US Open 2024: Tiger Woods pays Min Woo Lee a huge compliment after practice round – Australian Golf Digest

by Admin
June 12, 2024

Eight years after Tiger Woods gave Min Woo Lee a private lesson at the Sage Valley Invitational amateur event in South Carolina, the pair played a practice round on Tuesday at the 124th US Open at Pinehurst No.2.

World No.36 Lee, who tied for fifth at last year’s US Open, joined 15-time major winner Woods and his fellow Californian, Max Homa, in studying the sandy North Carolina surrounds of Pinehurst. Woods’ teenage son, Charlie, walked with the group.

The three-time US Open winner Woods was grateful Lee, 25, took the time to talk with Charlie, who is a budding amateur golfer.

“He was very excited today to watch Max and Min Woo, watch them hit golf balls,” Woods said after the round. “They talked to him quite a bit, especially Min Woo. They are closer in age to [Charlie] than anybody else.

“It’s neat for him to see the guys he watches on TV, YouTube, TikTok and… whatever the hell else they do.”

Lee was also chuffed to have practised with his idol, Woods, posting on Instagram, “In good company.”

Lee is one of six Australians in the field at the US Open. Australia’s most recent major winner, 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith, secured a career-best US Open result last year at Los Angeles Country Club with a solo fourth. On Tuesday at Pinehurst, Smith, who tied for sixth at the Masters in April, was watched by the great Karrie Webb, who walked several holes of his practice round.

Lee and Smith are joined by Australia’s top-ranked male golfer, world No.1 Jason Day, who owns four top-10s on the PGA Tour this year. Day was once a US Open specialist, earning two runner-up results (2011, 2013) among five top 10s at the event. Cameron Davis, who defeated Adam Scott in that sudden-death playoff at US Open qualifying, is also teeing up, as is Scott, who after the playoff defeat ended up scraping into the field via the world’s top 60 golfers. Perth’s Jason Scrivener rounds out the Aussie contingent.

ROUND ONE AUSSIE TEE-TIMES (AEST in brackets)

Thursday
7.18am (9.18pm) Cam Smith, Sam Burns, Lucas Glover

8.02am (10.02pm) Min Woo Lee, Sahith Theegala, Nicolai Hojgaard

8.35am (10.35pm) Cam Davis, Adrian Meronk, Austin Eckroat

1.03pm (3.03am Friday) Jason Day, Harris English, Tom Kim

1.58pm (3.58am Friday) Adam Scott, Billy Horschel, Chris Kirk

12.30pm (2.30am Friday) Jason Scrivener, Brandon Robinson Thompson, Brendan Valdes (amateur)

MORE GOLF DIGEST US OPEN COVERAGE