Caddy-coach-putter replacement due to sluggishness
5 birdies in the first half of 4R alone… 12th hole eagle, etc. to beat the speed
Ranked 41st and ranked 2nd among Korean players
“When you come to this course, everything works out like God helps.”
Kyung-Hoon Lee (31, CJ Logistics, photo) achieved two consecutive victories by winning the AT&T Byron Nelson on the American Professional Golf (PGA) Tour. Lee Kyung-hoon is the first Korean player to successfully defend his title on the PGA Tour.
In the final 4th round of the tournament held at TPC Craig Ranch (par 72) in McKinney, Texas on the 16th, Lee Kyung-hoon combined an eagle and 7 birdies to hit a 9-under 63. With a final total of 26-under 262, Kyung-hoon Lee beat Jordan Spieth (USA) of 25-under 263 by one stroke to claim the championship prize of $1638,000 (regarding 2.1 billion won). Kyung-hoon Lee, who won his first win in this tournament in May of last year, his 80th appearance on the PGA Tour, won the tour for the second time in a row with two losses. The Korean player with two or more wins on the PGA Tour is Kyung-Joo Choi (52, 8), Kim Si-Woo (29, 3), Yang Yong-Eun (50), Bae Sang-Moon (36), and Im Seong-Jae (24, two), followed by Lee Kyung-Hoon. all. Among them, Lee Kyung-hoon is the only player to have won the tournament twice.
At AT&T Byron Nelson, in 2019, following Kang Sung-hoon (35), Lee Kyung-hoon lost twice in a row, and a Korean player took the top spot for the third time in a row. The 2020 tournament was canceled due to the novel coronavirus infection. Founded in 1944, there are four players who have won two or more consecutive titles: Sam Snead (1957, 1958), Jack Nicklaus (1970, 1971), and Tom Watson (1978-1980, USA).
This season, Lee Kyung-hoon was sluggish before this tournament. He made 16 appearances on the PGA Tour, never made it into the top 10, and missed the cut four times. His best performance was tied for 14th at the Shreiners Children’s Open last October. Before this tournament, Lee Kyung-hoon switched caddy and swing coach. He also took out his old two-ball putter instead of the straight putter he had on his first win last year. In an interview with Sky Sports, Lee Kyung-hoon said, “For the past few months, I had a hard time not making it into the top 10. But here (TPC Craig Ranch) he felt more relaxed and confident. He did his best and I think this place helped me,” he said.
AP News Kyung-Hoon Lee was tied for 6th place, 4 shots behind the lead with a mid-total 17-under par until the 3rd round, but caught a birdie on the 2nd hole (par 4) in the 4th round and caught 5 birdies up to the 9th hole (par 5) to jump into the lead competition. On the 12th hole (par 5), following sending a tee shot to the fairway, he succeeded in the eagle by attaching the second shot to 1m of the hole. After hitting the second shot, Kyung-Hoon Lee, who ran and looked at the trajectory of the shot, said, “There was a tree in front, and the wind was blowing, so I ran to see exactly where the ball fell. said Lee Kyung-hoon, who was ranked 88th in the world rankings until last week, rose 47 places to 41st with the victory today. It’s the first time he’s made it into the top 50. Lee Kyung-hoon overtook Kim Si-woo in 57th place, becoming the second highest ranked Korean player in the world following Im Seong-jae (20th). Kyung-Hoon Lee will participate in the second major event of the season, the PGA Championship, to be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA on the 19th.
By Kim Dong-wook, staff reporter creating@donga.com
