Min Woo Lee is excited by the prospect of a new challenge but keeping his expectations in check ahead of his debut at this week’s WGC – Dell Technologies Match Play.
The Australian, who is currently ranked 55th in the Official World Golf Rankings, said he is planning to stick to his process when he tees off in the first of his round-robin matches against defending champion Billy Horschel on Wednesday.
“It's really cool to be on the range and be on the course with all the top players in the world,” Lee said ahead of his first start in this tournament.
"I'm excited. I used to play match play a lot as a junior and an amateur, so I'm excited to get back to the Match Play.
"It's completely different. You have a practice round and you're hitting driver off some tees, but then if a player does really good or does really bad, it changes up the situation and you hit a different tee shot or just a different mindset, I guess, to the hole. It's completely different. You are playing another player, not the course."
The 23-year-old will have a tough task ahead as he bids to make it out of the group stages and into the last 16, which will be played over Saturday and Sunday at Austin Country Club - home to the WGC - Dell Technologies Match Play since 2016.
In addition to Horschel, Lee's group also includes Thomas Pieters and Tom Hoge, who both boast victories in the first few months of 2022.
In contrast, Lee has endured a bit more of a struggle with recent form following an impressive season on the DP World Tour last year, and arrives in Texas following three missed cuts on the PGA Tour.
Despite that, Lee said some good work over the last few weeks with his coach has really helped to bolster his confidence, although he is cautious of putting too many expectations on himself.
“Yeah, it's feeling good,” Lee said of his game.
“I had my coach out for the last couple weeks, so it's a lot better. The first few weeks out on the PGA TOUR it was a bit rough. The courses were a bit different. But this course looks really nice and suits my game, so I'm excited.
“We worked on a few things, kind of got into my bad tendencies when I don't keep on top of it. Yeah, it's been a really good improvement over the last few weeks with my coach.
“I'm not putting too much pressure on myself, I'm just playing, and hopefully good results. Hopefully I can just stick to my process and game plan, and if I do play well or don't play well, so be it.”
