There was this aura of calm around Min Woo Lee. If he was tense, he gave nothing away as his putt for par on 18 sealed the deal and pushed him to clinch his first-ever PGA Tour victory. However, he would be coming away from the Houston event with one lesson firmly etched in his mind. Never write the greats off.
Lee started the day with a comprehensive four-stroke lead and five ahead of Scottie Scheffler. But the World No.1 refused to give up, using every iota of his experience and guile to maneuver himself into a first victory this season. However, he fell short at the end, finishing an impressive T2, just one stroke behind Lee. He was lying in wait, like a gator in the swampland, waiting for one slip-up, but Min Woo Lee stuck to his bearings.
Scheffler spoke to the press after his brilliant last round, where he outlined his plan of action and how he had approached the situation ahead of Sunday. “Well, yeah, I think you always want to be aware of what’s going on, just trying to put as much pressure on Min Woo as I could have. I was hoping to be able to do that on the front nine, I wasn’t able to get off to a good enough start,” Scheffler stated. Scheffler only got two birdies in the front nine, which Lee matched. Therefore, the real competition came on the second stretch, but by then it was too late for the American golfer.
To his credit, Min Woo Lee did not let the pressure get to him. His unfortunate bogey at hole 16 made things interesting down the stretch, but he held off Gary Woodland and Scottie Scheffler to claim the bragging rights in the Memorial Park Golf Course. How do we know that the Australian golfer did not feel any pressure? Well, he acted like he was doing the controversial AimPoint method for an 8-inch putt. Scheffler, who was already done with his rounds, was watching the incident and broke into a quirky smile.
Scottie Scheffler acknowledged the game displayed by Min Woo Lee, stating, “He[Min Woo Lee] played some really good golf. I think he made one mistake on 16, but I think he did some really good stuff out there and he just went out and beat us this week.”
Scottie Scheffler was seen laughing after Min Woo Lee pretended to use AimPoint on his winning putt at the Houston Open, as it continues to be controversial in golf https://t.co/f2Dr20MmXU pic.twitter.com/9YgZGkUPXT
— Mirror US Sports (@MirrorUSSports) March 31, 2025
Despite the loss, the World No. 1 was pleased with the momentum he built especially considering that his next challenge is the Masters Tournament in Augusta at the end of April. He was asked about his thoughts before he traveled to Georgia to defend his title.
Scottie Scheffler needs to clean up a bit before Masters
Scheffler was ranked 6th in Strokes gained from putting. So his game on the green is showing good signs ahead of the Masters. Where he could do with some changes would be off the tee. He was ranked 21st in Strokes gained off the tee and his driving accuracy was an impressive but improvable T7 at 67.31%. “Yeah, definitely feel better. I feel like I can still clean up a few things in my swing. You know, my ball-striking wasn’t as sharp as I would have liked for it to have been this week, but overall I mean, yesterday and today I felt like we’re improving in the ball-striking.”
Scheffler feels positive about how things looked at Houston and that will be something he wants to keep the same before the Masters. He expressed a bit of optimism, stating, “I liked the way my swing started to feel over the weekend. I felt like I holed a good amount of putts this week, especially under pressure on the back nine today. Felt like I hit my lines really well and did some good things out there. So definitely some positive momentum going into next week.”
The World No.1 will be sticking to his routine and possibly gain some good tips from his coach Randy Smith during the three weeks he has before the Masters Tournament. “I’ll just go home and practice like I normally would, just stick to my routine. Get some good days of practice in with Randy, have a couple play days as well, get out on the course and see how things feel. We’ll head over to Augusta on Sunday,” stated the two-time Masters winner.
Do you think Scottie Scheffler can defend his title at the Augusta National Golf Course? Or will his time off due to injury prove to be the undoing of his effort?
The post Right After Laughing at Min Woo Lee’s Action, Scottie Scheffler Sends Strong Message to Min Woo Lee as He Savors First Win appeared first on EssentiallySports.