The Bay Golf Club 6, Atlanta Drive GC 5
THE MODERATOR: We want to welcome Min Woo Lee from The Bay Golf Club. Your first time playing in TGL. Just initial impressions. How much fun was it out there?
MIN WOO LEE: So much fun. I got a little nervous there. I said on the broadcast that I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be early, but towards the end, the scores got tight, and I was making scenarios in my head. I want to be up before my final hole.
No, the teammates were awesome. Ludvig and Wyndham did really good and left me some chips, so it was nice to chip in once and nice chip on the last two.
Q. You came in and practiced early. What did your teammates teach you or what did you learn during your practice session this morning?
MIN WOO LEE: I think the most challenging part about the setup is the into-the-grain chips. That's something that I needed to kind of work out just in case I hit it there, and some of the -- it's just the course setup, I guess. You just have to miss it in the right spots. On that last hole, if I hit it long over the pin, you got this smelly putt down the hill and the chances of two-putting there are very slim, but if you leave it short -- I know I wanted to hit the 4-iron, hit it a bit closer, but I hit the 5-iron and backed it up a little bit and had a nice chip with neutral grain.
It was just more advice on just getting used to the conditions.
Q. Min Woo, everybody has talked about how different it is, and especially around the greens. What do you think you'll take away the most or that you will kind of assess and hope to be better at when you come back a second time?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I thought I would like my approach play -- the thing that I noticed was I like to hit draws with my irons, and it didn't feel like it drew enough. There was a couple shots that I did hit a little left, but there was a couple that kind of stayed out right.
I think just to hit more of a straighter shot for myself because I like to kind of shape it on the golf course. Just a bit more of a straighter shot and solid contact.
Q. Obviously a lot of fun to watch you play out there. For yourself, the atmosphere, the distractions, the music, the lights, the noise, all that, did you feel like you could sort of wall that off, or did that at any point affect your play at any time?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, there was a bit of call-outs, but it was funny, the one call-out that I remember is the one I chipped in on. So whatever. Do it.
But there's a little bit of a wall there that you kind of -- you know the sound is there. You know someone is going to make a sound. You're kind of expecting it. At a golf tournament you're expecting the crowd to be quiet, so you know there's going to be a little bit of noise and rowdiness, and I think you just get used to it, and it was fun.
Q. Waste Management was maybe some good prep for --
MIN WOO LEE: Exactly. It's the same vibe, especially on 16 at the stadium hole. There's going to be noise, and you've just got to expect it the whole week. It was great prep.
Q. When you made that, what was that --
MIN WOO LEE: I got this thing on social media, when you're feeling sick you've got to call the doctor, so the Dr. Chip-inski. You got it? Yeah, it was just one thing that I did on social media, and for some reason I'm just chipping in every week.
It was just kind of a nice social media viral thing, and yeah, I really enjoy it. I've got a nickname, "The Chef," from "Let Him Cook," and then I've got doctor, as well. I'm not any of those, but I just try to do it on the golf course.
Q. How would you assess the accuracy of the simulator tech?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, I think some of the boys are using different golf balls. I use a Callaway Chrome Tour X and I'm using a Dot here. I'm not sure why. But the ball goes just a little bit further.
Obviously compared to Torrey Pines when it's cold and Pebble Beach, it's kind of warm Florida weather. For me, I'm hitting it five to ten yards further, and also I am juiced up when I'm out there just because I'm not used to this thing and I'm a bit nervous.
Yeah, I would say it's pretty accurate. I think just the lines, I just have to be a little bit more straighter just to -- I don't think there's as much curve as I feel out there. Sometimes there is, sometimes there isn't. It's something that I will just get used to it.
It didn't affect the boys that actually hit really good shots, so that's a lesson for myself. Just hit it better.
Q. Back to the crowd noise, it feels like TGL is trying to bend the rules and change the rules that we knew of, etiquette, if you will, of golf. When your opponent is lining up a putt, standing over it, do you want the crowd to get loud and be on your side and act like a college basketball student section --
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah.
Q. Or do you not want their help?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, of course. I think there's no hometown advantage type of thing, but I mean, it's fun. It's different. I think it was meant to be different. It wasn't, like, real golf on TOUR.
I'm up for it. We're not going to be very used to it because, I mean, I know the Ryder Cup is a little bit like that, there's a bit of home crowd advantage, so they are -- not me because I can't play, but they know what that feels like.
I mean, I think I'm all for it. I think it will be awesome. There was a lot of cheers when we holed putts but there were big cheers when Atlanta holed a putt or something like that. Emotionally we were like, okay, there's a bit of advantage to them with the home crowd, but managed to get the win, and that was cool. Everyone is there to watch some good golf, and hopefully we produced it, and everyone loved.
Q. How strong is The Bay Golf Club that they can put Min Woo Lee on the bench and put in Shane Lowry?
MIN WOO LEE: Yeah, these guys are unbelievable golfers, major champions. Ludvig just won last week and he's a future major champion winner, and hopefully I can call myself that one day.
But I look up to those guys. These guys are really good golfers, great teammates. We have a great vibe. I think that's something about team sport that you need. I was saying before, the team today was the youngsters, and now bring in the dad. He'll come in and help us out.
Yeah, this one is going to be a tough one. Boston is obviously -- they haven't had the best of starts, but they're unreal golfers, so let's see what The Bay is made of.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports