THE MODERATOR: Okay, thank you everyone. Min Woo, welcome to the DP World India Championship. Just been out there playing in the pro-am. What do you think of the golf course here at Delhi Golf Club?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, very unique. No drivers, which is a little bit different to a normal course, but it's going to test the mental strength this week. Warm weather and very tight fairways.
I can't wait to get started. Rough is probably the juiciest I've played all year, even in America. It's going to be a very big test.
Q. Min Woo, somebody like you who is so good with driver, and if he has to take it out of the bag, how does it play in your mind your biggest strength you're taking it out?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I guess, I mean, we still have to play golf, so, I mean, it's not like I'm bad with the other clubs. Again, I just tell myself it's going to be a test.
To do something so repetitive, hit long irons off the tee, hybrids off the tee and getting it in position, it can get a little repetitive, so I have to tell myself, you know, this is where we are this week. You just got to keep doing that.
It's so easy -- even in the pro-am it's so easy to swing one offline and you're in the rough and it's brutal. Some of the lies there I couldn't even get to the green, which is with my strength.
It's going to be challenging for everyone. So I think just telling myself that, to stay in it and, yeah, it's just every win has to deal with it.
Q. And we all know you let it cook on the golf course. Can you tell us if Indian food has been, because of cooking, have you tried Indian food much? Being from Australia, it's so popular out there.
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah.
Q. Have you tried it over here?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, it's -- yeah, I had butter chicken last night. It's not traditional, but I thought I would ease into it, start with something that I know and then work my way up.
But it was unbelievable. It was really nice. I made a chaat yesterday with Chef Goila, so that was really fun. That was really fun. I really enjoyed it actually.
It is interesting. I didn't think I would like it while we were making it, but it was actually very, very nice. I'm here for, I don't know, four, five days more and I can't wait to test more stuff out, yeah.
Q. From the opposite end of the bag now, this is -- you have build up a reputation for your short game and this is a course that demands precision, especially around the greens and on the greens. Do you think this modern golf where they're taking down trees around these iconic courses where every golfer is coming and the younger golfers is coming and covering the course, courses like this are more and more important to the game of golf around the world that force to you exercise restraint almost? And just a contextual follow up on that, how do you fancy your chances?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I think -- I mean, not every course is like this, so it's -- again, it's a challenge for me, challenge for everyone.
But, yeah, I don't know. The question is a tough one. The courses are I guess getting longer and cutting down trees for younger players, but you still got to get the ball in the hole. I mean, if we're looking at major championships, you know, even let's say the U.S. Open, it's a longer course and it's -- the rough is really thick.
That doesn't mean that just because you're a long hitter you're going to win tournaments. So I think there is a balance between -- I got to a stage where I was hitting it -- trying to hit it way too far, especially out in Europe when I played on the DP World. It was tough.
You can't score when you're in the rough. So I had to dial it back a little bit. So I think guys are getting smarter and there is a lot of technology around that, stats saying the fairway is actually quite important then because the rough -- when you get to courses like this and the rough is so tough, it still gets away from it because it's so thick that it's so hard to judge. You need speed to get out of there.
So it's good to come back to a course like this. And you got exercise your whole game.
Talking about short game, short game is very tough here. Really tight, grainy lies, so even today I took out the putter a couple times just because they're very thin and I'll embarrass myself if I chip. I think we all felt that during the pro-am.
Yeah, it's challenging. There is a lot of grain as well on the greens and you got to be very imaginative, so, yeah, I'm looking forward to a test.
Q. (No microphone.)
MIN WOO LEE: Okay, okay. Yeah, I think he played a little different game than us young kids. Again, it's a challenge. He's a great player, you know, one of the most decorated golfers in Australia. Yeah, I don't have much to say about it. It's going to be a test, and, yeah, hopefully I can hit some good long irons and set myself up.
