Golf

Min Woo Lee claims three-shot win at Fortinet Australian PGA Championship

A big lead heading to the last saw Lee don a chef’s hat and orchestrate a synchronised crowd thunderclap

Min Woo Lee of Australia poses with his trophy following victory. Photograph: Patrick Hamilton/AFP via Getty
Min Woo Lee of Australia poses with his trophy following victory. Photograph: Patrick Hamilton/AFP via Getty
Sun Nov 26 2023 - 14:30

Min Woo Lee overcame a nervy start to win his third DP World Tour title with a three-shot victory at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship.

The 25-year-old Aussie’s three-stroke overnight lead evaporated in the first two holes at Royal Brisbane after a bogey-par start saw Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino draw level on 16 under after two opening birdies.

But Lee’s three birdies in four holes from the fourth – where he came within 18 inches of a hole in one after Joaquin Niemann had earlier aced the hole on his way to a fifth-placed finish – restored his advantage after his partner played that stretch in level par.

A 55-yard chip-in eagle at the ninth put him four ahead at the turn and despite a scrappy back nine of three bogeys and two birdies Hoshino could not take advantage as he closed with seven successive pars to finish 17 under.

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Lee’s four-shot lead heading to the last saw him don a chef’s hat – he has adopted the tagline “Let him cook” for many of his social media posts – and orchestrate a synchronised crowd thunderclap at this week’s established party hole before bogeying the 18th to sign for a 68 and a 20-under total.

“I’ve always thought I could win, but it took a while to get over the hump. Two wins in the last month or so ... really proud of it,” said Lee, who won the Asian Tour’s Macau Open recently.

Lee now heads to next week’s Australian Open, a joint-tournament format featuring men’s and women’s fields, where his two-time Major winner sister Minjee Lee will be playing the same course in Sydney.