Min Woo Lee powers into contention at British Open

Ian Chadband | July 22, 2023

Min Woo Lee has roared into contention at the 151st British Open, demonstrating his soaring talent with a second-round full of resolve and brilliance.

On a day when his journeyman compatriot Travis Smyth made the first hole-in-one of the tournament on the already-infamous No.17 hole at Royal Liverpool, it was the Australian game’s new rising star who also dazzled on the Hoylake links. 

Taking advantage of more reasonably gentle conditions on Friday morning, Lee, starting from level par overnight, cashed in with a three-under par round of 68 to jet into the top 10.

And while American Brian Harman was keeping up a searing early pace, leading the tournament at 10-under par after a dazzling six-under round of 65, Lee was well placed to make a push for the Claret Jug over the weekend at seven shots back, tied for fourth among the early starters.

And the man from Perth was particularly delighted with how he rebounded from early back-to-back bogeys on the third and fourth holes, recording a spectacular eagle on the fifth hole with a three-wood approach from 277 yards finishing just five foot from the pin.

“Very pleased,” declared Lee, who’s going to be cheered on by his major-winning elder sister, Minjee Lee, at Hoylake over the weekend.

“Pity on the last I didn’t make a birdie (from about eight foot), but other than that, it’s been a really good day, really happy with the way things went.

“Hopefully this is the week I can put it all together. But like I’ve been doing, I’m not getting ahead of myself.”

Lee even managed to extricate himself from trouble amid the sandy wasteland around the dreaded 17th green to escape with a par.

But Smyth had rather less trouble, when his tee shot took one bounce and rolled straight into the cup for the third hole-in-one of his career.

Lee hoped that he had got his score in just in time before the bad weather was forecast to kick in and make life difficult for the later starters, including reigning champion Cameron Smith, Adam Scott and Jason Day.