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Min Woo Lee did not make it easy on himself in winning his first PGA Tour title on Sunday.
With world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland chasing him all over the back nine of the Memorial Park Golf Course during the Texas Children's Houston Open, Lee had to take penalties on two tee shots at par-5 holes. He missed his last two greens. He incurred the wrath of playing partner Alejandro Tosti for what Tosti considered slow play. And Lee lost four shots of a five-shot lead.
Somehow he managed to hold it together and become the fifth first-time winner on Tour this season.
Lee two-putted off the back fringe of the par-4 18th hole from nearly 55 feet and with a closing 64, won the Houston Open with a tournament-record 20-under-par 260, one shot clear of Scheffler (63) and Woodland (62).
Lee earned $1.71 million for the victory and 500 FedEx Cup points. He moved to 16th in both categories.
Lee started the day with a four-shot lead over Tosti (68, dropping into a tie for fifth) and led by five at one point at 18-under.
Lee appeared to have overcome an early mistake when he had to take an unplayable lie on his tee shot at the par-5 eighth hole, with Tosti, according to NBC on-course analyst Bones McKay, complaining about the time it took for Lee to get his ruling.
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McKay then said Tosti seemed to retaliate by playing slow on later holes, especially at No. 12.
"I don't know what's going on, but Tosti is playing at his own pace," McKay said on the broadcast. "At times, it's normal. At times, it's glacially slow. But he's decided on this particular hole to really take his time, and he's holding up play in this last group."
Lee managed to par No. 8, then birdied Nos. 12 and 13 to get to 21-under.
But Scheffler birdied three holes in a row, beginning at No. 13 and Woodland birdied No. 15 and eagled No. 16 on a 35-foot putt to come within three shots of Lee at 18-under.
The key hole was the par-5 16th. After Woodland's eagle, Scheffler two-putted from 23 feet for birdie and Lee bogeyed, after slicing his tee shot into the water. With a closing birdie of 2 feet at No. 18 by Woodland, Lee's lead over the two players was down to one.
However, Scheffler missed the 18th green short and left and did well to make a par. Lee missed the green at Nos. 17 and 18 but not by much — he was able to putt on his third shot on both holes, setting up effortless pars.
Woodland, who underwent surgery for a brain tumor in the fall of 2023, continued a remarkable comeback and posted his first top-three finish since 2019, when he won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
Woodland birdied five of his first 10 holes and rallied from a bogey at No. 13 to play his last four holes at 4-under.
Woodland made his first three cuts in the 2025 season, then missed three in a row. He tied for 47th last week at the Valspar Championship.
Several players attempted to catch Lee and faltered, leaving it to Scheffler and Woodland.
Sami Valimaki of Finland, a two-time winner of the DP World Tour, joined Woodland in tying the course record with a 62 to finish alone in fourth at 17-under, and set the tournament record for the low second 36 holes at 14-under.
Players Championship winner Rory McIlroy (64) was 7-under through his first 12 holes but had only one more birdie after that and a bogey at No. 18 dropped him into a tie for fifth at 15-under with Wyndham Clark (64), who birdied four of his first five holes on the back nine and then closed with four pars in a row.
Taylor Pendrith (65), birdied Nos. 16 and 17 to join McIlroy and Clark at 15-under.
Woodland, Valimaki and Ryan Gerard (tie for eighth), needed to win to secure an invitation to the Masters and all three will get another chance at the Valero Texas Open this week at TPC San Antonio.
Two players who could make the field at Augusta National by finishing among the top 50 on the World Golf Rankings appear in good shape. Ben Griffin tied for 17th at 11-under and needed a finish of 28th or higher, according to WGR numbers-crunchers. Michael Kim tied for 32nd at 7-under and needed a top-50 finish.
Their final ranking won't be official until late Sunday night.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Texas Children's Houston Open: Min Woo Lee wins first PGA Tour title
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With world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland chasing him all over the back nine of the Memorial Park Golf Course during the Texas Children's Houston Open, Lee had to take penalties on two tee shots at par-5 holes. He missed his last two greens. He incurred the wrath of playing partner Alejandro Tosti for what Tosti considered slow play. And Lee lost four shots of a five-shot lead.
