NEWS

Lee credits coach with resurgence

By Doug Smock
Published on
Lee credits coach with resurgence

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. -- Danny Lee is the sixth player of Korean descent under the age of 30 to win on the PGA Tour in the last four years.

It's not surprising to see him win at age 24. In 2008, he was the youngest U.S. Amateur champion at the time at 18 years, 1 month. But he had a rocky road to winning his first tour title, the Greenbrier Classic.

He joined the tour full-time in 2012 and fell apart. He missed 10 cuts and managed only three top-25s in that season, and then failed to rejoin the tour by one stroke in the "Q School" tournament.

GREENBRIER CLASSIC: Danny Lee wins in playoff

He played well enough on the Web.com Tour to rejoin the big tour, then finished 88th in the 2014 FedExCup points race. With his Classic win Sunday, he is now 15th in those standings.

He credits his resurgence to his new coach, Drew Steckel. He finished second in the Puerto Rico Open in March 2014, but still wasn't happy with his swing.

"I'm still young. When I was a teenager, I wanted to swing like Tiger Woods or Justin Rose, that kind of swing," Lee said. "I've probably gone through 100 coaches, and meeting Drew Steckel was the best thing that ever happened to me."

MONEY MAN: Fans cash in on Greenbrier aces

The New Zealand resident, born in Seoul, South Korea, is the first New Zealander to win on the tour since Michael Campbell captured the 2005 U.S. Open.

This article was written by Doug Smock from The Charleston Gazette, W.Va. and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.