Min Woo Lee says whether he’s actually happy Scottie Scheffler has withdrawn from the Houston Open
· Yahoo Sports
Scottie Scheffler has withdrawn from the Texas Children’s Houston Open, opening the door slightly for Min Woo Lee to defend the title he won last year at Memorial Park.
Visit syntagm.co.za for more information.
The Houston Open in 2025 was Min Woo Lee’s first win on the PGA Tour and the 27-year-old has since gone on to establish himself as one of the most exciting players in world golf.
Scheffler, meanwhile, has finished second three times at the Houston Open, including back-to-back runner-up finishes in his last two starts at Memorial Park.
The fact that Scheffler won’t be playing the Houston Open this year definitely means that the rest of the field will have more hope of winning, despite the fact that the world number one has been nowhere near his best this season.
Photo by James Gilbert/Getty ImagesAnd Min Woo Lee is someone who will definitely fancy his chances this week in Houston. He has been in great form this year, with a runner-up finish and a T-6 to his name at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Arnold Palmer Invitational respectively.
However, Min Woo Lee has formed a bad habit of scoring poorly on the front nine in recent events.
If he manages to address that issue, the Australian could be a very hard man to beat.
Whether Min Woo Lee is happy after Scottie Scheffler’s Houston Open withdrawal
Min Woo Lee sat down to speak to the media at Memorial Park on Tuesday ahead of the start of the Houston Open on Thursday.
And after it was announced that the best player on the PGA Tour would not be playing this week, the big-hitting 27-year-old was asked about his chances of winning.
Reporters asked Min Woo what he makes of the strength of the field at the Houston Open after Scheffler’s withdrawal from the event.
“Yeah, obviously Scottie not playing hurts that,“ the 27-year-old admitted.
Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images“I guess a few of us are saying, nice that he’s not playing. He’s a great player. And obviously I’m not sure what was the reason, but yeah, again, it doesn’t matter if he plays or not, we again try to do the best we can.
“We’re trying to set up for major tournaments and big tournaments. He’s going to be there, so you can’t fear him or anything.“
The bottom line is that numerous players will be secretly happy that Scheffler is not playing this week. The truth is that their chances of winning the tournament have just increased.
Why Min Woo Lee felt so comfortable on his way to winning the Houston Open
Min Woo Lee was asked what he believes was the key to his victory in Houston in 2025.
“Yeah, I don’t know,“ the Australian admitted.
“Something about last time I was here, I was very head down and just focused on the process and hitting the next shot, which I think that’s why it was very, I guess, exhausting because I didn’t — normally I would look around, look at the crowd, but not last year. I was very head down and just kind of did my thing.
“Maybe I should do it every week, I don’t know. But it is, yeah, it’s tough. Like I said, Scottie and guys that win a lot, they must do it a lot. Yeah, maybe I do have to tap into that space more often, which I think I have.
“But just gentle reminders along the way, a lot of positive talk, that was probably more of the mental strength that I gave credit for, yeah.“
Min Woo Lee will be hoping to lean into that experience this year at the Houston Open, as he looks to become only the second golfer in history to successfully defend his title at the event.