Q. (No microphone.)
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I think it was the first time the Americans were on the losing side going into Sunday, so it was a great opportunity for us. We knew it wasn't going to be easy. These guys are -- I don't know what the worst player ranked was, top 20, 25 in the world, so they were great players.
And we gave it a good try. I think it's getting closer. I think we gave everyone some hope that the international team can actually compete with these guys, especially on away soil for us.
It was very weird holding putts to no claps and missing putts and everyone cheering. It was a lot of the guys' first time around, and for me it was -- yeah, it was weird at first. You kind of get used to it, but, yeah, I think in two years I think we'll put on a good show down in Australia.
Q. Min Woo, feels like 2026 has been a significant year of development for you. The iron play with the rest of your game. Talk to me about that process of getting to where you are now and how much more confidence you feel and how much more rounded you feel as a player to go and take down big events.
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, it was a pretty good process, something that I didn't want to do in the offseason from my team and my coach, but if you really look at my swing, it wasn't very I guess traditional. It was very young player, very explosive, and not using the body as good as I needed to.
So, you know, we sat down and said, hey, this is what we have to do. We probably did a whole month, three weeks, four weeks of boot camp of like not even seeing a golf ball. Being in a simulator and just hitting into a net trying to get the movement correct.
That took, yeah, that took probably about a month to what get comfortable and then I think my first tournament might have been French Open last year or Wentworth.
I was excited that even under pressure I would swing it and the ball would start out pretty good. I was like, okay, maybe my coach is right.
But being a golfer, you know, we all have a little bit of stubbornness and it was tough to say -- because I was not not playing -- I wasn't playing great but I still thought I was pretty good at golf.
I was like well, I don't need to change. Okay, if we want to be the best player in the world we got to do stuff like that. I think, yeah, I could tell myself now that doing things like that, especially in the offseason and then working, ramping up, it's, yeah, beneficial.
Yeah, pretty cool to hit some shots that I visualize and can hit that shot now.
Q. On a very different subject, you've become the latest tour pro to delve into the world of content creation. Can you just outline your ambitions in that realm? Is it a side hustle? Is it fun? Or is it something you're taking seriously like Bryson has to create a huge audience and do other things with his life?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I've always wanted to do and make a YouTube. I thought I had somewhat of a personality to showcase something other than just social media.
So, you know, had a team around me and made a little bit -- a lot easier to just go out there and try to make it as authentic. First couple videos I hope I can bring people in and show a bit more about myself, and also help them, you know, play golf and start golf.
Yeah, I'm very excited. I don't know future plans, but I know short-term I kind of just want to get it going. First video went well and I was happy to get some feedback.
Yeah, just found it fun. I feel like I've always wanted to do it. It's been two, three years since I actually started it so it was a process, but, yeah, I feel like a lot of the guys are loving it and a lot of people watch YouTube golf.
I thought I had an opportunity to do something, yeah.
Q. Athletes from Australia, particularly cricketers, have embraced India like their own. This week when you're coming in very first time what do you think about the climate and also the crowd here in the range?
MIN WOO LEE: First thing out of the airport I didn't think it was cold. Thought it was pretty humid. I live in Vegas now, so going from humid I realized pretty quickly. It's wonderful. I'm really excited to be here and play in front of the Indian fans and play a course like this.
You don't want to make bogeys in front of these fans, so, yeah, it's going to be a test, like I said hundreds of times, but I'm really excited. The Australian cricketers all play in India. They love it. It's nice to be on the golfing side and sporting side of it, and, yeah, I can't wait to show something off.
Q. A lot of professional golfers now kind of moving on to social media. I have been drawn into Pokemon basically because of my son.
MIN WOO LEE: Yep.
Q. I mean, he's so obsessed with it. He's staying in the hotel and got a web cam and plays Pokemon while I'm trying to sleep. I saw you were (pokepot?) Japan?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah.
Q. I went to Japan about a week ago.
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah.
