Get to know K.H. Lee

DUBLIN, Ohio – PGA TOUR rookie Kyoung-Hoon Lee surged into a tie for the lead late on the second day of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide.

Here’s what you need to know about the 27-year-old South Korean star.

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1. Lee took up the game of golf as a 13-year-old to lose weight. He thought it would help. He was a robust kid, pushing over 200 pounds. He says he hit 212 pounds as a 16-year-old. He now weighs around 175 pounds.

2. When his first full swing went out past 250 yards, he was hooked. “First time make my full swing and I see the ball, it's a long time hanging in the air, I thought… that's awesome. It gave me goosebumps,” he said.

3. In his youth, Lee was an accomplished shot put athlete. While not nationally ranked, he was the second best for his age group in his region.

4. Lee loves to sing karaoke – although he says big crowds in front of the microphone make him nervous. He met Psy at a concert in Seoul and fancies himself pretty well at the Korean star's “Gangnam Style”.

5. His best finish on the PGA TOUR is a T3 finish at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with Matt Every, who he invited to play with him at the suggestion of his caddy. His best stroke play result is a T7 at The Honda Classic.

6. He came into this week ranked 88th in the FedExCup and 255th in the world rankings.

7. He says he literally dreams about winning on the PGA TOUR often. “Almost every night I dream of this,” he said. “It would be amazing.”

8. He regularly spends entire days, sometimes 12-15 hours playing or practicing.

9. He’s never met Jack Nicklaus (although he may Friday afternoon or Saturday morning). “When I started golf I got a Jack Nicklaus book. I saw him in the media. He is a legend. It would be very exciting to meet him.”

10. He is ranked outside the top-50 in all major statistics this season except driving accuracy (65.77% - 45th) and Greens in Regulation (68.14% - 49th), but through two rounds at the Memorial Tournament, he is 2nd in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green. (+5.618)

11. He has won a major on the Korean Tour and has two victories on the Japan Golf Tour.

12. Made his way to the PGA TOUR via the Web.com Tour last season, where he had three-runner ups on the way to being 5th on the Regular Season Money List.

13. His Friday 66 ties his career low round on the PGA TOUR.

14. He won a team gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games.