Min Woo Lee was running away with the Texas Children’s Houston Open—until he wasn’t.
Looking for his maiden PGA Tour win, the 26-year-old Aussie had a three-stroke lead standing on the tee box of Memorial Park’s par-5 16th hole.
Then… splash.
Slicing a tee shot that never had a chance of staying dry, Lee walked off the green with a bogey. However, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, playing in the group ahead, carded four straight birdies to get within one stroke of the lead. Simultaneously, Gary Woodland birdied the par-4 closing hole to match Scheffler after a final-round 62, which tied the course record.
MORE: Final results, payouts from Memorial Park
Scheffler, though, parred his 72nd hole, and Lee, despite pulling his drive, was able to hold on for the victory with a par of his own on the final hole, chipping from the right rough to the back of the green and then two-putting from 54 feet, with his final putt only 8 inches.
“It was a very mental grinding day, but I’m super proud to win,” said Lee, who finished at 20 under. “It was just a very tough week. I mean, I had a lot of eyes on me obviously. I had a four-shot lead going down—the last round and yeah … It was one of those where I think just everything aligned this week. I’m so proud to be the winner of the trophy.”
The winning moment for @MinWoo27Lee was all-time 😂 pic.twitter.com/p5F2lGj8Ln
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 30, 2025
Lee held a four-stroke 54-hole lead, while Scheffler fell five back after a second-round 62 gave him a one-stroke advantage heading into the weekend.
On Sunday, Lee shot a bogey-free 2 under on the front and saved par on the par-5 8th even though he took an unplayable after a wayward tee shot. Scheffler, meanwhile, stuck around and then kept inching closer to the lead during his late birdie barrage.
Ultimately, Scheffler didn’t nab his first win of the season, but his form looks solid as he heads to Augusta in less than two weeks for his Masters title defense.
“I liked the way my swing started to feel over the weekend,” Scheffler said after a final-round 63. “I felt like I holed a good amount of putts this week (he was sixth in the field in strokes-gained putting), 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 (the Masters).”
It was an encouraging week for Woodland, too, as the 2019 U.S. Open champion posted his best result on Tour since being diagnosed with brain cancer in 2023.
“It was as good as I felt on a golf course I've felt in a long time,” Woodland said. “The game was great, but I was able to slow down, I was able to slow my thoughts down and it’s been a while for me for that. So excited for where I'm at.”
Lee is the younger brother of LPGA major champion Minjee Lee. They are now the first brother and sister duo to win on their respective tours.
It didn’t come easy for Min Woo, though—and his performance in the tee box is to blame. He hit just 22 fairways (out of 52) all week, ranking T64 in the field for driving accuracy.
“I guess it’s not textbook, but it’s one of those golf courses where you can (get away with missing the fairway), and that's why I did play (this week),” Lee said. “If it was a short and quirky golf course, I probably wouldn’t have played. I didn’t know that I was going to play a couple events after the Masters, so it was one of those to add in. At the time when I got told I was playing, I wasn’t very happy and very—but I’m very glad that my team put me in this event.”
And it didn’t matter how it was done, because a win is a win—especially when holding off the world’s best player.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Wayward Min Woo Lee Holds Off Scottie Scheffler, Gary Woodland for Houston Open Win.
