Min Woo Lee (-20) has won the Texas Children’s Houston Open, holding off with a round of 67 strokes the determined charge of players like Rory McIlroy (-15, today a round of 64), Gary Woodland (-19, today 62), Sami Valimaki (-17, today 62) and, above all, because of who he is, Scottie Scheffler (-19, today 63), the World Number One.
Overall, from a bird’s-eye view, it is fair to rate Scheffler’s week as outstanding. He has not managed to secure the first victory of 2025, but he has taken more than a step forward compared to previous appearances. If we look at a shorter perspective, surely the Texan can and should regret his disappointing performance in the third round, going out as the leader in the featured group, precisely alongside an exuberant and relentless Min Woo Lee, who was paving the way for his Sunday success in that round.
And if we also take a closer look and become demanding, with the ease that hindsight analysis provides, surely Scheffler missed a more explosive start today that would have made the day longer for the young Australian, as the Number One himself acknowledged after signing his card: “I wanted to put maximum pressure on Min Woo and hoped to do so in the first nine holes, but I couldn’t start well enough. He played really good golf. I think he made a mistake on the 16th, but he did a great job and just went out and beat us this week,” he said.
Min Woo Lee only really found himself in trouble in the final stretch, after sending his tee shot into the water on the 16th hole, the last par 5 of Memorial Park, among other things because his companions in the featured group, Alejandro Tosti (-15) and Ryan Fox (-11), had never become a real threat. Scottie was putting for eagle on that same hole, right in front of the Australian, who was waiting in the fairway to hit his fourth shot, but he didn’t hole it. And then he wasn’t able to add any more birdies in the last two holes to tighten the noose on a young contender who, with some suspense (he didn’t hit the green in regulation on the 18th), ended up clinching the victory.
Min Woo Lee has made the expected leap this week. He has it all, power, precision, and courage. This week in Houston, he also made a statement by being paired on Saturday with the World Number One. It’s not so easy to do, and in the medium and long term, perhaps that will be what he remembers most from this glorious week in Texan lands, even beyond the victory.
Is it still too early to count on him decisively in the major events? That’s a big statement, no doubt, but Min Woo has already positioned himself on that launch pad, the one for major star projects. After all, if few are called, even fewer are chosen. In two weeks, he will appear for the fourth time in his career at the Masters in Augusta (note: not many players have played four editions of this Major before turning 27), and he will face Scottie or Rory again, among others. To date, he hasn’t shone too much in the majors, it’s true. His greatest achievement and only top ten is a fifth place in the US Open of 2023. But until now, he hadn’t won a PGA Tour tournament either…
