Cut loose or rein it in? Australian golfers clash on best path forward for Masters hopeful Min Woo Lee

Min Woo Lee is being wooed by two schools of thought on how to get the best out of his outstanding talent. Let him cook? Or steer him on a different path that one Aussie great believes could lead to greatness. Either way, he could be a winner.

Min Woo Lee is being urged to change his ways, but a former tour pro insists he should stay the same.

Former world No.1 Jason Day says Lee can climb to the top of world golf if he’s prepared to make sacrifices to his “lifestyle”.

But ex-PGA Tour player and Fox Sports golf analyst Paul Gow disagrees.

“It’s an interesting one because as professional golfers you’ve got your own journey and you’ve got to figure out your own way,” Gow said.

“So that might have been okay for Jason, but it mightn’t be okay for Min – and they have become good mates.

For the first time, the only place to watch the Masters live is Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports and Foxtel.

Min Woo Lee is getting differing views on how best to harness his talents. Picture: Getty

“It’s good to get advice from him, but Min has his own team and his own mind on how he wants to do things. But Jason’s only trying to help.”

Lee, 26, has a growing global social media presence and is not as dedicated to the gym or “grind” that helped take Day to the No.1 ranking a decade ago.

“They are totally different. Min is not a grinder,” Gow said.

“His sister (female star Minjee Lee) is a grinder, she works really hard at the game, but Min is more laid back. He does the work that is required but doesn’t do any more than that.

“So what I think Jason is saying is that he may have to take a leaf out of Tiger’s book and just do that extra 10 per cent.”

Gow said Lee’s coach, Richie Smith, was a “very clever man” who was not shy in telling the world No.23 “what to do and how to do it”.

“The way Min has gone about it is fascinating, the whole social media stuff – he’s now a social media superstar, which is the new age thing to do.

“So that’s exactly what I’d say (to Lee), ‘You be you and see how you go’. He’s going pretty damn good at the moment, isn’t he?

“But it’s something that Jason has identified because he is close enough to him and has spent a lot of time with him.

“There’s a lot of self-discovery in golf. At the Players Championship he fell apart on the weekend and then he won a couple of weeks later, so whatever he learnt at the Players, he backed it up.

“So he might be figuring it out now. He’s changed his ball flight and it takes time. We all mature at different levels.

“Jason was a grinder, he worked his arse off the entire time and deserves every accolade, but I’m not sure that it works for everyone.”

Lee has been drawn to play alongside LIV star Joaquin Niemann and two-time major winner Collin Morikawa in the first two rounds of the Masters.

Originally published as Cut loose or rein it in? Australian golfers clash on best path forward for Masters hopeful Min Woo Lee