Lee records maiden PGA win
HOUSTON: South Korean KyoungHoon Lee won his first PGA Tour event yesterday, shooting a 66 for a fourstroke win at the AT&T Byron Nelson in McKinney, Texas.
The 29yearold Lee entered the day in second, one shot behind 54hole leader Sam Burns, but put the pressure on his playing partner immediately. He birdied five of the first eight holes at TPC Craig Ranch before a bogey at No 9, then added three birdies and a bogey on the back nine.
A birdie at No 17 gave him a threestroke lead and breathing room on the final hole, putting the topping on the tournament with a birdie at No 18 for a 25under 263 for the tournament.
Whatever he had rehearsed to celebrate his first win was lost in the moment.
‘‘Before a lot of imagine when I win, like what is that,’’ he said through a translator.
‘‘Like, yeah, like fist pump or I imagine a lot of things, but too excited over there.
‘‘Almost forget everything. ‘‘So excited, yeah.’’
With the win, Lee earned a spot in next week’s PGA Championship at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, South Carolina After shooting rounds of 656269, Burns could muster only a 2under 70 yesterday, to finish in second, three shots back, at 22 under.
The 1.2m putt for birdie on the final hole moved him out of a fourway tie and into second on his own.
Behind Lee and Burns in a tie for third were four players, including two who made a big rise up the leaderboard yesterday.
Patton Kizzire fired the day’s low round, a 9under 63, to climb 23 places on the day, while Daniel Berger shot a 64 to move up from 18th place. Scott Stallings (66) and South African Charl Schwartzel (68) also finished in the tie.