Danny Lee

Exempt status

• PGA TOUR: Top 125 in 2018-19 FedExCup standings (thru 2019-20)

JOINED TOUR

• Korn Ferry Tour: 2010
• PGA TOUR: 2012

PGA TOUR Victories (1)

• 2015 The Greenbrier Classic

Korn Ferry Tour Victories (1)

• 2011 WNB Golf Classic

International Victories (1)

• 2009 Johnnie Walker Classic [Eur]

PLAYOFF RECORD

PGA TOUR (1-0)

• 2015 Defeated David Hearn, Kevin Kisner, Robert Streb, The Greenbrier Classic

KORN FERRY TOUR (1-0)

• 2011 Defeated Harris English, WNB Golf Classic

National Teams

• 2015 Presidents Cup
• 2009, 2016 World Cup
• 2016 Summer Olympics
• 2008 Eisenhower Trophy

Personal

• Often engages in pranks at tournaments with fellow PGA TOUR player Rickie Fowler.
• Favorite college team is Southern California and the Dallas Cowboys are his favorite pro team.
• Attended Sungkyunkwan University for his freshman year.
• Attended Rotorua Boy's High School and has established a Danny Lee Scholarship at the school.
• Family moved from native South Korea to New Zealand when he was age 8.
• Is a citizen of New Zealand.

Special Interests

CURRENT YEAR HIGHLIGHTS

• Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard: Finished T5 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard to earn a spot at The Open Championship via the Open Qualifying Series.
• Mayakoba Golf Classic: Shot a first-round 62 to hold the 18-hole lead at the Mayakoba Golf Classic before finishing T26. Marked the first opening-round sub-63 score of his career. Fell to 0-for-5 in his career converting the 18-hole lead/co-lead to victory.
• THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES: Finished second at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, earning the fourth runner-up of his career. Was tied for the lead with eventual champion Justin Thomas after 54 holes, holding at least a share of the third-round lead for the second time in his career (fell to 0-for-2). Posted four scores in the 60s for the first time since the 2018 Mayakoba Golf Classic.

Career Highlights

2020 Season

• Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard: Finished T5 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard to earn a spot at The Open Championship via the Open Qualifying Series.
• Mayakoba Golf Classic: Shot a first-round 62 to hold the 18-hole lead at the Mayakoba Golf Classic before finishing T26. Marked the first opening-round sub-63 score of his career. Fell to 0-for-5 in his career converting the 18-hole lead/co-lead to victory.
• THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES: Finished second at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, earning the fourth runner-up of his career. Was tied for the lead with eventual champion Justin Thomas after 54 holes, holding at least a share of the third-round lead for the second time in his career (fell to 0-for-2). Posted four scores in the 60s for the first time since the 2018 Mayakoba Golf Classic.

2019 Season

Qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs for the sixth consecutive season and finished No. 73 in the FedExCup standings. Entered the first FedExCup Playoffs event inside the top 70 but was eliminated from the Playoffs after finishing 81st at THE NORTHERN TRUST. Season included five top-25s, highlighted by three top-10s, and 15 made cuts in 27 starts.

• Valero Texas Open: Tied six others for seventh at the Valero Texas Open. Played the par-4 fifth hole in 6-under for the week (two birdies, two eagles). Marked his first top-10 in six starts at the event.
• Mayakoba Golf Classic: Notched a final-round 65 to finish second and one stroke back of Matt Kuchar at the Mayakoba Golf Classic for his best result since winning A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier in 2015. Marked his second runner-up finish on the PGA TOUR (T2/2015 TOUR Championship). Played the par-3 holes 6-under for the week.
• Safeway Open: In his fifth start in the Safeway Open, posted scores of 69-68-72-69--278 (-10) to finish T10, his first top-10 in the tournament.

2018 Season

Advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs for the fifth consecutive time, ending his season with a T49 at the Dell Technologies Championship to finish No. 97 in the FedExCup. In 30 starts, made 15 cuts with eight top-25s and three top-10s.

