THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome Min Woo Lee to the interview room here at the 2023 Dell Technologies Match Play.
Your second time here at Austin Country Club. Fresh off a top 10 at THE PLAYERS Championship. Just give us your thoughts about being back here this week.
MIN WOO LEE: It's amazing. I like playing match play, and you're versing the best players in the world. So I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be tough. The course is a little different to last year and the last few years. So it's nice to just go out there and have a couple practice rounds and get used to a bit of a wet condition, tough course here. But, yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
THE MODERATOR: We'll take some questions.
Q. Regarding match play, we know that you won the U.S. Junior, which obviously speaks well for your record in this format. Just wondering what other match play results or competitions come to mind when you think of this format that you've done, that you've played?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, a lot of the, say, in Australia, we have a state versus state type of tournament every year. As a team, like there's seven players and you verse other states. I've just -- every year it's a Junior -- like I played in the Junior one, Junior team, and the amateur team. So I feel like up until I was pro, I played all those team events every year, which is probably more than usual.
But, yeah, I just like being in that like team environment and playing match play. I feel like it suits my game because it's a pretty aggressive type of play and you can play defensive when you want, but like I would make a lot of birdie on the course, so I feel like it's -- and it's a course where you can make a lot of birdies. So I just like how match play works and you can be -- you can play the player as well as the course.
Q. You answered half of my question, which is what you like about match play and what appeals to you. Obviously, there's a lot of people who don't. What do you think -- from your perspective or from what you've heard, when players say, I don't really like match play, what are they objecting to and what don't they like about it?
MIN WOO LEE: I really like it because when I make a bogey and my teammate makes a bogey, it's even field. But, yeah, when I play good, I make a lot of birdies, which is good for match play. Sometimes if your playing partner doesn't hit a great shot, you had an advantage, but it is also nice stepping up on a tee and smoking a drive and putting the pressure on.
But yeah, I mean, some people might not like it because they don't make -- stroke play's a marathon, right, you got to plot along, make birdies, but I like to play golf more fun. I mean, I'm trying to be a bit more plot along type of golf, but sometimes that doesn't happen. So I make a lot of birdies and I throw in a few bogeys there, but if I can control that and play the player a little bit, then you can kind of be in between. So I really like it.
Q. It sounds like you like when it gets personal, which is not always the truth in golf, the same to other sports. But you like when golf gets personal and mono y mono?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, exactly. If the playing partner hits a bad drive, you probably can play a little defensively, and instead of stroke play where you just -- where it doesn't matter really who -- unless you're up in the -- like get up in the leaderboard and you're trying to play against them.
But, yeah, you can just kind of play the situation a little bit different. There's a drivable par-4 like later in the back nine and you can hit a layup instead of going for it and try and making eagle or a birdie if you're up or down. So it changes a lot. It's completely different. But, yeah, you just got to hit really good shots and make birdies. But you definitely can play it personally, yes.
Q. You have special temporary membership sort of hanging in the balance depending upon how you do this week. In the longer view of things, do you see yourself as like a global player playing all over the place or based in the U.S. or how do you sort of see it working out in an ideal scenario?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I would love to play over here in America against the best in the world, but I really like playing in Europe too. You have really good results there and when the schedule fits, I would love to play both tours. But, yeah, here's the place I want to be. And, yeah, temporary membership, yes, it's close, but I got a few tournaments to make up for that and hopefully I can get to that.
Q. What did your week at THE PLAYERS tell you?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I learned a lot. The Sunday wasn't the best Sunday, but there was a lot of players that came up to me and said that they have done the same thing, which is encouraging to me, because I did feel like I let it go a little bit, but I actually am proud of the way I finished. But you kind of look at the negative side in that situation and you're like, oh, I could have done this, I could have done that.
But I mean, a lot of people have done that and, yeah, it's nice when the top pros have said, I've done the same thing, and they're No. 1, No. 2 in the world. So it's just something that you learn from, and that happens on a Sunday, and it's not easy, and if it was, then, I mean, the best would win every time.
