Min Woo Lee commits to Australian Open as Cam Davis fires in Memphis

As one rising Australian star made his claim for the $30m on offer in Memphis, another committed to the Australian Open.

Cameron Davis has made a hot start in Memphis. Picture: Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Seeing Cam Davis plot his way in the top 10 after the first round of the $30m St Jude Championship in Memphis is all the motivation Min Woo Lee needs to build on his brilliant 2023 and make the PGA Tour playoffs next year.

Lee, who reached a career-high world ranking of 44 this year on the back of top-10 finishes at both the US Open and The Players Championship as he made his mark on the world scene, didn’t quite do enough to make the 70-man field, with Jason Day the only other Aussie in contention.

A bogey on his second-last hole cruelled an otherwise brilliant start for Davis, who shot a four-under 66 to be just three shots off the lead of Jordan Spieth in the elite field.

Day began with a two-under 68 to be in a tie for 34th at the event where there is no 36-hole cut for the first time.

Coming off back-to-back top-10 finishes in his previous two events to qualify for the first event in the FedEx Cup playoffs, Davis, who won the 2017 Australian Open as a 22-year-old, said all parts of his game were coming together at the right time.

“I would say putting has been a little bit better, just more consistent. All parts of my game are just in a pretty good place right now,” he said.

“I’m driving it pretty well, for the most part hitting it well into the greens and giving myself plenty of looks, but when I’m out of position, I’m handling it pretty well at the moment.

“I‘m just trying to make it as stress free as I can, and golf is not always like that, so I’m trying to ride the good stuff as long as I can.”

Back home in Perth, Lee, who has confirmed he’ll be returning home this summer for the Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney, said being in Davis’s shoes in 2024 was “where I want to be”.

Min Woo Lee has been drawing a crowd in 2023. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

But securing his PGA Tour card, having earnt temporary status in 2023 on the back of his performances that also yielded more than $3.7m in prizemoney, is the current focus of his attention as keeps an eye on the tour rankings.

The 25-year-old also has three events before the Australian Open in Europe where his tour ranking for the season – he is currently fifth – could earn him that PGA Tour playing card should be remain in the top 10.

“It’s come so quick, playing only a handful of majors and being in contention for some of them, it’s a major plus … it’s quite surreal to be in that situation,” Lee said of being on the verge of his PGA Tour dream.

“I feel like I learned a long time ago you can get ahead of yourself easily. People asking me about my tour card and I feel like I have done so much this year in regards to results, but I feel like I am just keeping my card.

“I got a bit sick of it and just wanted to play golf. You have to make sure you do your work and then get the job done.

“I’m just getting comfortable playing all these tournaments and it’s starting to show. I feel like I am slowly getting better every year and I’m looking forward to wherever I can go.”