Golf: 'The next Tiger Woods' becoming NZ citizen today

Danny Lee has played down the magnitude of his success. Photo / Greg Bowker

The young man being hailed as the next Tiger Woods slipped back into New Zealand almost unnoticed last night - toting a huge golf bag and a shy smile.

Danny Lee touched down at Auckland Airport as the world's best amateur golfer, after surpassing Woods as the youngest player to win the US Amateur Championship.

The 18-year-old, who started playing at the age of 8 after seeing his mother play, told the Herald last night that he was "really happy" about the win.

"I was impressed with how I played. That was the best part of the whole tournament - winning it."

The young golfer, who was born in Korea and becomes a New Zealand citizen today, has been tipped to be as big as Tiger Woods, if not bigger - which Lee acknowledged was something to smile about.

"It's a special thing to be compared to Tiger - he's my idol," Lee said.

"Next year, it's going to be good to play at the Masters, just because it's another chance to see how he plays and how he's so good."

David Graham, high performance manager of New Zealand Golf, said the youngster was "too modest" about his winning performance.

"That's the thing about Danny - he's humble and too modest.

"For the public to hear that he doesn't feel pressured to perform - professional athletes won't say that. They just play, and that's Danny, he just plays," Mr Graham said.

Today, Lee will be honoured in a citizenship ceremony in Rotorua at his Springfield Golf Club, where he has been a member for the past eight years, before he attends a mayoral reception.

His mother, Seo Lee, told the Herald earlier yesterday she was humbled by her son's stellar golfing achievements. "We are very proud," she said.

"Danny practised so hard, every day practice and more practice for 10 years."

Mrs Lee was hopeful of Danny's prospects for the future. He is likely to turn professional next year and will be a target for huge endorsement and sponsorship deals.

But more than anything Mrs Lee just wanted a hug from her son and said she hadn't seen him for four months.

"I've missed him; he's been gone for a long time."

Danny Lee acknowledged that to be a top golfer, youngsters needed endless support.

"You have to have a lot of support from your parents - and hit lots of balls."

Having been away from home for the past four months, he said: "I just want to get away from it all."