GIVING BACK: Danny Lee will again sponsor the Springfield Open in January. PHOTO: FILE
GIVING BACK: Danny Lee will again sponsor the Springfield Open in January. PHOTO: FILE
New Zealand's highest-ranked golfer, Danny Lee, will once again have an eye on Rotorua in early January.
The 26-year-old PGA Tour professional will be watching from afar as top amateurs fight it out for the 2017 Danny Lee Springfield Open title in Rotorua on January 7-8.
Lee's legacy of support,which started when he turned professional in 2009, has allowed hundreds of young golfers to take part in the annual 54-hole event.
"I played in many junior events throughout the Bay of Plenty and New Zealand while I was growing up at Springfield Golf Club," Lee said from his now home base in Dallas, Texas.
Lee won the Springfield event twice as an amateur as he rose to become the No 1 ranked amateur player in the world.
"Having those tournaments helped me learn about playing competitive golf. Events like the Springfield Open helped me achieve my dream of playing all over the world."
For many amateurs, the Danny Lee Open has been their first open-type event and Springfield always provides a strong test and indicator of where players' stand in their development.
"There is no substitute for the experience that a player gets in events like these. The lessons you learn in tournaments like the Springfield Open are things you can carry the rest of your career," Lee said.
Lee is ranked 67th in the world and will be back in action on the world's top golf tours in 2017.
"I'm really looking forward to teeing off again in the New Year. Last year was great and I was able to represent New Zealand at both the Olympics and the World Cup of Golf."
Lee has two wins as a professional: The 2015 Greenbrier Classic (PGA TOUR) and WNB Golf Classic in 2011 (Web.Com), and won the 2009 Johnnie Walker Classic (European Tour) while still an amateur attending Rotorua Boys' High School.
He was a member of the International Presidents Cup team in 2015 and made 28 cuts on the PGA TOUR during their 2016 season, earning $1,405,722 with two top-10 finishes.
After four completed events in the current 2017 season he has accumulated just over $60k in earnings, surviving three cuts, with a best finish of 11th at the World Cup in tandem with fellow Kiwi Ryan Fox.
