Golf: Lee's fairway lapse proves costly

Danny Lee after winning the Greenbrier Classic golf tournament last week.

Rotorua golfer Danny Lee has fallen just short of winning back-to-back titles on the PGA Tour.

A costly mistake on the fourth hole of his final round yesterday - where he was penalised one shot for illegally picking up his ball on the fairway - may have cost him his second career title on the PGA Tour.

Lee finished tied-third at the John Deere Classic in Illinois yesterday morning at 19-under par (68, 68, 62 and 67), missing out on a play-off with Jordan Spieth (US) and Tom Gillis (US) by a single shot.

Back-to-back major winner Spieth went on to win the tournament after beating Gillis on the second play-off hole.

Lee told PGATour.com yesterday his mistake was simply a lapse in concentration.

"I was doing lift, clean and place the whole day [on Sunday], and without thinking I put the tee behind my ball and picked it up, and my caddie is going 'it's not lift, clean and place today'," he said. "I wasn't thinking anything. I just put a tee behind the ball, picked it up."

Despite the mistake, which resulted in a bogey on the fourth hole, Lee worked his way into a share of the lead towards the end of his round and sat at 20-under par going into the final hole.

A par would have been enough to put him into a play-off with leaders Spieth and Gillis, but he bogeyed the par-four 18th after missing the green on his second shot.

Lee said his confidence was sky high at the moment and he was looking forward to the Open Championship, this coming weekend in Scotland.

"I feel like I can accomplish anything right now," he said. "Hopefully, I will have another good week next week."

His top performance at the weekend came just a week after claiming his maiden win on the PGA Tour at the Greenbrier Classic.

The Open Championship will mark Lee's third major of his career.