Min Woo Lee has ruled out joining LIV Golf, focusing instead on securing another golden ticket to the Masters with a successful Australian summer campaign.
Lee has returned home to contest the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland from November 27 to 30 and the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne the following week.
Speculation that he may join the Saudi-backed breakaway league has followed the 27-year-old all the way back from the United States.
But Lee on Friday put an end to such talk, saying he was committed to the PGA Tour and continuing his quest to join his older sister and women’s world number three, Minjee, as a major champion.
“There’s been a lot of rumours. I’m not going and am just going to play on the PGA Tour,” the Perth prodigy told AAP.
“So I’m happy with where I’m at and, yeah, I’m looking forward to next year.”
A priority for 2026 is making the Masters field, with Lee walking a qualification tightrope over the coming weeks.
Currently ranked 46th in the world, he needs to remain in the top 50 as of December 31 to book another trip to Augusta National, where he shares the record for lowest front nine from his blazing final-round six-under 30 on debut in 2022.
Lee is well aware of his precarious position, having been ranked as high as number 22 after clinching his maiden PGA Tour victory at the Houston Open in March.
Lee won his maiden PGA Tour title in Houston earlier this year. (Getty Images: Jonathan Bachman)
“I’ve just got to play good golf in the Aussie summer and hopefully I can lock it up,” he said.
“Yeah, I never want to miss a major, the Masters especially. It’s one of the biggest tournaments in the world, so I’ll do whatever I can to get in.”
Lee admitted he suffered a mental let-down following his breakthrough win in the US, having held off world number one Scottie Scheffler in a phenomenal display of resilience down the stretch.
“It was great to have the win, but it’s tough because there’s not much time to actually regroup and think about it,” he said.
“You’re on a high for a whole and two weeks later it was the Masters.
“So I felt like it went quick. All the Signature events started coming up, and, yeah, the win was amazing, but the other part of the year was pretty average.
“So that was something I had to work on.”
While Lee remains committed to the PGA Tour, he hopes LIV’s move next year from three-round events to the traditional 72-hole tournaments will spark something from out-of-sorts countryman Cameron Smith.
Cameron Smith’s form has noticeably dropped since he joined LIV Golf. (AP Photo: Francisco Seco)
In a shocking low, Smith — a one-time world number two and the 2022 British Open champion — was the only player to miss the halfway cut at all four majors this year.
“Cam was one of the best players in the world before he went to LIV, and I hope he can find a stride,” Lee said.
“Great golfers, over time, if there’s more holes, they’re probably going to come out on top.
“So hopefully we can see some good golf out of him.
“We have a practice round every time at the Masters and the majors, so I hope for the best for him.”
AAP