Who is Min Woo Lee? 🧑‍🍳

Hey there! No PGA Tour event this week, so the golf world is a bit quiet. Still, there were some noteworthy headlines that we’ll get to in a bit.

A couple quick notes:

• At the top, I wrote about Min Woo Lee – a fan favorite and one of golf’s rising stars. This idea came entirely from a reader who kept hearing Min Woo’s name, but didn’t know much about him. I love this! A big reason why I started Quick Nine was to explain the game (and its players) to people who don’t necessarily obsess over these things 24/7. So, if you have a golf-related question or just wish you knew more about a particular aspect of the game, let me know by replying to one of these emails. It will likely make for a great segment in an upcoming newsletter!

• Also, make sure to scroll to the bottom of this edition. I have a crazy idea that I hope you like!

Alright! Enough from me. Onto Min Woo.

Who is Min Woo Lee?

If “Golfers Congratulating Themselves” existed as a social media account (as it does for venture capitalists), Min Woo Lee would be its poster child.

The 25-year-old Australian doesn’t shy away from canvassing TikTok, Instagram, and X with highlights of himself hitting low stingers and long drives with captions like, “It’s my birthday, here are some bombs.”

And yet, if there’s one golfer in the world right now who can post hype videos and actually make you like them more as a result, it’s Min Woo. That’s because:

1. He’s a true, young talent (more on that below)

2. He’s got swag (also more on that below)

3. He seems totally self-aware and genuinely excited to be in the position he’s in now — playing great golf and rising up the ranks in the men’s professional game.

“I’ve always been a performer,” he told Smylie Kaufman on a recent podcast. “I love just showing off.”

Young talent

Min Woo had a banner year in 2023.

The young Aussie (who’s of South Korean descent) finished T6 at The Players Championship and T5 at the US Open. He also had five top-10s on the DP World Tour, including a 3rd place finish at the Australian Open, and a victory at the Asian Tour’s Macau Open earlier this month shooting 30-under. He’s currently the 43rd ranked player in the world.

Still, it wasn’t until a T6 at last week’s Zozo Championship when Min Woo effectively secured full-time status on the PGA Tour for next season.

“See you more in America 🇺🇸❤️,” he wrote after the round.

His solid play this year also helped land him a spot in Tiger and Rory’s upcoming virtual golf league (TGL), which starts in January.

Did you know: Min Woo’s sister is one of the best female golfers on the planet and on the same day he wrapped up his PGA Tour card, Minjee Lee (two-time major winner, in the photo above) captured her 10th LPGA title.

“We’re very opposite as people,” Min Woo told Kaufman. “She was the quiet one and I was the little sh*t — and still am.”

The Lee’s were also the first brother-sister duo to both win their respective US Junior Am’s— Min Woo in 2016 and Minjee in 2012.

What to watch: Speed.

Min Woo is 6 feet tall and just 165 pounds, but ranks third on the PGA Tour when it comes to club head speed (125.4 mph).

Expect to see more long drives (he hit one 407 yards at this year’s US Open) and powerful stingers that barely get off the ground (which have become his signature shot).

Swag

Besides his play, you may know Min Woo because of his distinctive look on the course, which often includes the three M’s — a mustache, mullet, and mock tee. The Oakley glasses complete the swaggy look.

You might also hear Min Woo fans yelling “let him cook” after one of his shots, a phrase he’s adopted and adds to almost all of his social posts.

“It’s just popped off. I don’t know where it originated from,” he told Kaufman.

As for what it actually means, Min Woo said: “Just let him do his thing. Let him go make some birdies and let him cook.” 🧑‍🍳

More news

Fifteen-year-old Oliver Betschart qualified to play in November’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship. He’s the youngest player to make a PGA Tour event in nearly a decade. (PGA Tour)

Bryson DeChambeau is opening a Top Golf competitor in the Dallas area called UnderPar Life. DeChambeau says the company plans to partner with muni courses to help make golf more “affordable, approachable, and enjoyable for everyone.” (D Magazine) 

The DP World Tour announced that it will offer full memberships to players who lose their PGA Tour exemptions this year. The decision — which applies to those who finish between 126-200 in FedEx Cup points — “further solidifies the DPWT as a feeder to the globally dominant PGA Tour,” the Fried Egg’s Brendan Porath writes. (AP / Fried Egg)

The PGA Tour temporarily suspended Korn Ferry Tour players Vince India and Jake Staiano for placing bets on PGA Tour events in which they did not play. (CBS)

The PGA Tour has also turned down a strategic investment from Endeavour, the parent company of the WWE, UFC, and sports agency IMG. Earlier this month, Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel told Bloomberg his company was among around “seven others” bidding for a piece of the PGA Tour’s new for-profit entity. (ESPN)

And finally…

I had an idea, and with only three tournaments left for this PGA Tour season, I thought we should give it a shot.

Here’s the gist. Most of us enjoy watching golf, but to up the intrigue level (especially outside of big tournament weeks), let’s create a little competition of our own.

How it’ll work: Next week, I’ll include a list of match ups and scenarios in Wednesday’s newsletter and you’ll pick the winners (in a Google Form that I’ll link to). It will be totally free to join.

• Picks will be due by the time play starts on Thursday, and in Friday’s newsletter, we’ll check-in to see how the matchups are playing out.

• On Sunday, we’ll tally up the points, and the person to answer the most questions correctly will take home $90. (Get it — a “quick nine.”)

Of course, you totally don’t have to play along. But, I thought it would be fun and a helpful way to cover tournament storylines each week.

Of note: This should not be considered gambling since it’s totally free to join. But if you’re a card carrying member of the PGA or Korn Ferry Tours, perhaps its best to follow from the sidelines.

Any initial thoughts? I’d love to know.

Alright! That’s all for today. Have a wonderful weekend y’all and I’ll talk to you on Monday.

Until then, Nick B.