KH Lee once again takes advantage of AT&T Byron Nelson’s extremely low score ahead of PGA Championship 2022

MCKINNEY, Texas – 12 months ago, when KH Lee came in 18th at TPC Craig Ranch to prepare to win AT&T Byron Nelson in 2021, history was made. His win score of 25 under for the tournament was the lowest in the history of an event defined by low scores in recent years. Twelve months later, Lee not only found himself hoisting the trophy again, but also earned a much larger $1.5 million check for his efforts.

This time, on a crystal clear afternoon with temperatures hovering in the triple digits, Lee joins a trio of golfing royals – Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and the late Sam Snead – as the man consecutive victory of the Byron Nelson tournament after shining once again on the PGA Tour’s first stop of the North Texas rotation.

“It was amazing,” Lee said of the feat. “I can’t believe it. Just hope people remember my name.”

They’ll no doubt remember Lee in Lone Star State golf circles as he holds a stacked leaderboard featuring Justin Thomas, Joaquin Neimann, 54-hole frontman Sebastian Munoz and Jordan Spieth.

However, beating his own score from a year ago has proven to be the most important advantage in Lee’s game.

Lee beat 9 under 63 in the final round with a 26 under 26 win, surpassing his own Bryon Nelson tournament record from 2021 by a single stroke. He was able to hold off Spieth with some clutch hits aided by a recent gear change.

Having recently made changes to the Odyssey O-Works 2-ball fan, Lee may have found his new favorite club by the time Sunday’s round ends. Needing to go up and down for par at both par-4 16 and par 3 17 to maintain a full lead, Lee drowned putts about 6 feet and 12 feet long to keep his advantage. He hit an 18th achievable par-5 birdie to set a new league scoring record.

“[I changed putters] when I set up not square – sometimes closed, sometimes open – a few months ago,” said Lee. But I tried a big putter ball, two balls to make it look more square [and] Easier to check out when I’m in line. It’s more square, and that’s what helped my stroke. “

A prayer or two can also assist, especially at number 17.

“I knew it was a very important shot,” Lee said. “Jordan and so many boys are coming just one [group] behind, and I know a lot of guys who did a birdie at the age of 18. So I need[ed] to hit the ball. … I prayed and then hit the ball. “

While Lee drowned out important putts like the wind in season nine, Spieth saw important opportunities slip by. Unlikely a three-hit magic trick on par-4 at 10th, a faulty Spieth from the wind. He then had two key chances to put Lee in the lead, but a 15-foot eagle lap at par-5 12 burned the edge, and Spieth was unable to birdie at par-3 17 after His tee shot is steady within 9 feet of the peg.

“We have got [the wind] blow 15-18 [mph] Our last 10 or 11 holes, so [Lee’s 63] This afternoon, especially around the last close, was just a phenomenal score,” Spieth said. I thought, when the day starts, I’m going to want to be under 25 on the 18th tee. So I had a chance to do that with that shot at 17 and kind of, it’s just going. pump in [the wind]and it jumped through the hole. “

Rick Gehman, Kyle Porter, Greg DuCharme and Mark Immelman recap AT&T Byron Nelson and head for the PGA Championship in the Southern Hills. Follow and listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Some players expected the pitch to show more teeth than in May of last year, but that was not the case. Lee’s win marks the fourth time in a row a record score has been set or matched at Byron Nelson, even with a change of course a few years ago.

The Sunday carnival featured a number of golfers who couldn’t get to the top to try and get some attention. Xander Schauffele opened nine shots on Sunday before taking the lead with a 9 under 61, eventually leading to the inevitable top 5 result at 23 under. The 2021 Masters champion, Hideki Matsuyama shines with a 10 under 62; he spent part of the afternoon taking the lead before finishing T3.

With their early beginnings, time was not on their side. Schauffele has made it clear he has no intention of waiting at the clubhouse as the leader has given the scoring trend at Craig Ranch and the amount of golf the others have left to play.

“Looks like this is the trend on the Tour here,” he said.. “You think 6 [under] or 7 under is a good round, that is, but some people will shoot 9 [under] or under 10 and suddenly you’re sitting they say, OK, I guess that’s the new denomination. ‘”

Similarly, Thomas didn’t have much to brag about Saturday as he shot an 8 under 64 in the third inning before firing a Sunday 67 to end T5 with Schauffele and Ryan Palmer. Still, running a week before the 2022 PGA Championship in Southern Hills is something Thomas and the rest of his camp won’t complain about.

“I just didn’t do anything special,” Thomas said Saturday. “I’m far from my best. I’m managing my game very well. … Sometimes it’s exciting when you can compete in a tournament without your best. “

Same with Spieth. Now, he’s headed for the PGA Championship with results in first and second in his last two starts. While Sunday marked his best finish at Byron Nelson since his first appearance in 2010 as a senior at the Dallas Jesuit, he is still hungry to win his hometown tournament. mine.

“I like to play at home,” says Spieth. “I’d love to win it someday. …It would be nice to end a game. But, again, [I] shoot 5 under; [it] It’s not easy to play today, and [Lee] go out and shoot the bottom 9 right in front of us. So sometimes that happens. “

With three years still on Craig Ranch’s contract as host Byron Nelson, golf’s second major pre-tournament tournament of the season won’t be able to lose sight of its rapidly growing reputation as a major player. bird festival.

“Green is pure… [and] James Hahn, who shot 11 under 61 on Saturday and finished T9 in a perfect 21 under, said: “As long as you’re in the fairway, I feel like every hole can be a chance. access society.”

In the end, no player took advantage of those “72 bird opportunities” more than Lee, who hit 25 of them plus two eagles on his way to victory. And just like in 2021, Lee entered golf’s second major with a win.