“Scottie is Scottie” – Min Woo Lee felt reigning Masters champ ‘creeping’ up on him at Houston Open

Min Woo Lee won his maiden PGA Tour title on Sunday at the Texas Children’s Houston Open 2025. The Australian golfer held off charges by Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland to clinch a one-shot victory.

Lee set up a final par after his 55-foot putt settled inches from the cup on the 18th hole. He carded a 3-under 67 to finish at 20-under 260. The 26-year-old broke the tournament record by four shots. While it looked like the ace golfer glided through to victory on Sunday, he came out to reveal it was “really hard.” Lee said that he was checking the leaderboard time to time as Scheffler was right in front of him.

The latest PGA Tour winner said “Scottie is Scottie” while stating “Sundays are tough” as competitors keep “creeping” behind the leader.

Replying to a media query on whether he was checking the leaderboard during the Houston Open final round, Min Woo Lee said, as quoted by Tee Scripts:

“Yeah, yeah. Obviously, Scottie (Scheffler) is right in front of me. It was a bit of a backup so we were waiting every hole. Scottie is Scottie. He made, I don't know, four birdies in a row, I think three or four birdies in a row. I think I didn't really not care, but I didn't -- I just focused on myself for a lot of it until probably 16 when I hit it in the water. I kind of wanted to know where I was…

I was two shots in front, then I made bogey, he made birdie, then I was only one shot. Obviously, he's a great golfer, and I was just looking forward to if he made birdie on the next couple holes. I know it's a two tough holes. No. 17 you can play aggressive, but I had a 7-iron in there and that's not necessarily an easy par, but I hit it in the right spot on both 17 and 18 and yeah, got the job done. But yes, I did. That's why Sundays are so tough, you know people are creeping and you know people are attacking.”

Lee also went on to dub Scheffler a “wonderful golfer” and claimed the latter ‘kept him on his toes.’ He admitted to being “very exhausted” because of the “mental grind” in the final round.

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Scottie Scheffler lauds Min Woo Lee after Houston Open loss

It is pertinent to note that the Houston Open was Scottie Scheffler’s final start before defending his Masters title. The two-time major champ made a strong run for the lead while Lee was still in control. Interestingly, the 28-year-old was in the scoring area when Lee clinched the victory. He was seen laughing when the Aussie made the final putt.

Following the loss, Scheffler came out to laud his competitor for keeping his cool. The ace golfer admitted he was actively trying to “put as much pressure” as he could on Lee.

Scottie Scheffler said, as quoted by Tee Scripts:

“Just trying to put as much pressure on Min Woo as I could have. I was hoping to be able to do that on the front nine. I wasn’t able to get off to a good enough start. And he played some really good golf.”

It is pertinent to note that Lee also beat Gary Woodland on his path to Houston Open victory on Sunday. The 40-year-old, who managed his best finish since his comeback after a brain surgery in September 2023, was watching the champion golfer’s winning putt on his phone from the range.

For the unversed, the Aussie golfer's Houston Open win made him the fifth player to win on the PGA Tour for the first time this year.