Min Woo Lee survives early Sunday scare to win Australian PGA Championship

Min Woo Lee is the Australian PGA champion after a memorable performance at Royal Queensland.

Min Woo Lee believes he’s good enough to win one of golf’s four majors after further confirming his world-class status with a superb victory in the Australian PGA at Royal Queensland.

The Perth product overcame a shaky Sunday start to shoot a final-round 68 for an overall score of 20-under, 264, three shots better that Japanese runner-up Rikuya Hoshino.

Hoshino had earlier threatened to spoil the party after Lee’s three-shot overnight lead was gone after just two holes on Sunday when he started with a bogey and a par.

Min Woo Lee has won the Australian PGA title. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

In contrast, Hoshino started with successive birdies to draw level with Lee with 16 holes remaining.

However, with the title on the line, 25-year-old Lee rose to the occasion, and after six holes, he again led by three strokes.

Lee, who was ranked 45th in the world ahead of the tournament, was never seriously threatened after that, and celebrated his memorable day by holing a 50-metre chip for eagle on the par-five, 525-metre ninth hole.

His win in the co-sanctioned PGA Tour of Australasia and DP World Tour event was the fourth of his professional career, adding to his victories at the 2020 Victorian Open, the 2021 Scottish Open and last month’s Macau Open.

“I’m really close to doing well in the big majors and the big tournaments.” Lee said.

“I can’t wait for those majors (next year). The game’s in an unreal space right now, and I have a really good mentality.

“I’ve proven to myself that I can play really well and win. I want to be the number one player in the world. It’s still a long way away but I feel like I’m on the right track.”

Lee. who is also targeting Olympic Games and Presidents Cup selection next year, said his chip for eagle at the ninth was the “best atmosphere shot” he had ever hit.

“I’ve had a few chip-ins but ... I was in a pretty average position after the tee shot.

“It was amazing. It was one of the best shots I've probably hit.”

Hoshino, who also shot a final-round 68, congratulated Lee for his “amazing play”.

“It was a lot of fun to be able to compete with the stars of the world and try to win the championship,” he said.

“I was very sharp and achieved a good result, so I’ll do my best to win next week (at the Australian Open) as well.”

LIV star Marc Leishman finished third on 16-under after a scintillating final round of 64.

West Australian Curtis Luck was a shot further back on 15-under, with Chilean Joaquin Niemann, who had a hole-in-one on the par-three fourth hole, finishing fifth with 13-under.

Former world No.1 Adam Scott, still chasing his first win since February 2020, placed sixth after a 70 on Sunday lifted him to 12-under for the tournament.