THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 15, 2024

Min Woo Lee

TPC Sawgrass

Quick Quotes

Q. You had a big smile on your face; how satisfying was that?

MIN WOO LEE: I knew I needed to make a couple birdies towards the end and made some on the back nine. Just missed a short putt on 16, so 17 was real sweet.

I don't think I holed a putt outside 10 feet the last two days, so it was random to hole a putt, especially at the iconic 17th. It was very special.

Q. You did have a nervous look after hitting the key shot. What was going through your mind?

MIN WOO LEE: I thought if anything it was going long, and it ended up being like 10 yards short. It was a bit of a random one. That's how tough 17 is.

Q. Was there anything that changed for you going into the back nine? You had to make up several strokes to make the cut.

MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I think the drive on 12 was huge. I rarely go for it, but the tees are back, and I thought I needed to give myself a chance, so I hit a driver on the green. I don't know how far it is. A long way. But hit a perfect drive and got it on the green, so gave myself a chance there.

There was a bit of momentum after that.

Q. How many times can you remember making a putt 60 feet or longer in competition?

MIN WOO LEE: I mean, I can't even remember a 10-footer I holed this week, so 60-foot, yeah, that's one of the special ones, and especially on 17 it was extra special.

I holed one at Bay Hill actually, first hole. That's the last one. But you don't get too many.

Q. At what point do you start to feel, this could really be going in?

MIN WOO LEE: When it got up there and it was towards the left. It breaks left to right, and the last maybe six feet it looked good. Joe was right there, and he's like, let's go right, and it ended up just going in. It was cool.

Q. How hard is the golf course playing this week?

MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, it is soft, so obviously there's scores that are low. Again, if you're just off like me, it is tough. But if you're on, you can obviously make some birdies. Seemed like only driving was really clicking, and the other stuff wasn't really clicking, so hopefully tomorrow then the weekend is a different story.

Q. When you make a big one like that in competition and you react the way you did, does it legitimize the disappointment you might express when you miss one like that?

MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, again, it was random. It's just one of those ones where if it goes in, it goes in, and it was very cool. Not sure what to say about it, but I want to see it again on TV. I saw it just when I was in the scorer, so it was a pretty cool celebration, I guess, and a different celebration.

Q. What sort of mindset will you take going into tomorrow knowing that you made the cut?

MIN WOO LEE: If I make the cut, I'll probably be one of the last men in. I'm just going to go out there and enjoy it and have fun. Obviously Wyndham is playing amazing golf, and who knows, two really low scores might not win, but it could help me with everything else.