KEY POINTS:
Teen golf sensation Danny Lee has not had to wait long for the big fish to bite.
Barely a week after his stunning victory in the US Amateur championship, the New Zealand world No 1 amateur has accepted an invitation to contest a PGA Tour event in America.
He will tee it up among the professionals at the Ginn sur Mer Classic in Florida starting on October 30, with every prospect of more PGA Tour dates to come before the end of the year.
Lee, 18, turned knowledgable heads in the US last month when he marked his PGA Tour debut by finishing in a tie for 20th in the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina.
Either side of that standout effort he won the prestigious Western Amateur, then elbowed Tiger Woods from at least one record book by becoming the youngest US Amateur champion since 1895.
Aside from the Eisenhower Trophy world amateur teams championship in Adelaide on October 16-19, Lee's short to medium term playing schedule would predominantly feature professional events, New Zealand Golf (NZG) high performance manager David Graham said.
"He will concentrate on playing professional events so he can gain good experience," Graham said today after Lee officially became a New Zealand citizen in a ceremony at the Springfield Golf Club in Rotorua.
"Quite clearly his progression is to play primarily professional events as an amateur, and gain experience before he turns professional some time next year."
"It's great for him because he can learn his trade without some of the pressures some people go into it with.
"At this point of his career Danny certainly does not want to play excessively large volumes.
"He needs to minimise his playing to very strategic events and make sure his preparation is under control."
Lee's US Amateur triumph guaranteed him starts in next year's US Open and British Open, with a probable invite awaiting him to compete in a third major, the Masters.
His scheduling very much remains a work in progress but Graham said it was highly likely Lee would also look to get invites into next summer's Australian Open and New Zealand Open before preparing for the Masters at Augusta in April.
He has already been excused from this month's Wairakei Open, featuring a mixture of domestic professionals and amateurs, because he returns to the US this weekend to get into swing for the Eisenhower Trophy.
Lee originally planned to contest the tournament near Taupo on September 18-21 alongside his New Zealand teammates James Gill and Jared Pender, but NZG officials have given Lee and Gill leave passes from Wairakei.
"Danny has had a big four months so we are not going to impose too much pressure on him to do certain things; we just want him to be ready for Adelaide," Graham said.
"With the events of the past couple of months and the fact these guys are planning for their futures, our plans have changed as to what our squad are doing."
Gill will also skip Wairakei, instead remaining in the US where he joined Lee on the amateur circuit this year.
A recent graduate of St Andrews University in Scotland, Gill intends attending European Tour qualifying school in Italy after his Eisenhower commitments.
Graham said today's citizenship ceremony would enable South Korea-born Lee - who has played for his adopted country since he was 15 - to travel in future on a New Zealand passport.
He came to New Zealand with his family nine years ago and has previously travelled on a Korean passport.
"He had been granted his citizenship some time ago but it could not be conferred until the ceremony.
"We would have had the ceremony done three months ago but his playing schedule in the US didn't allow it.
"It had always been his intention to become a New Zealand citizen."
- NZPA
