Golf: Danny Lee needs to 'stop over-thinking'

Danny Lee

Danny Lee has hit the skids only seven months after turning pro and one of his colleagues on tour thinks he has some idea why.

Rod Pampling played with Lee in the opening round at the HSBC Champions tournament yesterday, and the Australian was struck by the way the 19-year-old seemed paralysed with indecision.

"He was stuck on a few clubs, wasn't too sure what to hit," Pampling said of Lee, who squandered a good start to shoot a mediocre two-over-par 74 in ideal conditions at Sheshan.

"Every time he was like that he made bogey or a double. They looked like pretty simple shots.

"At 19, you should be pretty much pulling the trigger on everything. You shouldn't be thinking about a whole lot at that age, and that's what he seemed to be, over-analysing a lot of things.

"He's got a lot of game and he hit the ball fine, (but) I don't know if his head's in the right spot right now. He's getting a bit down on himself."

Lee, who last year became the youngest US amateur champion at the age of 18, won the European Tour's Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth in February, before turning professional after the Masters in April.

Great things were expected, and he began his pro career well, even taking the lead briefly during the third round at the US PGA Tour's Quail Hollow Championship in just his second professional start.

But he has posted only one top-10 finish globally in the past four months and has slipped to 133rd in the world rankings.

On the other hand, fellow teenagers Rory McIlroy and Ryo Ishikawa, with whom Lee was favourably compared, have gone from strength to strength.

Northern Irishman McIlroy is currently third on the European Tour money list, while 18-year-old Ishikawa is second on the Japan Tour ranking.

It seems those two have adjusted to the pro ranks much better than Lee.

"Going from an amateur, there's a lot of pressures on him that he's never had before," Pampling said.

"That's where Tiger's unique. He came out young and kept it going. A lot of guys come out blazing and then have a little slow spot for a few years.

"They're all trying to work out how to play the game as a pro and (how to handle) the pressures. You can't have an off week and still keep your spot. A lot of young guys are still learning that.

"Danny's got some game but as we all know, it's not just having the game that gets you around. You have to be mentally switched on and I think he's just a bit lost at the moment."

- NZPA