Amateur star Lee wins Johnnie Walker

BY Bruce Young | Asian Tour | 2009 Johnnie Walker Classic | Round Four | 22 Feb 2009

18-year-old Korean born New Zealander, Danny Lee, became the youngest player and only the second amateur to win on the European Tour when he birdied four of his last six holes to win the Johnnie Walker Classic at Perth’s Vines Resort by a shot.

Lee surpasses the previous youngest to win in Europe, Dale Hayes, by 77 days and joins Spain’s Pablo Martin as the only amateur winner of a European Tour event. Martin won the Portugese Open in 2007.

Hiroyuki Fujita, Ross McGowan and Felipe Aguilar finished just one shot back with McGowan the dropping two shots in the middle of his back nine which would ultimately make a difference.

McGowan was the last man standing who could deny Lee his title but his 30 foot putt at the last for eagle was never on line and Lee was the champion.

Lee started the final day just one behind the lead of Englishman McGowan and John Bickerton and made a steady if unspectacular start with a birdie at the 3rd to get things moving in the right direction. A bogey at the 5th might have seen a lesser youngster’s challenge fold but Lee responded with a birdie at the 9th and then after laying up at the 10th produced a superb 3rd to 5 feet and he had moved to 13 under.

At that point Lee trailed the leader McGowan who had just eagled the 9th by just two but when he bogeyed the 12th he had fallen three behind.

Just as he had on Friday when he double bogeyed the 12th, Lee pinned back the ears and prepared for one last onslaught. He birdied the 13th, the 14th, made a fine par save from 15 feet at the 16th after nearly finding the water and then holed from 8 feet at the 17th to move to 16 under.

He had the lead with Hiroyuki Fujita at that point and with the very reachable par five 18th to come the prospect of victory was looking increasingly likely. A great drive at the last set up an approach which finished 40 feet from the hole. The putt appeared in to all including Lee but at the last moment it slipped by and he settled for a birdie and 17 under.

Back on the golf course McGowan and Bickerton had found the fairway at the last but when Bickerton missed the green and could not get up and down and McGowan’s eagle putt was wide it was all over.

So what does this mean for the youngster who only a few months ago became a New Zealand citizen? Lee has already indicated that he will turn professional after the US Masters in which he is entitled to play because of his US Amateur victory last August. As a result of this win in a co-sanctioned event he is now entitled to membership on the European Tour.

In order to take up that membership however he must do so within 14 days of turning professional. Given his now significant profile in world golf he will be assured of the maximum number of invites (7) to PGA Tour events so the amazing talent will face a busy schedule ahead. His management company will need to be at their best to ensure he does not suffer burnout.

Lee said later that he was unsure what he would do about that eligibility but that was understandable given the fact that he had only been crowned the winner 30 minutes earlier.

“It still feels like it is a dream. My goal coming here was to make the cut and then finish inside the top 20 or top 10.”

“I enjoyed the support I had all day especially from the New Zealanders in the crowd. I felt after 9 holes that I had a chance but my woods had not been too good up until that point today. I thought if I could get a few birdies over the final few holes I would have a chance.”

Lee made special mention of the putt he made at the par three 16th for par.

“This is the putt to make if I you want to win the tournament,” he told himself. He did and kept his hopes alive.

Lee has all sorts of options opening up to him but he is unsure quite what they will be.

“I would play everywhere if I could but at this stage it seems that those decisions will be made after the dust has settled.”

What is clear is that he will play next week’s Moonah Classic, the New Zealand PGA Championship the following week, the New Zealand Open, then the Arnold Palmer Invitational followed by a one on one amateur match up against the British Amateur Champion at the Georgia Cup. It might be that at the end of the next three weeks Lee might have Nationwide Tour status as it is not beyond the realms of possibility.

It will then be off to the Masters at Augusta National where he will be likely be paired with the defending champion Trevor Immelman.

Some of what Lee had to say was lost a little in translation but most were endeared to the 18 year old when he openly stated how nervous he was in press conferences because of the fact that he is still developing his English skills.

His caddy James Hamilton got a special mention when asked if he had been able to keep him settled after the bogey at the 12th today.

“He said to keep patient and stay calm. This is the first time he has caddied for me and I am loving it,” said Lee. Hamilton had helped Lee get back on track after a double bogey at the 12th on Friday when he kept things light hearted in order to take Lee’s mind off the double.

Lee was also keen to point out the help given to him by Michael Campbell and Phil Tataurangi but added that Tiger Woods had always been his idol growing up.

Adam Blyth and Michael Sim were the best of the Australians, Sim in particular looking a threat to the leaders at one stage at various stages over the weekend Blyth followed up his fine week in Malaysia last week with another to ten when sharing 7th with Sim and Lee Westwood who flew the flag for the more favoured brigade when he eagled the final hole to finish with a round of 67.

The European Tour now moves to Bali for next week’s Indonesian Open co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour while the Australasian Tour is at Moonah Links for this coming week’s Moonah Classic.