The chef Min Woo Lee (-20) feasts in Brisbane. The Australian does not give in at home and becomes the champion of the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship for the first time in his career. The player born in Perth confirms his great form and after the victory achieved in Macao, adds in Brisbane his second title in just a month. With this victory, he also ensures to finish the year within the top 50 worldwide and therefore guarantees a place in the Masters of Augusta 2024.
The chef Lee? Yes, yes, the chef Lee. On the golfer’s social networks, it is common to come across a recurring phrase: ‘Let him cook’ accompanied by a chef emoji. This phrase alludes to a meme that has circulated a lot on the internet in recent months and which means: “Something is cooking” is an expression used when someone wants to do something and is in the process of achieving it. Something like, don’t interrupt him, let him and trust what he is doing because something is cooking. So Min Woo Lee has planted himself on the green of hole 17 (‘party hole’) with a fun and improvised chef’s hat while encouraging and organising the chants from the stands. A real genius.
Dinner is served 👨🍳#AusPGA | #visitbrisbane | #thisisqueensland pic.twitter.com/9VJ5oEAD7F
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) November 26, 2023
‘I cook it, I eat it’ has thought rather the Australian and like Juan Palomo he has cooked a great week of golf to achieve victory on Australian soil and inaugurate the season in the best possible way. Few things are more beautiful in this sport than tasting the honeys of victory at home and the chef Lee has achieved it for the second time in his career after the victory in the ISPS Handa Vic Open back in 2020
We cannot say that Min Woo Lee has cooked the victory slowly because the reality is that he has had the intensity of the stoves at a fairly high level all week. Only Joel Moscatel could overshadow him on the first day. Since then, all his.
However, the decisive day began with some nerves on the part of the Australian who in just two holes saw the three-stroke advantage gained in the previous rounds evaporate. He started with a bogey and Hoshino, his only pursuer, baked two birdies in the first two flags. It was back to the beginning. All tied. It was then that the Perth player brought out his best recipes and found inspiration between holes four and nine with a five under par round seasoned with three birdies and which closed with a delicacy that has touched the Michelin Star: An eagle on hole nine with a spectacular chip closed a tremendous round that gave him a five-stroke lead. Hoshino was not able to respond to the dish served by the local player and in the last nine holes he just managed the difference to lift his third title on the DP World Tour.
The career of Min Woo Lee continues with a dizzying progression and the truth is that with only twenty-five years it is difficult to glimpse the ceiling that the Australian’s golf has. We will see him a lot this year in the haute cuisine of the PGA Tour. Perhaps a title there is his next big goal. Something is cooking in the Australian’s career, let’s continue enjoying the process.
Let’s change the sight. In the six previous editions in which this tournament has been played co-sanctioned with the European Circuit no Spaniard had managed to get into the top ten. Well, take two cups. Joel Moscatel and Rafa Cabrera Bello finish tied for seventh and get into the top ten of the first tournament of the season.
Special mention to what Joel Moscatel has done at Royal Queensland Golf Club. It is worth continuing to remember it because it was only his second tournament on the circuit. After matching the course record in the opening round of the tournament, the Spaniard has known how to hold on and wait for his moment. Today he has signed a good round of 69 strokes with which he finishes seventh in the tournament. A pity the bogey on hole 17 and the putt that has escaped by millimetres on the 18th that have prevented the booty of points from being even greater. Outstanding tournament of the Spanish player who has lived a week that he will hardly forget and with which he climbs more than 250 places in the world ranking touching the top 900.
Next to Moscatel in the table we find Rafa Cabrera Bello who has signed a great final round of four under par confirming the expectations generated throughout the week. The Spaniard returns to a top ten ten months later. Great tournament of the Canarian who will seek to maintain those sensations next week in Sydney and confirm to everyone that we have a great Rafa again. The Spaniard adds a good amount of points to the card’s piggy bank from the beginning. Step by step.
For his part, Alfredo García Heredia has not been able to confirm the good sensations generated in yesterday’s round and after a last round of 74 strokes has given up twenty positions in the table finishing in 47th position.
Of the rest of the players in the tournament, the presence of Joaquin Niemann in the top ten stands out. Without making much noise, the Chilean has slowly cooked an interesting fifth place coming from behind and with a hole in one included in the fourth hole of the final round. However, the goal is the Masters and to be able to get into the top 50 in the world ranking before the end of the year and that give access to an invitation to Augusta, Joaco will need a great result next week in the Australian Open, where the three Spaniards present this week in Brisbane will be joined by the very young Angel Ayora who will make his professional debut on the circuit.
Another great name that the tournament leaves us is that of the Englishman Frank Kennedy (-11). The youngster of just 18 years has sneaked into the top ten in his third appearance on the circuit. Take note.