• RBC Canadian Open: Finished T6 at the RBC Canadian Open to move from No. 124 to No. 104 in the FedExCup standings through 40 of 44 regular-season events.
• THE PLAYERS Championship: Finished T7 at THE PLAYERS Championship after entering the final round in second place. En route to a third-round 70, was 7-for-7 scrambling having entered the week 194th on TOUR in that category (53.33%).
• CIMB Classic: Finished T7 at the CIMB Classic in his season debut. Was T60 after the first round, but subsequent rounds of 68-65-65 led to a top-10 result.

2017 Season

Season included 19 made cuts in 32 starts, with a T3 at the Travelers Championship highlighting his four top-10 finishes. Finished the season No. 70 in the FedExCup standings.

• BMW Championship: After missing the cut in the first two FedExCup Playoffs events, had to withdraw from the BMW Championship during the first round with a lower back injury.
• The Greenbrier Classic: With The Greenbrier Classic cancelled in 2016 due to flooding, entered the 2017 event as the defending champion. Impressive title defense, finishing T9. After missing the cut in his first start at The Greenbrier Classic in 2012, posted three consecutive top-16 finishes (T16-2014, Won-2015, T9-2017). Marked his third top-10 in his last six starts on TOUR.
• Travelers Championship: With rounds of 68-67-68-67, finished T3 in his fifth start in the Travelers Championship. After hitting a perfect 14 of 14 fairways in round three, hit 11 of 14 in the final round.
• DEAN & DELUCA Invitational: Finished solo-sixth after a final-round even-par 70 in his fifth appearance at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational, giving him back-to-back top-10 finishes in his hometown events. Has never missed a cut at Colonial Country Club, with his previous best showing in Fort Worth coming in 2015 (T10). Was one of a record four players tied at 6-under for the 36-hole lead. Week included a second-round 64, his lowest round in 20 trips around Colonial CC.
• AT&T Byron Nelson: Playing on his home course at TPC Four Seasons, closed with weekend rounds of 64-68 to finish T5 and four strokes out of the Billy Horschel-Jason Day playoff. Represented his fourth top-20 finish at the event, but first inside the top 10. Was his first top-10 finish on the PGA TOUR since a T8 at the 2016 Wells Fargo Championship.

2016 Season

Advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs for the third consecutive season, finishing 92nd in the standings. Saw his season end with missed cuts at The Barclays and Deutsche Bank Championship. Overall, made the cut in 21 of his 28 starts.

• Olympic Men's Golf Competition: Represented New Zealand when golf returned to the Olympics for the first time since 1904 in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Finished T27 in 60-player field.
• Scottish Open: Opened with rounds of 71-66 at the Scottish Open to sit in solo-second place and just one stroke behind Alex Noren. Closed with rounds of 70-69 to finish T3, two behind champion Noren.
• Wells Fargo Championship: Finished T9 in his fifth start at the Wells Fargo Championship, highlighted by a final-round 67.
• Waste Management Phoenix Open: Thanks to opening rounds of 67-66-67 (13-under), took a three-stroke lead into the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Struggled Sunday to a 2-over 73 and finished fourth. The top-five finish snapped a streak of missed cuts at TPC Scottsdale in his three previous starts (2012, 2014, 2015).

2015 Season

Made 24 of 36 cuts on TOUR with eight top-10s and his first career victory. Finished a career-best No. 9 in the final FedExCup standings.

