Min Woo Lee hails 'career best' mindset ahead of Australian PGA Championship

Min Woo Lee learned valuable lessons from the way he handled the first US PGA Tour win of his career, which are set to put him in a strong position to fire at the Australian PGA Championship.

Lee, who broke through at the Houston Open in March before a form slump, is in good shape ahead of this week's tournament at Royal Queensland, where he is aiming to add to the title he won in 2023. 

It is his mental approach, which he said was at a career best level, that Lee is drawing strength and confidence from.

The 27-year-old said he became too focused on results rather than process after winning the Houston Open in March. He finished 49th at The Masters and then missed the cut at the next three majors.

"I just didn't reset, didn't write my goals," Lee said of his Houston Open aftermath.

"I felt like I was on a high … but golf is so quick. You win, take a week off and The Masters is right there, and then you want to win that tournament and the next one.

"I think I was a little result-oriented and not process-driven, so that's one thing I learned this year."

Lee's most recent tournaments have been impressive. He was tied for 10th at the Baycurrent Classic in Japan and joint fifth in the Open de France after coming equal 11th at the British PGA Championship in England.

He said a change in his swing ahead of those successful finishes "paid off" and increased his accuracy from tee to green.

"I played very average in the signature events this year and my coach and I had to do something with my swing so it was a rebuilding phase just beforehand," Lee said.

"It was a little bit of a trial run to see how I handle myself under a little bit of pressure."

The world number 46 needs to stay in the top 50 to get automatic entry into the 2026 Masters, but his new mindset has him not needlessly worrying about rankings, despite them being "always in the back of your head".

"You are always looking at the rankings and trying to see if you made it or not but you've just got to do a good job of what's in front of you, the boring stuff but a lot of process," Lee said.

"That's something I have been a lot better at the last couple of months than any other time in my career. The best do that."

Lee said being back at Royal Queensland on familiar and winning territory was a blessing.

It was in 2023, on the back of his use of the phrase "let him cook", that Lee became known affectionately as "The Chef".

"I am feeling good. It's great to come back to a place you won before," he said.

"We all want to get our hands on the trophies. I just want to play really good solid golf and hopefully I can give myself a chance on Sunday to get that trophy."

AAP