Min Woo Lee dominates second round at the Australian Open to seize the lead

A special Adam Scott moment early was outdone by Min Woo Lee who is on track for a major Australian double.

Min Woo Lee is leading the Australian Open . (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

It’s been 12 years since anyone did the Australian PGA and Open double.

But Min Woo Lee is playing such irresistible golf it would hard to bet against the 25-year-old repeating Greg Chalmer’s feat from 2011 after he seized control in Sydney to take a three-shot lead as he finished his round, closing with an eagle after a second shot on the par-five 18th which had to be seen to be believed.

Adam Scott declared he had “two more goes at running them down” after storming back in to the tournament with a five-under round which included a miracle hole out from the first fairway, and Cameron Smith tried to put his Brisbane nightmare to bed with a fighting three-under 68 as well.

Smith was clearly still frustrated with his up and down game, tossing his ball into the water beside the 17th green after making a late bogey to send him back to the chasing pack, but keeping him alive for the weekend having missed the cut at the PGA.

“It was just frustrating. I mean, like I said, I did everything I needed to do and had a bit of a crappy number into 17 and just hit a poor shot and walk away with five after a perfect drive is pretty frustrating,” Smith said.

“But I think also hitting another good putt and just sliding by again was kind of the trend of the day. So it just started to get a little bit much there at the end. But hit a couple of nice shots into the last and walked away with a birdie, so that definitely eased the pain a little bit.”

Min Woo Lee in rare trouble playing from the trees and making an opening hole bogey. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

But it was Lee, fresh of his PGA win which propelled him to world No.38, and in to next year’s Masters, who kept his hot hand running, recovering from an opening hole bogey to make six birdies and the eagle in his seven-under round of 64.

He seized the outright lead from Scotland’s Connor Syme with a birdie on the 16th hole, resetting to nail the putt after the broadcast from the nearby hospitality tents reverberated around the green.

Then he hit his nine-iron approach on the par-five 18th hole, from the pine straw underneath a tree after missing the fairway, landed clean and spun its way to three feet for an incredible eagle which lifted him clear of all the chasers.

“I saw the coverage and it spun left towards the hole and nearly actually went in, so really happy with that finish,” Lee said of his stunning closing shot.

“It’s always nice to make an eagle whenever, but on the last hole, it’s even nicer.

“Sometimes you play good, sometimes you play bad and right now I’m playing good and I’m having fun. It’s not many time we get to play out here in Australia and enjoy this type of crowd, so I’m soaking it all in.”

American Patrick Rodgers was also three back from Lee while South American guns Jhonattan Vegas and LIV star Joaquin Niemann loom as key men to hold off after the duo eached fired rounds of six-under 66 to get themselves to eight-under going in to Saturday.

Eagle on the 1st for Adam Scott @GolfAust#australianopenpic.twitter.com/K1m1tocZpa

— Josh Boaz (@joshboazz) November 30, 2023

Scott holed out from the fairway on the first hole for an eagle to huge roars as he bounced back from a middling opening day to card a four-under 68.

The eagle went with five more birdies, but also amid three bogeys as the 2013 Masters champ put himself in a position to attack on the weekend.

“It was actually the third time I had that number today,” Scott said of his hole-out.

“I hadn’t practised at it and I didn’t too good the first two goes at it, but finally figured it out and hit a nice shot straight at it, one bounce and it went in I think.

“I’m really happy with where I’m at. Had good conditions today. I haven’t felt very great on the golf course this week, my touch is off, so yeah, just not been feeling great, but it can turn around in a day. I’ve got two more goes at running them down.”

AUSTRALIAN OPEN LEADERBOARD

(Australian unless stated)

12-under - Min Woo Lee

9-under - Connor Syme (Sco), Patrick Rodgers (USA)

8-under - Joaquin Niemann (Chi), Jhonattan Vegas (Ven)

Originally published as Min Woo Lee dominates second round at the Australian Open to seize the lead