• Dunlop Phoenix: Used four under-par rounds at the Dunlop Phoenix on the Japan Golf Tour in late-November 2015 to record a T9 with K.T. Kim, five shots behind winner Yusaku Miyazato.
• Presidents Cup: Went 1-2-0 in his three Presidents Cup matches in the International team's 15½-14½ loss in South Korea.
• TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola: Finished T2 in his first career start in the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, with rounds of 69-72-69-65.
• World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational: Finished T6 at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational after holding the first-round lead. It was his seventh top-10 of the season.
• Quicken Loans National: Finished T4 at the Quicken Loans National for his second top-10 in four starts in the event.
• John Deere Classic: Was assessed a one-stroke penalty Sunday at the John Deere Classic for moving a ball at rest, having played lift, clean and place in the third round. Finished T3 with Zach Johnson.
• The Greenbrier Classic: At The Greenbrier Classic, defeated David Hearn with a par-5 on the second extra hole (No. 17) to win his first TOUR event in his first playoff. Robert Streb and Kevin Kisner dropped out of the playoff on the first extra hole (No. 18) when he and Lee both made birdie-2. Notched his first win on TOUR in 98 starts at age 24 years, 11 months, 11 days. Is a New Zealand resident but was born in South Korea. The last player from New Zealand to win on TOUR was Michael Campbell at the 2005 U.S. Open. Was T5 and one stroke off the lead entering the final round at The Greenbrier Classic. Marked the fifth straight season that a player of Korean-descent in their 20s has won on the PGA TOUR. Became the ninth player of Korean descent to win, joining K.J. Choi, Y.E. Yang, Kevin Na, Sangmoon Bae, Seung-Yul Noh, James Hahn, Anthony Kim and John Huh. His caddie, Kurt Kowaluk, put the playoff draw paper in the wishing well before his tee shot in the playoff.
• Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial: Third top-10 of the season came at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, where bookend, 4-under 66s were good for a T10 finish. Ended three strokes behind champion Chris Kirk. Previous-best showing at Colonial was T38 in 2014.
• Valspar Championship: At the Valspar Championship, overcame an opening-round, 1-over 72, which included three bogeys and a double bogey, with a bogey-free, 4-under 67 Sunday. His final-round rebound earned him a T7 at Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Course with Luke Guthrie and Jason Kokrak.
• OHL Classic at Mayakoba: Was T3 at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, just two shots off Charley Hoffman's winning score. En route to a final-round, 5-under 66, made seven straight birdies on Nos. 3-9. His third start in the OHL Classic at Maykoba came with little to no previous success. He missed the cut in 2013 and withdrew from the 2012 event.

2014 Season

Made 13 of 28 TOUR cuts, highlighted by a runner-up finish. Advanced to the FedExCup Playoffs for the first time in his career when he finished T38 at the Barclays and T35 at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

• Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com: Finished second at the Puerto Rico Open, with rounds of 67-68-66-68 just two shots behind winner Chesson Hadley. Entered the final round one shot behind Hadley (67). Finished T48 in his only other start in Puerto Rico. Recorded his second top-10 on TOUR, to go with his T7 at the 2009 AT&T National. Led the Puerto Rico Open field in Greens in Regulation (86.1 percent).

2013 Season

Finished the year making the cut in 16 of 23 Korn Ferry Tour starts. Had one runner-up showing and five top-10 finishes. Lone PGA TOUR start resulted in a T13 at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where he fired rounds of 66-66-66-69 (13-under) and collected a check for $112,000. Finished the Regular Season 15th in earnings to secure his 2013-14 PGA TOUR card.

• Web.com Tour Championship: Was T8 at the season-ending Web.com Tour Championship and fell to No. 27 on the priority list.
• Rex Hospital Open: Fired a 63 to take the third-round lead at The Rex Hospital Open. A 71 Sunday produced a runner-up to Chesson Hadley.
• WNB Golf Classic: Followed up with another solid effort at the WNB Golf Classic, where he was T7. Opened with rounds of 68-66 at Midland CC to reach 10-under and share the 36-hole lead with Reid Edstrom. Weekend scores of 70-73 left him five back of winner Alex Aragon. Has won, finished second and T7 in his last three Midland appearances.
• Brasil Classic Presented by HSBC: Shared the first-round lead at the Brasil Classic in Sao Paulo after an opening round of 65. Matched his 6-under score in the second round and shared the 36-hole lead with two others. Wound up T10 after posting weekend scores of 70-72.
• Chile Classic: Was T6 the following week, at the Chile Classic in Santiago. Finished 72 holes at 17-under, four shots back of winner Kevin Kisner.
• Colombia Championship: Fired a 7-under 64 in the opening round of the Korn Ferry Tour's Colombia Championship to match the course record at Bogota CC. His 64 was also the lowest first-round score in the tournament's history. Failed to break par in the next three rounds and wound up with a T44 finish.

