Golf: Lee ready to step up to big time

Danny Lee found a break from the game beneficial. Photo / APN

When Danny Lee cast off the security blanket of the amateur game in 2009, there were some so taken by his presence on the course they immediately predicted great things for the Korean-born, New Zealand-raised and moulded teenager.

After all, he was the reigning US amateur champion and had just become the youngest player in history to win a European Tour title at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth. As such, it was widely assumed the PGA tour in the United States was the natural home for an individual of such rare ability.

But nothing comes cheap in golf, least of all success. Say what you want about the game's leading practitioners but none has risen to lofty heights without the support pillars of a healthy work ethic to chip away at their imperfections and a deep desire, nay lust, for competition.

While he has taken some time to come to grips with the harsh realities of professional golf, Lee's clinically efficient progress this year reflects both an appetite to mix it come the closing nine on a Sunday afternoon and a capacity to learn from his errors.

So, the PGA tour awaits Lee in 2012 following a year of almost constant travel, painful injury, introspection, practice and ultimately vindication.

At the end of it, the supremely talented 21-year-old has accomplished his mission to become the first New Zealander to hold a ticket to clamber aboard the game's richest gravy train since Tim Wilkinson's brief period in the big time ended in 2009 after he tore a thumb ligament mucking about in his backyard.

The Rotorua product's promotion comes courtesy of a compelling season on the second tier Nationwide Tour where he finished sixth on the moneylist with tournament income of US$326,100, leaving him comfortably inside the top 25 cut, the demarcation line separating the achievers from the hopefuls.

While the monetary rewards cannot be sniffed at, Lee can take greater pride in other figures associated with his blossoming game. As the accompanying factbox shows, he dominated his Nationwide rivals in some key statistical categories. Those are principally top 10 results, scoring average and birdie average, categories in which he ended a demanding season top of the pile.

Lee has never been one to be distracted by figures. He leaves the number crunching to others, so was blissfully unaware of his statistical returns until informed by an outside party.

"I have not looked at my stats yet; I am just happy with the way I am playing right now," he said from the family home in Dallas, Texas.

"I think good stats come from focusing on week after week."

Lee has always had the ability to shoot low numbers but his early progress as a pro was stalled by an annoying habit of blotting his copybook with major mishaps, his tendency to attack often backfiring in double bogeys or worse.

All golfers know the importance of damage limitation and Lee has shown that lesson has infiltrated his subconscious. For example, he completed the 72 holes of the season-ending Nationwide tour championship at Daniel Island in South Carolina with a solitary double bogey to his name.

A second round of seven-under-par 65 thrust him into title contention before he drifted back on the Saturday with a 76 containing six bogeys when his putter ran cold. He responded with an even par 72 over the closing 18 holes to finish tied for eighth.

Lee found it difficult to identify specific areas of his game which had outstripped others.

"It's more to do with course management and the way you play," said Lee, who has improved his world ranking from 498th at the start of the year to 182nd; the only New Zealander inside the top 450.

By early next month Lee will have played 31 tournaments this year, his US appearances supplemented by 13 outings on the European tour. There would have been more had it not been for a wrist injury which sidelined him for a month mid-year and later forced his withdrawal from the Soboba Classic in California.

He had carried the injury for about five weeks and made swing adjustments to compensate but the pain intensified, ironically just days after former touring professional Craig Perks voiced concerns about the younger man's workload.

The four-week break, caused by a tender tendon in his left wrist which became inflamed due to over use, left Lee with time on his hands to enjoy his mother's home cooking.

"I did nothing. I just rested, ate some good food and tried to workout a little bit. I was shocked when I started playing again that I was hitting the ball better.

"I guess I learned that resting is not a bad thing to do."

On a scale of one to 10 Lee marked himself an eight for his 2011 progress.

"I have worked really hard over the past couple of years.

"Although I will be playing on the big tour next year it will not change my golf game or my thoughts. It just means I will be playing in bigger events."

He's been there before, of course, after heading to the United States immediately after he left his adopted home country in 2009 in a bold bid to earn his PGA tour stripes.

He banked US$359, 846 from just 11 starts, accepting a swag of invites from sponsors keen to see the recent amateur sensation. That left him 20 places outside the top 125 exemptions at the time.

Lee and others know he has the game to prosper on the big stage; he's now got a full season to prove it.