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Somehow he managed to hold it together and become the fifth first-time winner on Tour this season.
Lee two-putted off the back fringe of the par-4 18th hole from nearly 55 feet and with a closing 64, won the Houston Open with a tournament-record 20-under-par 260, one shot clear of Scheffler (63) and Woodland (62).
Lee earned $1.71 million for the victory and 500 FedEx Cup points. He moved to 16th in both categories.
Min Woo Lee accused of slow play by Alejandro Tosti
Lee started the day with a four-shot lead over Tosti (68, dropping into a tie for fifth) and led by five at one point at 18-under.
Lee appeared to have overcome an early mistake when he had to take an unplayable lie on his tee shot at the par-5 eighth hole, with Tosti, according to NBC on-course analyst Bones McKay, complaining about the time it took for Lee to get his ruling.
MAJOR INSIDER: Get Golfweek's best stories, latest updates from Augusta National straight to your inbox.
McKay then said Tosti seemed to retaliate by playing slow on later holes, especially at No. 12.
"I don't know what's going on, but Tosti is playing at his own pace," McKay said on the broadcast. "At times, it's normal. At times, it's glacially slow. But he's decided on this particular hole to really take his time, and he's holding up play in this last group."
Lee managed to par No. 8, then birdied Nos. 12 and 13 to get to 21-under.
Scottie Scheffler surges
But Scheffler birdied three holes in a row, beginning at No. 13 and Woodland birdied No. 15 and eagled No. 16 on a 35-foot putt to come within three shots of Lee at 18-under.
The key hole was the par-5 16th. After Woodland's eagle, Scheffler two-putted from 23 feet for birdie and Lee bogeyed, after slicing his tee shot into the water. With a closing birdie of 2 feet at No. 18 by Woodland, Lee's lead over the two players was down to one.
However, Scheffler missed the 18th green short and left and did well to make a par. Lee missed the green at Nos. 17 and 18 but not by much — he was able to putt on his third shot on both holes, setting up effortless pars.
Gary Woodland has an inspirational finish
Woodland, who underwent surgery for a brain tumor in the fall of 2023, continued a remarkable comeback and posted his first top-three finish since 2019, when he won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
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Woodland birdied five of his first 10 holes and rallied from a bogey at No. 13 to play his last four holes at 4-under.
Woodland made his first three cuts in the 2025 season, then missed three in a row. He tied for 47th last week at the Valspar Championship.
Rory McIlroy, Wyndham Clark among contenders
Several players attempted to catch Lee and faltered, leaving it to Scheffler and Woodland.
Sami Valimaki of Finland, a two-time winner of the DP World Tour, joined Woodland in tying the course record with a 62 to finish alone in fourth at 17-under, and set the tournament record for the low second 36 holes at 14-under.
Players Championship winner Rory McIlroy (64) was 7-under through his first 12 holes but had only one more birdie after that and a bogey at No. 18 dropped him into a tie for fifth at 15-under with Wyndham Clark (64), who birdied four of his first five holes on the back nine and then closed with four pars in a row.
Taylor Pendrith (65), birdied Nos. 16 and 17 to join McIlroy and Clark at 15-under.
Did anyone qualify for the Masters?
Woodland, Valimaki and Ryan Gerard (tie for eighth), needed to win to secure an invitation to the Masters and all three will get another chance at the Valero Texas Open this week at TPC San Antonio.
Two players who could make the field at Augusta National by finishing among the top 50 on the World Golf Rankings appear in good shape. Ben Griffin tied for 17th at 11-under and needed a finish of 28th or higher, according to WGR numbers-crunchers. Michael Kim tied for 32nd at 7-under and needed a top-50 finish.
Their final ranking won't be official until late Sunday night.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Texas Children's Houston Open: Min Woo Lee wins first PGA Tour title
Continue reading...
