PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Min Woo Lee began the final round two shots behind Scottie Scheffler at The Players Championship and moved into a tie for the lead following a birdie at the first hole combined with a bogey from Scheffler at No. 3.
Everything after that was a blur.
Lee made a mess of the fourth hole with a drive into the rough, a layup and a poor third shot that spun into the water. It was the first of two “7’s” for Lee, the second coming at the par-5 11th hole, on his way to a closing 76 and a disappointing tie for sixth place.
Full-field scores The Players Championship
“It happened really quick. It’s one of those things where it’s Sunday and you just make a couple bad decisions and it all kind of falls down,” Lee said. “It’s funny how yesterday I felt like I had the best swing in the world, and then today I just felt like nothing could go right.”
Lee was able to salvage a tie for sixth with birdies at Nos. 16 and 17, but his disappointment went beyond his quest for victory. Lee, a member of the DP World Tour, needed to finish alone in fourth place to secure special temporary status on the PGA Tour.
“I knew in the back of my head that I needed to finish well. I could have easily shot 10 over today and to make birdies on 16, 17, that was pretty crazy to do,” he said. “Hopefully I can play well in the next few PGA Tour tournaments I play in and can play out here.”
Lee’s finish qualified him for next week’s event, although he hadn’t decided whether he was going to play at the Valspar Championship, and at 45th in the world ranking, he’s qualified for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in two weeks.