Q. Pretty crazy par on 18. Take us through the whole process.
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I just had a feeling that if I hit a good 2-iron, which I have been all day, I could have a short wedge in. Managed to hit -- produce the worst swing of the day about 40 yards right of where I wanted to hit it.
I was just very happy to have a par putt. I literally had no shot. I had an opportunity to kind of go over the grandstand, and if it ended up in the grandstand I would get a drop, but that was still a tough shot pitching it back this way.
It was nice to have a par putt, and yeah, managed to sneak it in on the right edge. Yeah, it summed up the day. It was a really solid day.
Q. I heard some fans on the tee box saying, "He's going to hit a stinger." How much do you play up to that and how much do you choose the right shot?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I didn't hear that. You can get away with a stinger. You can get carried away with a stinger. It's a very tough shot, and to do it under pressure, you have to get very steep.
I usually just do that anyway, so I try to hit the normal 2-iron, and if it comes out low, it comes out low. I launch it pretty low anyway so it looks like a stinger. I'd rather just hit it solid and move on.
I probably should have hit a stinger after that drive on 18.
Q. The second shot looked pretty crafty. Deliberately played along the cart path, just to get it in the pine straw?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I wanted to hit the cart path maybe once, but not four times, something like that, four or five times. I tried to one-bounce it and then the second -- hopefully the second bounce was under the branches and letting it roll out to the fairway. But it just came out -- it was into the grain and it just came out absolutely dead. I probably would have hit it harder if there was no path, but there was a path, so I kind of had that insurance.
Then I just thought, if I can get it past a tree, it would be a straight shot up to the green, but it literally was stuck behind a tree, and I was like, nice one, good job.
That third shot could have easily gone in the water had I just pulled it, but used a bit of magic and tried to cut up a pitching wedge out of the rough and -- out of the pine straw, and it was absolutely perfect.
Q. How comfortable are you feeling here especially being in the final group a couple years ago and where do you take the tournament from here?
MIN WOO LEE: I just love this course. It just suits so well. The wind was a bit confusing today, but I really enjoy coming back here. I just love playing shots off tees and not hitting driver everywhere. Driver is a weapon of mine, but I love hitting that 2-iron everywhere, and if it's a little firm, it kind of plays into my hands. I just love playing this course.
Q. Was it 2-iron on No. 6, as well?
MIN WOO LEE: Yes, it was. Yeah, that went a long way.
Q. Your game plan for that plan, talk about that hole with the tree --
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, with the 2-iron, that tee doesn't even sniff going that high. I really like it. It kind of narrows you in, and that's the beauty of this course. It plays a little, you know, tricks on your eye when you're on the tee, but it just makes it a bit more fun. Sorry to the guys that hit it high, but I really like it. You can lower it if you want.
Q. How many 2-irons do you think you hit today?
MIN WOO LEE: I would say, like, six or seven, I think, around there. It was more than a handful, but not two hands.
Q. What do you think 2023 taught you about hanging in the tournament three or four days?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I think a lot of it was nerves. One shot I regret was the wedge shot on 4. I still am a steep player. When it's into the wind I tried to manipulate the ball flight too much, and that's just not how to play that shot with a lot of spin. That was just me just not being as good as what I am now and what I learnt.
I learnt a lot from that day. It was tough. It wasn't easy. The way that Scottie played, just like a machine, like you've just got to -- hopefully I can get that comfortable and hit shots when I need to, and yeah, that's just why he's so good.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports