Min Woo Lee warms up for the Masters by beating world No.1

He’s a bristling, unique, hot-and-cold talent and he his heading to the US Masters as a contender after winning the Houston Open.

Smell that? Azaleas, sweet Georgia pines, green jackets, the crispness of Amen Corner, putts quicker than Gout Gout, the burning rubber from John Daly’s motorhome pulling into Hooters, the fresh paint on the Butler Cabin and the ghost of Greg Norman cursing the torturous names of Nick Faldo and Larry Mize.

It’s US Masters season. The most beautiful tournament in the world starts next Thursday at the cathedral and catwalk called Augusta National Golf Club. Smell also what Min Woo Lee has started cookin’. The bloke nicknamed The Chef has grabbed his first PGA Tour victory by holding off defending Masters champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, and 2019 US Open champion Gary Woodland, to win the Houston Open.

Lee’s carded a closing three-under-par 67 to finish the tournament with 20 under par and $2.7 million in his kick. He has the sort of flair, entertainment value and unique name that loudmouth American golf fans latch onto. Woo! Woo! Woo! That was the backdrop to the Perth 26-year-old holding off Scheffler with a nerve-shredding up-and-down on the 72nd hole. Comically, he did an exaggerated preparation for a final putt – mocking the latest putting fad, the AimPoint method – that was about the size of his little finger, holing it and thumping his chest. Woo! Woo! Phew.

“To be honest, I played unbelievable,” Lee said. “It’s hard, It’s really hard because obviously Scottie Scheffler is a wonderful golfer. He keeps you on your toes. It was my first time being in front and keeping a lead on the PGA Tour and I’m exhausted. It was a lot of mental grind. I’m proud of the way I handled myself. To get it done and hit shots that I didn’t trust a month ago, it’s unbelievable,” he said.

Woo! Phew. It was the closest shave. He crushed one drive and someone hollered, “Let him cook!” His first post-round call was with his sister, Minjee Lee, the two-time major winner who hasn’t won an LPGA Tour event in yonks. More precisely, since the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea in 2023.

“The Houston crowd was awesome,” Lee said. “Scottie was right there and it was nerve-racking but I’m very proud. I called my family, and my mum was crying as usual, and dad was very happy.

“I think he’s playing golf right now, but he was very happy. My sister was the first one to pick up. I talked to her yesterday about having dinner tomorrow. She’s in Vegas and I live there. She’s playing an LPGA tournament there, so it will be very cool to see her. I haven’t seen her in a little bit. She’s going to win soon, too.”

Min Woo Lee celebrates after his lag putt on the 18th green all-but secured his victory Picture: Getty Images

It won’t take long to rattle off the list of Australia’s past Masters champions. Adam Scott in 2013, and we’re done. Houston Open champions have a spectacular knack of flopping at the Masters, falling face first into the flowerbeds behind Rae’s Creek, and yet Lee is a bristling, unique, hot-and-cold talent. His worst shots are like Frank Sinatra’s My Funny Valentine – laughable, unphotographable – but his good stuff is great and the potential unlimited.

“It’s hard. It’s really hard,” he said of leading throughout the final day at Houston’s Memorial Park. “I’m most proud of the way I handled myself. Scottie is Scottie. He’s a great golfer, and that’s why Sundays are so tough. You know people are creeping up and you know people are attacking.”

Beating the defending Masters champ down the stretch isn’t a bad way to warm up for a Masters. Scheffler’s win last year at Augusta was so meticulous and predictable that I nodded off halfway through round three. The tournament and world golf needs Lee to get in the hunt at majors. There’s only one Tiger Woods for igniting a gallery, but Lee has a similar sort of electricity when the tap is running hot.

He needed a win after blowing the 36-hole lead at the Players Championship. His social media accounts attract a sizeable gallery, with 500,000-plus followers on Instagram giving a thumbs up to the “Let Him Cook!” proclamation and “Dr Chip-in-ski” holing out from the fringe. The downside to having a large audience is that it can turn on you awfully quickly. As Lee discovered after crashing to a tie for 20th at the Players’. Woo! Woo! Boo! Boo!

“There were a couple of not-so-great messages,” Lee said. “A kick in the butt. A couple slip ups today but I played very wonderful golf all week. Really, really solid. I only won by one, so it’s tough, but I knew I was going to get to this point. They always say the six inches between your ears – that was a big part of the week. I always felt like I had the assets to win. It was just, can you do it mentally?”