2012 Season

PGA TOUR rookie claimed a pair of top-25 finishes in 22 starts on TOUR in the season. Best finish was a T19 at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Despite bogeys on his first two holes in the final round, managed a 3-under 67 for his career-best finish on TOUR. Made the cut in four of five starts on the Korn Ferry Tour. After a T13 at the Albertsons Boise Open, he was T2 at the WNB Golf Classic, where he was attempting to become the first player in Tour history to successfully defend a title. Jumped into the fray at Midland CC with a second-round 63. Added a 7-under 65 in the third round to take a two-stroke lead after 54 holes. Struggled on the greens in Sunday's final round with a pair of three putts and 30 total putts, posting an even-par 72. Missed regaining his PGA TOUR card by one stroke at the Qualifying Tournament in Palm Springs, Calif. Opened with rounds of 72-75 and was T150 after two days. Bounced back with scores of 67-65-67-70 to finish at 16-under par when he needed to be 17-under. A double bogey on the par-5 seventh hole at PGA West's Stadium Course was his only miscue in the final round.

2011 Season

• Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island: Closed the year with another top-10 effort, at the Web.com Tour Championship. Second-round 65 fueled a T8 at Daniel Island and helped him end the year No. 6 on the money list.
• Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open Presented by Planters: A T4 finish at the Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open was a Tour-best eighth top-10 of the year.
• WNB Golf Classic: Claimed his first title as a professional when he won the 20th annual WNB Golf Classic in Midland, Texas, in October. Opened with an 8-under-par 64 and posted two rounds in the 60s on the weekend to get in contention. He then made a par on the first extra hole to defeat fellow rookie Harris English.
• Mylan Classic: Fired a final-round 62 at the Mylan Classic near Pittsburgh to vault into a T8 finish. His 9-under round matched the course record at the Southpointe GC.
• Utah Championship Presented by Utah Sports Commission: He picked up his fourth top-10 of the season outside Salt Lake City. Opened with an even-par 71 at the Utah Championship and then played the final 54 holes in 13 under, including a third-round 65. Solidified his position in "The 25," moving up five spots (to No. 19) with his performance.
• BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation: Chalked up his third straight top-10, with a solo third at the BMW Charity Pro-Am. Rallied again on the final day with a 6-under 65 at Thornblade Club to finish at 17-under par and one shot out of a playoff. Had a share of the lead late in the round but suffered a bogey-6 at the par-5, 16th hole and could not birdie either of the final two holes.
• Stadion Classic at UGA: Added a T5 at the Stadion Classic at UGA where he closed with rounds of 66-68. Was in contention on the final day but played the final five holes in 2-over par and wound up four back of the winner, UGA senior Russell Henley.
• Chitimacha Louisiana Open: Earned his first top-10 of the year, with a T7 at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open. Third-round 73 dropped him into a tie for 26th but rallied with a 6-under 65 on the last day. Charged into contention with 6-under 30 on the front nine but was derailed by three bogeys on his next five holes. Recovered with three consecutive birdies at Nos. 15-17 to move back into the top-10.

2010 Season

Did not make a cut in two starts on the PGA TOUR in 2010, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the RBC Canadian Open. Finished T64 at the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. Made 10 of 17 cuts on the European Tour, as well as one of two cuts on the Asian Tour.

2009 Season

Missed cuts in final appearance as an amateur (Masters Tournament) and first start as professional (Zurich Classic of New Orleans). Played the first two rounds of the Masters with Tiger Woods. First made cut on TOUR was a T38 at the Quail Hollow Championship, shooting 76 in the final round.

• AT&T National: Earned first career top-10 on the PGA TOUR in his seventh professional start with a T7 at the AT&T National in early July. Shot three rounds in the 60s and earned a spot in the following week's John Deere Classic because of his finish. Has accumulated earnings of $350,054 and needed to earn $537,958 (150th on 2008 money list) to earn temporary membership and receive unlimited invitations for the remainder of the season.
• HP Byron Nelson Championship: Posted T13 in his next start at HP Byron Nelson Championship, with a 66 in the final round.
• HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship Pres'd by Christchurch: Was T7 at the HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship, his only made cut on the Korn Ferry Tour.
• Johnnie Walker Classic: Won the European Tour's Johnnie Walker Classic in Australia in March, becoming that Tour's youngest winner and only the second amateur winner. Shot a final-round 67, including birdies on the final two holes, to win by one stroke.

Amateur Highlights

• Won the 2008 U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst No. 2, beating Drew Kittleson, 5 and 4, in the championship match. At age 18 years, 1 month, became the youngest U.S. Amateur champion, surpassing Tiger Woods (18 years, 7 months in 1994). Was later supplanted as the
• Named the Player of the Year by the R&A in 2008, winning the Mark H. McCormack Medal.