So, yeah, hopefully you can -- that was my learning step, and I can learn from that. But if it happens again -- I mean, you've done pretty good to get there in the first place, so you should be proud of that.
Q. You've spoke about this before, but you're sometimes referred to as Minjee's brother. I guess if you're on TV playing on Sunday the way you were at THE PLAYERS, it won't be long before she's Min Woo's sister. What do you think it's going to take to have the tables turned to where she's your sister?
MIN WOO LEE: See, I was actually thinking about it. She's not playing the best right now and I feel kind of bad because I'm playing a bit better golf, and I don't want my sister struggling. I don't know, I guess it motivates me when it's like that, and I just want to keep playing better. I know it's not really -- I don't really have it in the back of my head, but it's tough to win out here, and she just -- she wins every year like it's nothing. She's such a good golfer. So, I mean, I think -- I feel like if I win an event -- I guess, whoever has the last laugh, really. She's won a couple majors the last couple years, so I got to win a tournament over here to be able to say something.
But she's still my big sister and I want her to do the best she can. Yeah, I think -- I don't know, I'll just try and win a tournament and then we can have this conversation again.
Q. Who holds bragging rights right now?
MIN WOO LEE: I would say myself, I think, but she would probably be like -- I don't know if you guys watch basketball, but Klay Thompson's like one, two, three, four rings compared to your zero. So she's got two majors over me. She's obviously won plenty of times. So she can do that to me and I'll probably get hurt, so I'll just let the golf do the talking and I just -- yeah, I'll just stay in her shadow, I guess.
THE MODERATOR: One last question from me. Talk about your group 11 match with Fitzpatrick, Sahith Theegala and J.J. Spaun.
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, good friends with, I guess, all of them. I'm not great friends, but I'm friendly with them. I've played with all of them in the last -- well, except Sahith, but I'm friends with him. It's a good group. I mean, I think if I play really good golf, I can get out. But they're all good golfers, they all can play well and can win as well. So we'll see what happens. But, yeah, like I said, one shot at a time, one player at a time. Anything can happen on this course. It's a birdie festival this week.
Q. A lot of fun watching you at THE PLAYERS last week. Seems like your personality is probably uniquely suited to match play. You really enjoy feeding off the crowd and the energy of the situation. Wondering if you think this is a good fit for you both this course and this event?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I'm just stepping on it, even if it's raining I'm like, oh, I miss this course. It was so fun last year. Hopefully I can have a better result than last year. I played okay. It was one of my first match play events as a pro and yeah, I just love playing in front of a crowd and playing that type of golf. Bomb it, hit it close wedge, make birdie. There's a couple drivable holes on the front nine and the back nine. So I think, yeah, it just suits my game. Hopefully there's a crowd out there and, yeah, I can do exactly what you said. But, yeah, I'm excited. I love playing in America and I love playing in front of a crowd. So I wish it could keep going.
Q. Quick question about Jason Day. He's starting to come back a little bit, we're seeing him get back to his form. Curious what he meant to you. Did you grow up watching him, was he an idol of some kind and what do you think now seeing him kind of get back to where he used to be?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, Jason and I would say Adam Scott have been my idols, Australian idols growing up. They have been, they're probably the two nicest guys out on TOUR. They have really kind of helped me. Played a lot of practice rounds and it's been awesome. I was kind of shocked when I first came out here and they were really friendly to me. But I think it just speaks that they're just really nice guys and they want me to do well.
Seeing Jason, he's swinging it so pure right now that it can get -- I can see how he was No. 1 in the world. He was swinging it pretty good back then, but right now it's pretty fitted to his back problems and it's very nice to see. He putts unbelievable and everything he does is very methodical and very proper. Just playing a practice round with him, he's taking videos of other people on different tees and stuff like that at Bay Hill. It's really cool to see that.
Yeah, it could be scary what he can do. I can see how he was so good before and he could get to top 10 in the world, top 5 in the world, if he just keeps having good results. He's been playing great.
THE MODERATOR: All right, thank you very much.
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