2012 | 0 | 359,112 | 166 | 0 | 0 | – |
2013 | 0 | 112,000 | n/a † | 0 | 0 | – |
2014 | 0 | 781,295 | 120 | 0 | 0 | – |
2015 | 1 | 3,965,933 | 11 | 0 | 233,265 | n/a † |
2016 | 0 | 1,405,722 | 75 | 0 | 477,951 | n/a † |
2017 | 0 | 1,611,331 | 68 | 0 | 0 | – |
2018 | 0 | 1,269,386 | 98 | 0 | 0 | – |
2019 | 0 | 1,524,126 | 75 | 0 | 43,178 | n/a † |
2020 | 0 | 2,043,764 | 40 | 0 | 16,292 | n/a † |
2021 | 0 | 347,862 | 183 | 0 | 0 | n/a † |
2022 | 0 | 1,265,934 | 102 | 0 | 0 | n/a † |
2023 | 0 | 316,795 | 118 | 0 | 0 | n/a † |
Career* | 1 | 15,363,106 | 117 | 1 | 1,432,052 | n/a |
* Complete as of 20 February 2023.
† Lee was not ranked because he was not a member.
Team appearances
Amateur
- Nomura Cup (representing New Zealand): 2007
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing New Zealand): 2008
- Bonallack Trophy (representing Asia/Pacific): 2008
- Sloan Morpeth Trophy (representing New Zealand): 2007 (winners), 2008
Professional
- 2009, 2016
- Presidents Cup (representing the International team): 2015
Personal life
Lee married Yoomi Kong in 2017.[47] Together they have two children, Roi[48] and Robin.[49]
See also
References
- OWGR. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ 2008 U.S. Amateur Archived 25 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine - Meet The Quarterfinalists
- ^ "Golf: Danny Lee now officially a Kiwi". The New Zealand Herald. 2 September 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ "U.S. Amateur: Move over Tiger, Lee supplants Woods". Archived from the original on 25 August 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2008.
- ^ Danny Lee secures McCormack Medal after US Amateur win [permanent dead link]
- ^ 2008 Eisenhower Trophy, individual leaderboard
- ^ "Danny Lee's $100m dilemma". The New Zealand Herald. 4 January 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
- ^ http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/leaderboards/team/static/team1288.html 2008 Eisenhower Trophy, team leaderboard
- ^ "Lee wins Johnnie Walker Classic". Archived from the original on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
- ^ "Golf: Lee in dreamland after stunning win at Johnnie Walker Classic". The New Zealand Herald. 22 February 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- ^ "Lee pulls off upset win". Archived from the original on 27 February 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
- ^ "Week 8 - Phil Mickelson Retains the Northern Trust Open Title and Moves up to World Number Three". Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
- ^ "Danny Lee ready to turn pro after Masters meltdown". The New Zealand Herald. 11 April 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
- ^ World #1 Danny Lee Turns Pro
- ^ Danny Lee joins Callaway
- ^ "Lee trying to earn temporary status on Tour". Archived from the original on 9 July 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
- ^ Lee qualifies for John Deere Classic[dead link]
- ^ Lamport-Stokes, Mark (4 August 2009). "PGA Tour advice is good and bad for teenager Lee". Reuters.
- Stuff.co.nz. 31 August 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- ^ "2009 Q-School application form" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 August 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
- ^ Q-School tournament info page: McKinney, TX
- ^ Q-School leaderboard: McKinney, TX
- Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- Television New Zealand. 29 October 2009. Archived from the originalon 6 October 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- ^ Remember Danny Lee?
- ^ 2010 European Tour results
- ^ Q-School Stage 1 leaderboard
- ^ Q-School Stage 2 leaderboard
- ^ Q-School Final Stage leaderboard Archived 12 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- Stuff.co.nz. 19 April 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- Stuff.co.nz. 25 April 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- ^ Wrist Injury a Worry for Danny Lee
- ^ "Nationwide Tour's Rising Star" video
- ^ "WNB Golf Classic R4 wrap-up". Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ^ "WNB Golf Classic, R1 wrap-up". Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ^ "2011 Money List – Nationwide Tour". PGA Tour. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
- ^ Danny Lee learning his lessons
- NZPA. 15 November 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- ^ "Lee Turns to Aussie Coach". Australian Associated Press. 13 January 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
- ^ "Danny Lee Riding Confidence at Copperhead". NPR. The Associated Press. 14 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
- ^ Myers, Alex (16 May 2019). "PGA Championship 2019: Surprise contender Danny Lee briefly contemplated quite the career change in 2017". Golf Digest. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- ^ Dethier, Dylan (20 September 2020). "Controversial U.S. Open 6-putt footage finally released (it's spectacular!)". Golf.com. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "PXG Pros & Ambassadors WITB - PGA & LPGA Tour Golfers | PXG".
- ^ "Golf: Kiwi Danny Lee confirmed as new LIV Golf member". The New Zealand Herald. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ^ "Golf: Kiwi pro Danny Lee finds true love, fine form on the course". 7 October 2023.
- ^ @dannygolf72 (24 October 2018). "Welcome to the world Roi Theodore lee! 2018/10/21 3:14am 7.11 pound 20inch and mom is doing good! Thank you for all…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Tied for lead for in Korea, Danny Lee's thoughts are with his premature baby". 19 October 2019.
External links
- Danny Lee at the European Tour official site
- Danny Lee at the PGA Tour official site
- Danny Lee at the Korean Tour official site (in Korean)
- Danny Lee at the Official World Golf Ranking official site