U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2023

June 16, 2023

Min Woo Lee

The Los Angeles Country Club

Flash Interview

Q. 5-under 65, great round of golf today. What's working well?

MIN WOO LEE: Everything is working pretty good. My approach play has been pretty lacking over the last year or my whole career, so it's quite nice to actually be in the positives I think the last two days.

Hitting it well, driving it well, driving it a long way actually, which is nice on this course because it's long. Just not making too many mistakes. When I do hit it in the rough, I need to take my medicine and just hit it out.

Putted also well, and everything is working pretty good, which is nice.

Q. Obviously the sun came out for your afternoon. What is the afternoon wave going to face this you didn't this morning?

MIN WOO LEE: I think just a little bit of wind. Well, it's the first time the sun has come out in the last two days, so it might bake out for the guys coming in. Yeah, there's a few tough pin positions with some wind and obviously firming up.

I don't know, it might play tough, it might not, but these guys are good so they can handle it.

Q. Does the setup feel like a U.S. Open out there so far, and what are your overall thoughts on the setup?

MIN WOO LEE: I'm probably not the person to ask. I've only played one.

Yeah, I guess U.S. Opens can be obviously tougher and they have been tougher, but with I think the fairways being pretty wide, you can have a lot of approach shots from the fairway, which in past U.S. Opens you've got to drive it amazing to have the chances.

I think that's part of the key why the scoring is a bit low, but I don't know, I'm coming fifth and I played one of my best rounds. It's still tough out there.

Q. What about the course scares you the most going into the weekend?

MIN WOO LEE: Probably the greens, if anything. If it does get firm, it's going to play tough. Fairways are generous. Not every hole is a driver, as well. Making sure you hit on the fairway is definitely key, and hitting approach shots in the right spots -- there's a couple pins today that you can't miss them in certain spots.

I think if the greens get baked out and fast, they're already kind of fast, so that's probably the big defense.

Q. Are you having fun in LA at all, or is it just golf course, hotel, golf course, hotel?

MIN WOO LEE: Oh, no, it's amazing. It's fun. When I got to LA it was like one of the places where I had a smile -- I haven't been back here since Riviera and U.S. Am. It's definitely a good juju feeling. I had my host family that hosted me. I was supposed to stay with them. I haven't seen them in like seven years, and it seems like it was just last year.

It's quite a good vibe and the crowd has been awesome. Yeah, I feel good here.

Q. Are you staying with them?

MIN WOO LEE: No, I ended up not staying with them just because of the traffic. I had dinner with them on Sunday, and it was good to see familiar faces.

Q. You can't be on the other side of the 405 this week.

MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I don't know where that is, but I've heard plenty of times don't be on that side. Hilton is taking care of me, which is nice.

Q. You've had good results in a number of major championships. Do you feel like you elevate your game at the biggest events?

MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I think so. I really don't know why I decide to play well in the majors and not other tournaments. Yeah, I think it's a good thing. I don't know if I just focus just a little bit more and just know that some of these grind-it-out pars are actually moving up on the field.

I think when the courses are pretty easy at different tournaments, if you make a bogey, you feel like you've moved back 30 spots, and over here in a major it's not too bad. Just to keep your head in the game, it can get away from you so quick. I think something to do with the mindset for sure.

Q. Some people were comparing this golf course to something in Australia or something in the Sand Belt. Do you see that at all?

MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, it reminds me of Royal Melbourne and a few Melbourne courses. It's pretty brown for an American course. I think that's what I look back at. I've played at Royal Melbourne plenty of times, and I love playing shots and not just hitting a straight shot, which I've been struggling with because some of the courses are pretty straight and I need to hit it straighter.

But it's nice to actual shape shots into greens on some of the tee shots.

Q. You're probably the longest pound for pound driver in golf. Just curious how all that power came to be.

MIN WOO LEE: I don't know either. What I say to people is I just -- I go to the gym a few times a week. It's not like that's crazy. I probably lift stronger than what people would expect. I've got long levers, and when I was a kid, I was very good as a kid, so I always played with older people.

Just sort of like I want to hit it as far as them, so I think it was just naturally built into me where I wanted to not be shorter. It's quite a nice combo. A lot of people say these days try and hit it as far as you can and work on straight after. I think that's where a lot of the kids are going.

I mean, some of these guys that are out here make me look kind of slow. I've got to keep up the weights and keep up the speed.

Q. Did you play other sports growing up or just golf?

MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I did a lot of sports. I didn't necessarily love golf when I was 10 to 15. I quit when I was 11 to 12 for a year just because I thought it was a boring old men's sport, wear long pants and stuff like that, just the usual. But I played basketball, which I really liked, soccer, football, and taekwondo. I did a lot of sports, a lot of fast-paced sports that I enjoyed much more than golf.

But there was a tournament that I got selected to play in Australia, and decided that's when I really liked to play golf. I loved going overseas and over east and meeting new people. Yeah, I'm pretty talkable, so meet new friends.

Q. As you go into the weekend, how much will you rely on THE PLAYERS Championship and the PGA in terms of mixing it up with the world's best?

MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I think that was one of the times where I really thought I could actually contend and be there, and I had a couple bad holes at THE PLAYERS but I really didn't think I was far off. Still held it at the end, and yeah, that gave me a lot of confidence for the tournaments coming through.

I will definitely lean on to it. Every round I play is something you learn, so just make sure you do learn and don't do them again.

Q. What's going to be key hanging in there on Sunday and making sure you've got a chance?

MIN WOO LEE: Just doing the same thing. I'm driving it really well and hitting it pretty good. I think just doing the same thing. Just giving myself a lot of chances.

There was only one or two holes where I was -- or probably a few holes over the last two days where I didn't drive it well and just had to hit out. Make sure you drive it well and do everything well.

Q. You said you lift more than we would think you do. How much do you put up bench and squat?

MIN WOO LEE: You're putting me on the spot now. I don't know. I haven't done a max rep in a long time. I just lift as I can. Obviously just to prevent injury. But I never really max it out just because I'm never at home for like a couple months.

Q. Do you feel you play better when you're high energy or when you're kind of loose and calm?

MIN WOO LEE: I think a bit of both. I need to have that mindset of let's focus and this is the shot I need to hit. But you see me out there, I wave to fans and I do like to have fun, which we realize over the last eight months that trying to be serious is not my thing. I think when I need to, I will, and I just try to have fun.

At THE PLAYERS I played bad and I still felt like I was having fun. A bit of both.