GOLF: Min Woo Lee enjoying solid start to season, hungry to defend Houston title

Min Woo Lee is back at the site of his PGA Tour breakthrough: the Texas Children's Houston Open.

The 27-year-old Australian has yet to miss a cut this season, including a T2 finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which was won by Collin Morikawa. As the defending champion, Lee hopes his strong performance last month signals the possibility of a second Houston Open win.

"Yeah, Pebble was a very nice week, felt like I put four good rounds together," Lee said Tuesday. "That's all you have to do, you've got to put yourself in contention. I feel like I've been doing that, just getting familiar with my game, putting well, and doing everything pretty solid. You've got to do that to win and put yourself in that spot. It's not rocket science; you've got to play very good."

Lee posted two rounds of 65 at Pebble Beach, one of the more famous courses on the PGA Tour. The Houston Open, however, is played on a very different kind of track at Memorial Park Golf Course, one of two municipal courses on the circuit.

Last year, Lee secured his win by using his signature power off the tee and staying strong on approach shots, even when missing the fairway. He also credited his mental focus for his success.

"Something about last time I was here, I was very head down and just focused on the process and hitting the next shot," Lee said. "I think that's why it was exhausting in a good way. Normally I would look around, look at the crowd, but not last year. I was very head down and just kind of did my thing. Maybe I should do it every week, I don't know."

Lee acknowledged that he needed to sharpen his approach play after struggling in the tour’s signature events in 2025. After ranking near the bottom of the tour in strokes gained on approach last year, he has improved this season, ranking above average at 77th.

"You always look back at the week and think, 'That 3-footer I missed could have made a big difference toward the end of the year,' or stuff like that," Lee said. "Yes, that's feedback you get, but you've just got to move on and do the best you can. I thought I was good enough to be out here and play, but the Signature Events beat me up last year. I needed to get a lot better, a lot more stable, and a lot stronger. It was a good period to work on my game, and it's starting to pay off now, which is great."

—Field Level Media/Reuters