Why Paul McGinley believes Min Woo Lee is ‘the most exciting young player in the game’
A former European Ryder Cup captain has declared young-gun Min Woo Lee as a genuine chance of taking home the green jacket from this week’s Masters, saying he is the ‘most exciting young player in the game.’
Former European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley has declared Australian young gun Min Woo Lee “the most exciting young player in the game”.
“I think he’s got everything,” McGinley told this masthead.
“He hits the ball a million miles and he’s got a lot of charisma, too.
“The game would love it if he became a real top player and won a major because the game needs characters with charisma like he has.
“I think he’s simply sensational - the hottest prospect that we have in golf.
“Look at the progress that he’s been making. Every year he gets better from the year before.
“He’s climbing up those world rankings (No.32), he’s getting more confident, he’s got a phenomenal game and it’s becoming tighter.
“It’s just a matter of time. There’s no doubt he’s going to win major championships.
“And as long as that competitive fire and ambition burns brightly, he’s going to be a massive star.
“He’s well capable of winning (this week’s Masters) for sure. I think we are going to have somewhat of a surprise leaderboard - because there’s not many guys showing a lot of form.”
Lee, 25, heads a six-strong Australian contingent at Augusta.
McGinley said Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy’s best chance of claiming his first green jacket - and becoming just the sixth golfer in history to complete the grand slam of golf - might come as a back marker.
“Only five players in the history of the game have won a grand slam and there’s a reason why,” McGinley said.
“There’s a lot of players, not just Rory, stuck on three of the four majors - it’s a difficult thing, expectation. You are on the verge of history, legacy and all the stuff that goes with it. You separate yourself into a completely different echelon to everybody else and it brings a lot of pressure, particularly at Augusta, so it’s not an easy spot to be in.
“Of course he (McIlroy) feels the pressure and he’s tried different ways to alleviate himself from it.
“I think his best chance of winning it is coming from behind, like he did a couple of years ago when Scheffler won.
“If he can get within two or three - even four shots - of the leader going into the Sunday round, that could well be the platform for him to go on and win.”
‘Few are better’: Why Greg Norman is backing Cameron Smith at Masters
Australian golf great and LIV tour boss Greg Norman says Cameron Smith is “trending in the right direction” to claim his first green jacket.
Smith, 30, who finished third at the Masters two years ago and second in 2020, heads a contingent of six Australians teeing it up at Augusta National on Thursday.
“Watching Cam Smith as closely as I have, I believe he is trending in the right direction with his game,” Norman said.
“His putting ... few are better. His short game and feel around the greens, which is needed at Augusta, the same.
“Jason Day would be my second pick (of the Aussies).”
Norman, who finished in the top five eight times at Augusta, said mother nature would have the biggest say on the outcome of the tournament.
“This is all weather dependent,” he said. “No rain – firm and fast opens the field up.
“Wet and cool with wind out of the north-west favours the longer hitters.”
Norman last month described as “laughable” the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) that have placed 2022 Open champion Smith at No.62.
LIV events are not recognised in the OWGR system because they are just 54 holes, have limited fields and no cuts.
Smith lost in a three-man playoff in last month’s LIV Hong Kong event and had to pull out with food poisoning from the Miami event on the weekend that Dean Burmester won in a playoff over Sergio Garcia.
He and Day will be joined at Augusta by 2013 winner Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee, Cameron Davis and Victorian rookie Jaspar Stubbs, who punched his ticket with a win in last year’s
Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne.
Day, 36, has worked his way back inside the world top 25 after a period in the wilderness and has a game suited to Augusta.
The Queenslander finished tied for second in 2011, was third in 2013 and 10th in 2016.
Day is now the highest-ranked Australian in the world at No.22.
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