[Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images]
Min Woo Lee will arrive at the final men’s major of the year with a spring in his step on the back of a near miss at the Genesis Scottish Open.
Five years after a victory at The Renaissance Club at North Berwick catapulted Lee into his first Open Championship, the now 27-year-old finished second after a marathon final day.
Fog on day three forced players to complete their third rounds early on Sunday, Lee playing his way into the final group as co-leader with Matt Fitzpatrick and Robert MacIntyre with a 4-under 66.
As the West Australian began his final round with five straight pars, South Korean Tom Kim would overtake him with three birdies in his opening seven holes.
Lee responded with consecutive birdies at six and seven but gave one back with a bogey on eight, Kim showing no signs of relenting in the group in front.
Seeking to close out his first win in almost three years, a 15-footer at the 10th gave Kim some breathing room and when he completed the set on the par 5s after laying up at the 12th, he was three ahead.
Lee was not giving up, however, and he made a two-putt birdie on the 12th and then got up and down on the drivable par-four 14th to trim the lead to one before Kim hit an incredible iron to six feet at the 16th to get to 17-under.
His only sign of nerves came with a missed seven-footer at the next which would have all but sealed victory but he parred his way home to take the title.
Acknowledging Kim’s exceptional feat to have one bogey in his final 51 holes, the quality of his own play has Lee primed for this week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club.
“I’m really excited for next week,” said Lee, who had coach Ritchie Smith on hand all week.
“I don’t think I missed too many shots out there which was great to see. Of course, you’re nervous on some shots but I seem to get on the better side of it.
“I think that’s a lot of maturity and a lot of good stuff with technique.
“Obviously a win would have been nice, but it was one of the first weeks that I was just very happy with myself mentally.”
Lee was not the only Aussie to come close to a win this past week.
The last player in the field, Queensland’s Quinn Croker shot 65 in the final round of the German Challenge on the HotelPlanner Tour to set the clubhouse lead at 15-under-par.
Two players would better that mark, Croker’s third-place finish ending a run of five straight missed cuts and elevating him to a new career high on the Official World Golf Ranking.
Leader at the halfway mark of the fourth senior major of the year, Victorian Cameron Percy finished in a tie for fifth at the Kaulig Companies Championship while Kiwi Lydia Ko’s share of seventh was the best of the Australasian players at The Amundi Evian Championship.
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