Golf: Rotorua's Lee claims PGA win

Danny Lee won his first event on the PGA Tour yesterday at The Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia. Photo / AP

Rotorua golfer Danny Lee has lived up to his potential claiming his first win on the PGA Tour.

Lee won The Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia yesterday morning following a four-player playoff.

It has been a long journey for the 24-year-old who spent his early years playing and practising almost every day at Springfield Golf Club before moving to the States to pursue his pro career.

During the final round of The Greenbrier Classic, Robert Streb (US), Kevin Kisner (US), David Hearn (Can) and Lee all finished at 13-under par to send the tournament to a playoff.

Lee and Hearn both birdied the first playoff hole, eliminating Streb and Kisner, before moving on to the par-five second playoff hole.

Lee managed to par the hole while Hearn could only manage a bogey.

"All I can say is wow, it's just amazing, it feels amazing," Lee said in a television interview with David Feherty.

"I mean, I was so close a lot of times this year, and I finally did it and wow. Now I understand what winning feels like."

Lee pockets $1.8 million for winning the tournament and also secures his place at the next two major championships, the Open Championship in Scotland and the PGA Championship in the United States.

Among his other prizes he also earns an exemption on the PGA Tour for two years and moves into the top 15 on the FedEx Cup rankings.

Former Bay of Plenty golf captain, and Springfield member, Mark Smith played about five years with Lee at club and provincial level.

"Pretty much from the age of 13 or 14 is when he started to show how good he could be," Smith said.

He said he was part of the Springfield team which dominated the national interclub competition.

"We won that three years straight and he was a part of that. During the tournament at Maraenui in Napier, he broke the course record by three strokes," he said.

"He was only about 14, and pretty much from then on was when he became Danny Lee."

He said what stood out about his game was his willingness to train hard.

"Just his dedication to the game. He was out here every day without fail. A day off for Danny was four hours of practice, and a day on for him was four hours of practice and then he would go and play 18 holes."

He said he was a real character around the club as well. "He was a clown. He was a cheeky young fella which is what we all liked," Smith said.

Steven Jessup of Wairakei Golf Club coached Lee for about two years while he was at Rotorua Boys' High School and said he always knew Lee had this potential.

"I'm, to be honest, surprised it's taken him this long to win one."

The last New Zealander to win a PGA Tour event was Michael Campbell at the US Open in 2005. Lee is now part of a prestigious group of Kiwis to have claimed a win on the PGA Tour alongside Campbell, Sir Bob Charles, John Lister, Grant Waite, Frank Nobilo, Phil Tataurangi, and Craig Perks.

Lee was born in South Korea but his family brought him to Rotorua at a young age to focus on golf.

After years of playing and practising at Springfield Lee won the US Amateur in 2008.

He turned professional in 2009 but has ongoing links with the Springfield club.