Min Woo Lee has praised Tom Kim for how he managed to keep the bogeys off the scorecard after finishing second to the South Korean at the Scottish Open on Sunday.
It was a great day for two of the brightest talents on the PGA Tour at The Renaissance Club.
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Tom Kim, Johnny Keefer, and Michael Thorbjornsen all finished inside the top 10 at the Scottish Open
Many would have expected either Matt Fitzpatrick or Robert MacIntyre to win in North Berwick as the final round got going.
However, it was Min Woo Lee and Tom Kim who stepped their games up, with the 24-year-old finishing two shots clear of the Australian.
Min Woo Lee praises Tom Kim after his victory at the Scottish Open
Kim’s form has improved significantly in recent times. He was outside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup heading into the RBC Canadian Open in June, but went on to finish third at the US Open.
Given his upturn, he would have been somewhat frustrated to drop a shot on the first hole – his 10th of the day – during the opening round on Thursday.
However, that would prove to be one of just three bogeys Kim made all week. In fact, just one bogey came in his final 51 holes of the week.
And when asked what was going through his mind as he tried to put the pressure on down the stretch, Lee made sure to praise his Presidents Cup teammate.
“To be honest, I was kind of in my own world out there. Obviously Tom played great. I thought I was playing really solid. Didn’t make too many mistakes and holed the putts when I needed to,” he said.
“Yeah, I don’t know, it was, whatever, 50 holes or something that he didn’t make a bogey, so that’s very impressive and that’s how you win tournaments. But no, I’m just happy with the week and obviously a win would have been nice. But it was one of the first weeks that I was just happy with myself mentally.”
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It was a result Lee definitely needed. He arrived in Scotland having missed the cut at both the Memorial Tournament and the US Open. He also finished outside the top 60 at Travelers Championship.
Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of Lee’s performance was the consistency in his scoring, with the 27-year-old signing for 66 after each of his first three rounds.
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And he suggested that he is taking plenty of confidence into The Open Championship.
“A lot. I don’t think I missed too many shots out there which was great to see. Of course, you’re nervous on some shots but I seem to get on the better side of it and I think that’s a lot of maturity and a lot of good stuff with technique,” he said.
“So I’m really excited for next week.”
Both Lee and Kim have missed the cut at the last two Open Championships. So they will certainly be hoping that their performances this week are a sign of what is to come.
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