Signature Scroll: Min Woo Lee’s maturation is key to his success

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Hello from a soggy East Lake. Let's recap Round 1 of the TOUR Championship ...

Min Woo’s maturation

ATLANTA – What’s the first thing you think of when you think of Min Woo Lee?

Off the course, it’s likely some combo of his flashy personality or popular social media channels. On the course, it’s unmistakable. Lee is known for one thing: his power.

What if I told you that resisting that strength has been crucial to his success?

Lee is making his first start at East Lake, a fitting accomplishment after the most consistent year of his career. It has also been an enlightening year.

Lee had shown signs of tantalizing potential in the recent seasons. He won his first TOUR event in Houston last March. Yet when it was time to turn up to perform in the biggest events – Signature Events and majors – Lee couldn’t muster his best. He missed three of four cuts at the majors in 2025 and had one finish inside the top 40 in Signature Event fields, a hard thing to do with field sizes hovering around 70.

His assessment was sober. His best skill – speed – was hindering him.

“I kind of slowed down my swing to be a bit more accurate, which is hard because a lot of other sports, everyone evolves, right?” Lee said earlier this year. “And in golf it seemed like it went a little bit backward. For me, I felt like I went backward, which wasn't, I guess, the right way. These young kids are hitting it long and pretty straight. You've just got to hit it straight at Signature Events.”

“Slowing” is relative. Lee’s clubhead speed still ranks 12th on TOUR this season, but that’s down from fifth each of the last two years. It represents an intentional shift. To heck with the distance movement, Lee prioritized accuracy. And it worked. Lee didn’t turn into Tom Kim overnight. He ranks right around average in driving accuracy. But average accuracy with plus power is all that is required.

Lee finished runner-up in his first Signature Event start of 2026 at Pebble Beach. The next week, he tied for 12th at Riviera. The next start after that? Tied for sixth at Bay Hill. He added two more top 20s at Signature Events later in the year.

There are times when distance is king, when a golf course presents little defense for bombing and gauging. Those opportunities are just few and far between at the biggest events in the sport.

Lee is in contention after 18 holes at East Lake. He shot 8-under 62 and leads. He hit 11 fairways. He also debuted heavier shafts in his irons after struggling in the first two Playoffs events. The reason? He could slow his swing down, still generate adequate speed, and improve his control.

“Coach back home said, ‘Why are you swinging it so fast?’ It didn't look like that, but yeah, sure enough, I was swinging it pretty fast,” Lee said. “Slowed it down a little bit, and the ball actually came out nice.”

A win would be the biggest of his career. It would also be the logical evolution for a player who has shown a willingness to do so.

Playing through

📺 Catch up on Round 1 highlights …

🏀 Sometimes a golf hole looks as big as a basketball hoop, and that's how it went Thursday for the 2023 FedExCup champion Viktor Hovland. My colleague Payne Moses wrote about the Norwegian's day here ...

❌ J.J. Spaun withdrew midway through his first round. Full details here …

Last impressions

Roughly a third of the field has a carrot to play for beyond the TOUR Championship. There are 15 Americans in the 30-man field, and while six auto-qualified for the upcoming Presidents Cup, the remaining nine are all trying to make their last impressions for one of the six U.S. Team captain’s picks.

The chances for each individual vary. It would be a major upset if either Chris Gotterup or Xander Schauffele isn’t part of captain Brandt Snedeker's plans. Meanwhile, Alex Smalley is likely the one American who feels too far away from a pick. But for the other six? There are cases to make for each’s inclusion, and they all feel within reach.

J.J. Spaun took the biggest hit on Thursday. He withdrew after six holes with a shoulder injury, putting his availability for Medinah in doubt. Spaun began the week 10th on the points list and right on the bubble. Is that the variable that keeps Spaun off the team?

Ryan Gerard, Akshay Bhatia and Patrick Cantlay are all outside the top 12 and attempting to make their case. Bhatia’s form has fallen significantly after a torrid start to the year, but he shot 5-under 65. Gerard shot 65, too. Both would infuse youth into a squad that projects to bring back a large chunk of last year’s Ryder Cup team. Cantlay is one of those incumbents and has begun to peak at the right time. After his runner-up finish a week ago, he shot 2 under and could put the kibosh on a youth movement.

Gary Woodland continued his run of good golf, shooting a 4-under 66. It’s an open question as to whether he’s firmly on Snedeker’s radar, considering Woodland has already agreed to be an assistant captain.

Then there’s Jacob Bridgeman, No. 12 on the points list. His best golf also came earlier this year. But he leads the PGA TOUR in putting this season, offering an incredible skill to build from if he can prove he’s in form. He matched Cantlay’s 68.

Snedeker won’t be making his decisions based on this week alone, but your last impression often takes on an outsized influence. This isn’t the week to bomb out and create doubts you can’t quell before Snedeker announces his picks next week.

So far so good, Spaun withstanding. We will be tracking this through the weekend.

Parting shots

• 🤕 Spaun explained his shoulder injury after his withdrawal. “I woke up Tuesday morning with like a little sharp pain in my right shoulder blade. It's actually kind of – it's happened to me before, but it's never persisted this long,” he said.
• 🏆 If the Player of the Year has a chance to be decided this week, Scottie Scheffler has the early advantage. Scottie Scheffler shot 5 under while Wyndham Clark posted 3 under. If either were to win, that could settle the conversation.
• 🧊 Rory McIlroy is a compelling regression candidate after a so-so start. He led the field in driving and ranked fourth in approach play on Thursday, but he was dreadful on and around the greens. Putting and short game are the most volatile parts on TOUR, and if a few putts drop Friday, McIlroy is swinging it well enough to contend.
• 🔥 On the Presidents Cup, it’s a heck of a start for the International contingent. Lee leads. Ryan Fox and Adam Scott shot dueling 66s. Tom Kim carded a 3-under 67. Their best players are finding form at the right time.
• ☀️ Nobody cares, but Thursday was as delightful a weather day as I’ve experienced at East Lake. Hoping for more.