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Danny Lee took one look at the sea of cameras and microphones, drew a deep breath and said "Wow".
There may be similar sentiments from the galleries at Royal Sydney this week if New Zealand's record-breaking amateur golfer brings his "A" game to the Australian Open starting tomorrow.
The youngest US Amateur champion, still undecided about when he'll turn pro, was trumpeted as one of the tournament's big drawcards yesterday, alongside such names as Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy and John Daly.
Tournament favourite Ogilvy, fresh from victory in the Australian PGA, admitted he was excited about seeing the pride of Springfield Golf Club, Rotorua, tee it up this week.
"I haven't seen him (Lee) play, but from all the reports he's unbelievable," Ogilvy said.
"He's got it all in front of him. That US Amateur is no easy tournament to win.
"I don't know much about him but I hear from everywhere that he's an unbelievable player and he's going to be a big player in golf, sooner rather than later."
Organisers haven't missed an opportunity, and yesterday confirmed Lee, 18, in one of the six marque groups for tomorrow's first round, alongside South Africa's world No 42 Tim Clark and veteran Australian Peter Senior.
Lee said he relished the chance to learn from the top players at close range, but appeared baffled by all the attention.
An unhappy first meeting with the Royal Sydney layout as a shy 16-year-old kept him grounded.
"I played the course this morning and it's tough out there. A couple of years ago I played in the same tournament here and unfortunately I shot 86 and 84," he said.
"This week's goal is to try and break 80, play a bit better than a couple of years ago."
Of course, Lee has raised the bar many levels since then.
A fortnight ago, he made his third cut from four professional events when he tied for 11th with compatriot Tim Wilkinson in the Australian Masters at Melbourne's Huntingdale. This, after being struck down by chicken pox.
And again, Lee will benefit from Michael Campbell's absence this week.
Campbell withdrew from the Open at the weekend with an ongoing shoulder injury, meaning his caddie for the past decade, Michael Waite, will again carry Lee's bag.
Waite was in raptures after his first job for Lee in Melbourne, saying the youngster could have won the tournament but for some missed putts, and said: "Tiger Woods will see him in his rear view mirror in the next few years".
Lee welcomed Waite's presence again, and agreed putting on the slick greens was his biggest test.
"I learned quite a lot about how the professional golfer plays (in Melbourne) and it's going to be another great experience.
"I've grown up and I'm hitting it a bit longer than before, much better than a couple of years ago. All I've got to do is get used to the fast greens."
There were also the inevitable questions about Lee's plans to turn pro.
Lee hoped to play the US Masters in April, courtesy of his US Amateur win last August, then "see what happens".
"I've been asking advice from other players."
- NZPA