Q. And this town, Tokyo and Nagoya was completely swamped by Pokemon and I am now trying to learn. Can you tell is something about that? I know we can see your golf.
MIN WOO LEE: I love Pokemon. It was -- I played and when I was a kid, like young, and then all of a sudden these Pokemon cards are like $1 million and I'm like, what's going on?
I called my mom and dad and said, where are those Pokemon cards we had? They're like, oh, we gave it away. There goes millions of dollars. I'm actually collecting some Pokemon cards. Not that I'm going to sell it. I just want to keep it.
These cards are just so cool, especially when they are graded really good. So if you're going to -- if you want to make your son happy, buy some cards.
Q. I bought a lot in Japan.
MIN WOO LEE: Exactly. So he's going to be happy. I don't know. There is something about opening packs and trying to find the best card.
Q. A rare card.
MIN WOO LEE: Exactly, a rare card and grading it. All these vintage cards from 1998 are going crazy. I'm trying to play some good golf so I can afford that.
Q. 30th anniversary cards which I saw were just artwork is brilliant?
MIN WOO LEE: It's spectacular. Opened a few boxes and got some good stuff. Probably grade them when I'm home.
Q. What's the preparation and mindset? This is the end of the season.
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, for me, this is probably one of my last tournaments of the season, so, you know, going to go out with a bang and try and play some good golf. A lot of the guys are fighting for their PGA Tour card and it's very cool to see that pathway.
I was part of that a few years ago. There is a lot of the pressure coming down to Dubai. There is a lot on the line. So I got a couple friends right on the cusp that I want them to come play in America with me, so I'm looking forward to it.
I'm sure the guys are getting tired towards the end of the season, but like I said, they have to lock in and try to play their best. This is where the good players shine, and hopefully couple of my friends do it.
Q. Min Woo, I've been seeing you since 2017 amateur days; and 2018 when everyone thought you would win the AAC; you didn't. But the moment you came to talk to us there was a big smile on your face. I've seen that several times repeated throughout your career. You seem to accept your losses with a big smile. How important is that for a golfer and how good -- how you have become so good at that?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I just think, one, golf is not everything. But, two, I mean, you see the best players in the world, other than Scottie Scheffler, he's winning five, six, seven times a year. That's very unlikely. If we win once a year that's a very good year.
Even if it you don't win, it's not the end of the world. We just want to -- wins matter obviously and we're all trying to strive for them, but that's not everything.
The last year and a half was my golf swing that I was trying to (audio cut out) and hopefully that leads to the winning time, winning stage.
But, yeah, I think it's a process. I think that was the biggest thing I learned when I turned pro. It was a process and not -- it was so results, results, and I just got way too caught up in it. That's not the way to do it.
If you have a goal in mind later on and you stick to it, I'm sure good things are going to happen. Especially kind of short-term down the stretch, like of a tournament, if you think about the result, think about making a cut or think about making birdie on the last hole, you're probably not going to.
I learned pretty quick and I think the best players in the world, that's what I learned, they do that very good.
Q. Is it your upbringing or did someone play a role in this kind of a mindset?
MIN WOO LEE: No. I think just learned. I feel like I was pretty young when I came out here on the DP World. It was all about getting into the next event, getting that, and, yeah, you learn pretty quick that you can't do that.
I'm at a stage where I just want to keep putting good performances back to back. Swing is at a good point and mental game is at a pretty good point where I can keep doing that and hopefully keep building confidence and hopefully big win.
Q. Welcome to India. I am really excited that you're really interesting on social media. You post exciting content. When you approach your golf this week and we can see that it's very interesting, exciting, and attacking, so will we see Min Woo Lee the entertainer or you bring a strategy?
MIN WOO LEE: If it's going to be anything it's probably going to be (audio cut out) -- I saw a snake today so I'm trying to stay out of jungle today, this week. I think I got to dial to back and I'll try to be entertaining still, but got to be smart, especially at course like this. I don't want to get bitten. That's priority.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports