The Amazing Danny Lee

I guess it's time for some of us to start paying close attention to the play of the new U.S. Amateur champ, who won a spirited finale at Pinehurst to become the youngest U.S. Amateur champion ever. Take that Tiger and Bobby Jones.

Ken Klavon puts the win in perspective, including the most impressive stat of all: Lee birdied 13 of the 32 holes played Sunday.

Comments

[Ronald Montesano]

Well, we can pay a little attention. What amazed me was how steady he held when Kittleson began his afternoon run with birdies on 3, 4, and 8 , and an eagle on 7, joined to a winning par on 6. After a bogey on 6, Lee birdied 7-10 to restore the lead to 4-up. A 6-up lead had been sliced by two-thirds in the space of five holes. A fitting birdie on the final hole showed how close a 5 and 4 victory can actually be.

[Greg]

Drew Kittleson deserved to lose. The exorbitant amount of time Kittleson spent on every green lining up his ball was pure insanity.

[Greg]

And have you ever seen anyone swing as hard as Lee? On numerous occasions he lost his balance. I think they said he's already having knee problems.

[B.I.G.]

Rough comment Greg. That was far and away the best golf I've seen in years. I agree he was a little slow on the draw but it kept him in a match that could easily have ended 10 and 8.

[Mike]

I enjoyed the contrast in styles between the two golfers. During the match, I kept wondering how well Lee would play on a more exposed/windy course. It appeared he went hard at the ball with every swing and just launched it in the air.

[Hawkeye]

Is there any relation to Eddie Lee? He's a young New Zealander who hasn't had a lot of success yet but has a gorgeous swing.

[S&T Convert]

I loved the idiot commentators, bashing Lee's course management decisions as he played a 8 hole stretch 6 under....

[ArdmoreAri]

Danny Lee is a steamroller. Leading up the finals he hadn't had to go past the 15th hole. And when he was informed that he would play with Tiger at the Master's he said he would beat him. Take that KJ! This kid is the real deal if he can stay healthy and away from Mr. and Mrs. Wie.

[johncommoner]

I really enjoy the U.S. Amateur. I've watched it every year since Tiger won his third straight in '96. I live in the Detroit area, and went to the Am every day when it was at Oakland Hills a few years back. I can honestly say that in the past 12 years I have not seen any play at the Am as spectacular as what I saw Lee do this year. He was unreal. His iron shots were phenomenal. He was gutting his putts. Whenever Kittleson hit a great shot he answered it. He made few mistakes, and usually followed them up with an incredible recovery and a solid putt for par.

What I'm hoping for is a young gun who could get on tour and actually compete against Tiger. I'm not saying he's that guy, but maybe ...

He does swing out of his shoes. When his game is off I bet it's waaaay off. He also does need a little better course management, though I thought the same thing as S&T when I heard the talking heads make remarks about it while he's destroying the course and the competition. Mostly they sound really, really jealous!

Fun stuff. I enjoyed watching Lee, and in turn enjoyed the Am much more than the past few years.

I thought Kittleson played really well too, though his ball marking routine was truly annoying. Almost as bad as Sergio's re-gripping fits a few years back.

[Aunt Blabbie]

Kittleson should've been booted for slow play.

[Golden Bell]

Lee played similarly spectacularly in the Western Amateur. His control of his approach shots was remarkable. And 20th in a pro tournament between the Ams isn't bad either.

[keith86]

At last something good to come out of shebangabang