Texas Tussle: Min Woo Lee Dominates Amid Stiff Competition
2025 PGA Tour
Seoul, Korea - Saturday's round at the Texas Children’s Houston Open displayed a tour de force by Australian golfer Min Woo Lee, who now leads the pack with a stunning 17-under par. The third round, contested under a cloudy sky with winds nudging 16 mph, saw Lee outperform his peers, posting a career-best 7-under 63, giving him a four-stroke advantage over 2024 runner-up Alejandro Tosti.
Lee, in his 56th PGA TOUR start, not only recorded his lowest round this week but also secured his first 54-hole lead. The round could hardly have come at a more opportune moment. Previously best positioned as second at the 2023 PLAYERS Championship, Lee’s surge forward was a spectacle of precision and poise, distancing him significantly from the nearest contenders including Tosti at 13-under and a trio tied at 12-under: Ryan Fox, Ryan Gerard, and Scottie Scheffler.
Scottie Scheffler, starting the day as the front-runner, could only manage a 69, slipping into the shared third spot. His performance, overshadowed by Lee's excellence, adds another layer of drama as the tournament heads into its final phase. The final round is set to witness threesomes teeing off from split tees, an adjustment made to accommodate potential foggy conditions on Sunday morning.
In addition to the leaderboard shake-up, standout rounds from players like Jesper Svensson, who matched Lee’s 63, highlighted the day. Svensson’s effort was propelled by a dazzling front-nine 28, marking the lowest since the event moved to Memorial Park.
As we look towards the finale, Lee aims not just for his maiden PGA TOUR win but also to end a drought for Australians at this event, a triumph last savored by Matt Jones in 2014. His mastery over the Memorial Park Golf Course has been nothing short of impressive, setting the stage for what could be a historic Sunday. If he maintains his form, Min Woo Lee could very well be etching his name as the latest golf sensation, a beacon for emerging talents aiming at their first significant tour victory.