Danny

Lee

In August 2008 at Pinehurst, Lee became the US Amateur champion aged 18 years and one month, beating the previous mark set by Tiger Woods.

Lee was six months and 29 days younger than when Woods won the first of his three US Amateur titles in 1994.

The talented New Zealander held off a late surge from Drew Kittleson to take the championship 5 and 4.

His teenage record stood for just one year though as South Korean Byeong Hun An won in 2009 aged 17.

That early success brought Lee his first big sponsor as he signed a two-year endorsement deal with Callaway Golf, to include using their clubs, balls and clothing.

After further arrangements with TaylorMade and then Parsons Xtreme Golf (PXG), his relationship with Callaway was resurrected in 2022.

While still playing as an amateur, Danny Lee entered the 2009 Johnnie Walker Classic at the Vines Resort in Perth and emerged as the winner aged 18 years and 213 days.

That set a new record as Lee became the youngest golfer to win a European Tour event.

He was also just the second amateur to win on the Tour since Pablo Martin’s victory at the 2007 Estoril Open de Portugal.

Lee had begun the final round two strokes behind Ross McGowan and John Bickerton but a run of four birdies over the last six holes saw him top the leaderboard by one shot to take the title.

“I was dreaming about winning but my goal was to make the cut after two rounds and to try to get into the top 20 or top 10,” Lee admitted afterwards.

Only Matteo Manassero has subsequently won on the Tour at an age younger than Lee, with his victory at the 2010 Castello Masters aged 17 years, 188 days.

After building an impressive CV as a young amateur golfer, Lee turned professional just after making his debut at the Masters in April 2009, having been No.1 in the world amateur rankings since the previous August.

His first win as a pro came on the Nationwide Tour (now the Korn Ferry Tour) in October 2011, with victory at the WNB Golf Classic at Midland Country Club.

Lee carded a final round 6-under 66 to draw level with Harris English at 18-under for the tournament, then held par on the first playoff hole to secure the top prize of $94,500.

That result helped him amass season earnings of $326,100 and sixth place on the money list to guarantee a berth on the PGA Tour for the first time in 2012.

Lee’s first PGA Tour event win was at the 2015 Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia. The final day went down to a four-man sudden death shootout after Lee, David Hearn, Kevin Kisner and Robert Streb were all tied at 13-under after 72 holes at The Old White TPC.

By the second playoff hole it was between Lee and Hearn and when the latter bunkered his approach to the green, it allowed Lee to drain a par putt to claim his maiden PGA Tour victory.

With five top-five placings through the year he finished ninth in the FedEx Cup standings.

In 2016, Lee represented New Zealand at the Rio Olympic Games and finished the tournament T27.

By the time a switch to LIV Golf was on the cards in 2023, Lee had featured in 303 PGA events with one win and career earnings of $15,363,106.

He had also reached a career high 34th on the official world golf ranking.

A fairly rocky 2022 had seen Lee miss the cut 12 times from 23 starts but a 30-minute phonecall from Iron Heads GC captain Kevin Na was the spark to reignite his career.

Na recognised Lee’s strong potential - an opinion shared by Drew Steckel, a swing coach for both players - and Na’s caddie, Kenny Harms.

Speaking to LIV Golf’s Mike McAllister, Na said: “Not to be mean, but Danny can be a little bit of a headcase.

“He’s extremely talented. We knew that my coach and myself being there for him mentally and to mentor him would help him reach his peak performance.

“He’s an unbelievable player.”

Their original conversation was more about providing opportunity than any financial incentive, and motivated Lee to sign up for the 2023 LIV Golf League.

But Lee still needed to make a few more calls to his friend for reassurance.

“Kevin could see that my game is so close to being great,” Lee said.

“But he told me that this environment of LIV Golf is probably better for me than staying out on the PGA Tour.

“When I struggle with my game or my life, sometimes I call Kevin, or I’ll go to his place and ask for his advice.

“He wouldn’t lie about anything or make me feel good to see something.

“He’ll tell me what’s up straight away.”

Lee made his LIV Golf League debut at the 2023 season opener in Mayakoba, achieving a modest 34th-place finish.

Three weeks later he was the main act in a thrilling climax to the Tucson event, becoming a LIV Golf winner in just his second outing.

After 54 holes there was a four-way tie at the top of the leaderboard between Lee, Louis Oosthuizen, Carlos Ortiz and Brendan Steele.

Having missed a birdie putt on the second playoff hole, Lee looked to have blown his chances next time around when his approach landed to the right of the green near the stands.

Rather than play for safety, Lee attacked the hole. From his weighty putt the ball ran to its target before rattling against the pin and dropping out of view.

Lee’s Iron Heads teammates raced to celebrate his maiden LIV victory, a special moment not lost on the Kiwi, who is a big fan of the event’s team dynamic.

“Even if I happen to miss that putt and lose in a playoff, my team is going to just say it’s OK, you can do it next time,” Lee said.

“I’m just trying to prove Kevin was right, that Kevin made the right decision to pick me.”

“I made probably the best decision to play on LIV Golf,” Lee said.

“You get to play with the best in the world, and there’s a team aspect.

“It just teaches me how important each shot is out there because there’s a team involved.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re having a bad day or a good day.”

That 2023 win in Tucson was Lee’s highlight of the season and he finished 29th in the individual standings, signing up once again for Iron Heads.

Although the following year proved to be a tougher nut to crack, he achieved a season- best T6 at Andalucia in July and played his part in an exciting finale to the team competition.

Iron Heads finished 13th in the regular season standings, but Lee and his teammates powered through the Team Championship in Dallas, managing to claim T2 with 4Aces, just behind winners Ripper.

Lee placed 38th in the individual standings to cement his place in LIV Golf League for another season with Iron Heads.

Swing coach Drew Steckel has worked with Danny Lee since 2013.

“I’m like a big brother,” Steckel told Golf Digest. “I make sure he focuses on golf.

“As he starts back, I don’t want to see the hands too far from the right leg.

“I want him to stay balanced and stable, which sets up a great coil and a consistent move coming down.

“Turning the hips freely allows Danny to create more length in his swing. He’s very stable on the downswing.

“At the point of impact, “Danny’s right arm is in front of his right hip, which flattens the club shaft and allows him to really launch the driver.

“He feels the ground with his feet and lets his arms swing past his body for a full release of the club.

“I like him to hold his pose at the finish for three seconds. That keeps him tall and totally in balance.”

Danny Lee married Yoomi Kong in South Korea in December 2017 and the following October he announced that they were celebrating the birth of their first child, Roi Theodore Lee, on his X account @dannygolf72.

Lee, wife Yoomi and their two children live in Irving, Texas.

Lee is also active on Instagram as @dannygolf0724 with regular updates regarding his and his Iron Heads teammates’ progress through the LIV Golf League season.