Min Woo Lee has graded his 2024 season “around the B area” ahead of his title tilt on home soil at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
Since winning the Australian PGA Championship at the back end of last year on the DP World Tour, Lee has finished runner-up twice in his first full year on the PGA TOUR.
The Aussie star, who remains in the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking, now arrives in Melbourne for his 27th and final start of his campaign after finishing tied 15th at last week’s BMW Australian PGA Championship, the first of back-to-back tournaments Down Under at the start of the 2025 DP World Tour season.
So, while he reached the DP World Tour Championship and qualified for the PGA TOUR FedExCup Playoffs, Lee admitted there was inevitably a hunger for more.
"Had some good finishes but had a very consistent year, which I'm not really known for," he said. "I am trying to get to that stage.
"I feel like you kind of have a taste of the consistency and you're kind of like, ‘oh top 20, top 30 again and again’. And normally I play really good at an event and then miss a few cuts.
"So we are just waiting for the really top heavy finishes. But I think pretty good, I wouldn't be mad about it.
"First year on the PGA TOUR kind of living over there and it's a different lifestyle too. I'm going to live there next year with a house and all that, so it's a big change."
A victory would be the dream way to close out his year but aside from coming up against a strong field – including a host of his fellow star countrymen – Lee is also dealing with a knee injury he sustained while “in bed” that affected his challenge in Brisbane last week.
But despite playing through the pain barrier at times over Royal Queensland Golf Club, the 26-year-old insists he can have no excuses.
"Obviously it's a day-by-day thing, last week I didn't even bend down, I couldn't bend down and I didn't want to," the three-time DP World Tour winner said.
"I think it is just scary. I haven't been part of many injuries, but people that have actually got injured, I mean I feel for them because I didn't really do anything too bad to it, but psychologically you don't want to push it.
"It's a very mini injury compared to a big one. So it's just like I'm kind of new to it and just taking a day, it's been a long year, a long season so I just want to make sure I'm good for the tournament."
Lee will play alongside Chilean defending champion Joaquin Niemann and England's Jordan Smith over the first two rounds, starting at Kingston Heath Golf Club on Thursday before moving to Victoria Golf Club on Friday.
