Min Woo Lee had the audience cooking in Florida this week as he revealed a wild tale involving a dog called Aussie, a rental home, some spicy special grass and a bemused veterinarian.
It sounds like the ingredients for a cracking joke and the Western Australian could see the funny side as he prepared for The Players Championships at TPC Sawgrass this week.
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In short, his partner Gracie became alarmed earlier this week when their pet dog lacked energy and focus in his pen at the home they have rented in Ponte Vedra Beach for the prestigious tournament.
“He was not really moving and fast forward an hour and a half and we go to the vet and the vet goes, ‘Do you smoke weed?’” the Aussie star said.
“I was like, ‘What are you talking about? No.’ But (Aussie) had found a bit of THC in the backyard and he was high on the ground. But to be honest, we loved him cuddly and not bitey, so we might have to give him a bit more.”
The 27-year-old may prefer his pet to be less “bitey” but there will be no avoiding the beauty with teeth that he tackles this week at the unofficial “fifth” major.
But there is growing confidence that Lee has both the form and style to deliver a winning punchline – and add to an Aussie habit – at TPC Sawgrass in a week that began in bizarre circumstances.
“There is something about it that fits my eye,” the Australian said.
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Australian winners of the Players Championship this centurySource: FOX SPORTS
AN AUSSIE TRADITION
When it comes to success in The Players Championship since its move to TPC Sawgrass in 1982, only the host nation has produced more champions than the land down under.
It has served as a coronation for some Australian greats and, for others, the boost of confidence that has enabled them to blossom into major champions soon after.
Steve Elkington was Australia’s first winner of the event in 1991 and is the only double-champion the green and gold has produced, having succeeded again in 1997. In between the ‘Elk’ clinched major glory in the 1995 PGA Championship.
Greg Norman was already a dual-British Open champion and the heartbreak kid in too many other majors to count when he sizzled to a tournament record success in 1994 on a course that was built on former swampland.
Adam Scott identified himself as a star of the future with a one-shot triumph over Padraig Harrington in 2004 and went on to become Australia’s first Masters winner nine years later.
Jason Day was in the midst of a spectacular period that saw him win the US PGA in 2015 and top the world rankings when adding his name to the honour roll in 2016.
Cameron Smith, meanwhile, confirmed his status as a major contender in 2022 when triumphant at TPC Sawgrass and clinched the historic 150th British Open at St Andrews four months later.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 14: Cameron Smith on his way to triumph in 2022.Source: Getty Images
Since The Players Championship moved to TPC Sawgrass, the only Australian major winners not to win it are 1990 PGA Championship winner Wayne Grady, 1991 British Open champion Ian Baker-Finch and 2006 US Open victor Geoff Ogilvy.
Grady never played well at the Peter Dye-designed course, recording just one Top 25 finish. Ogilvy fared better with five Top 25 finishes, but the closest he came was a tie for 12th in 2012.
But Baker-Finch came close to following his brilliant British Open performance with a triumph in The Players Championship when runner-up in 1992 behind Davis Love III.
Renowned golf analyst Paul Gow has a theory as to why the Aussies have fared well at TPC Sawgrass, saying they are well-equipped to win in the testing conditions that tend to hit the Florida course at some stage during the tournament.
The famed Sandbelt in Melbourne and challenging courses across the nation require craft, versatility and also an ability to stomach misfortune, which are critical traits at TPC Sawgrass.
“There’s a bunch of shots that you need to hit, and you need to hit them under immense pressure,” he told foxsports.com.au
“It seems that the grounding of playing Australian Opens and Australian PGA Championships … has really helped a lot of the players over the years.
“That’s the stuff you grow up on. You get some bad breaks. You play the Sandbelt (and) hit a beautiful shot and the next thing you are in the rough or in a bunker. It is not fair, but what is fair? You learn and teach yourself to move on.”
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ERADICATING THE BLOWOUTS
Toughness is critical to success at TPC Sawgrass, for while the 17th green is an appealing site, the visage is a mirage. It is a beautiful course, but it is also a beast.
Marc Leishman, who is now plying his trade on the LIV Tour, once said that because it was such a challenging course, everyone had a chance.
“This place has kicked my arse before but I really enjoy it. I enjoy the challenge of it,” he said.
“I know if you don’t play well, it will be a short week, but if you do play well, anyone can win. That’s exciting.”
Negotiating the sublime 17th hole with the famous “Island Green” is important. Brooks Koepka, when asked why he had struggled in The Players Championship, was succinct when responding; “The 17th hole”.
The 18th is also considered a beast, a 422m dogleg that sweeps to the left and is the final twist to the tail of a course acclaimed analyst Wayne Riley described as an “evil golf course with a big reputation”.
But according to 2016 champion Jason Day, squaring the stretch between 13 and 15 at least gives golfers a chance to contend for the title. It is that type of course.
The concluding holes are a stretch Lee is familiar with, and it would not surprise if returning to TPC Sawgrass became a recurring nightmare after a debacle on debut.
Back in 2023, the West Aussie was in a strong position after starting the final day in second position. His birdie on the first hole boosted optimism of back-to-back Aussie winners following Cam Smith’s success in 2022.
But then it all unravelled. He had a seven on the seventh before a double-bogey on 11 and another mistake on 14 caused a slide down to sixth position with a 76. Ouch.
Min Woo Lee in 2023 walking up 18 after a devastating final round.Source: AFP
Last year he began brilliantly again, shooting rounds of 67 and 68 saw him share the lead at the halfway mark, only to endure a shocker on Saturday as he carded a 78 in the wind.
“It was brutal,” he said.
“There are some holes where you’re not just feeling it off the tee and you hit poor shots and the wind takes the ball and I fell victim to that. It felt pretty embarrassing.
“I probably beat myself up too much out there, but I played great for two days and then can’t hit it within 10 feet once. It is tough.”
Min Woo Lee to return down under for PGA | 01:00
LEE ON LINE AND LENGTH
It is undisputed that Lee is capable of temporarily taming TPC Sawgrass.
In his 12 competitive rounds there, the 27-year-old has broken 70 four times, including two 66s, and shot 70 three more times. But the blowouts have been ugly and costly. That 76 in 2023. The 78 last year. Eradicating those lapses is critical to his hopes of joining the decorated list of Aussie winners of The Players Championship.
He is in the most consistent form of his career with three top 10 finishes in his past seven tournaments dating back to a fifth in the Australian PGA at Royal Queensland and there are indications he is tougher mentally after a few seasons in the US.
The Perth native was in sublime touch in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am when finishing second and last week placed sixth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
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A statistical analysis by the PGA Tour has him sitting in the top 10 in metrics including strokes gained from tee to green and also his driving distance.
It also indicates his blade on the green works best on the opening day before tailing off, so if he can keep his line and length on song, it points to the 30th ranked Lee being a contender.
But the Aussie has no doubt it will be difficult, saying his caddie Brian Martin had advised him the rough was thicker in Ponte Vedra than other events this year.
“It’s a big premium hitting fairways. It’s legit thick,” he said this week.
“I didn’t want to hear these words from my caddie, but he said it’s thicker than last week and I thought last week was thick. But it is also an advantage because I can produce a lot of speed and hit it out of the rough.”