Danny Lee's leading of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational this weekend after the first round shows he is not only enjoying a breakout season but might also have found the missing link holding his career in check.
And, no, I don't mean the non-existent girlfriend Lee shyly alluded to in his press conference when he won the Greenbrier Classic last month. Lee charmed many when saying he would feel better if he had a girlfriend to share the triumph with in his lonely motel room. That led to all manner of tweets and hashtags and his mate, US golfer Pat Perez, even started up a 'Find Danny a Girl' effort online.
No, 25-year-old Lee's emergence on the PGA Tour this year — he is 11th in the Fed Ex Cup standings, is now ranked 66th in the world and has amassed US$3 million so far this season — is down to conquering his fourth-round wobbles.
Time and again, particularly last year, Lee would start well and sustain it over the first three rounds. But he would often stumble in the fourth. He would get into position to contend but would fade, often having one or two (or more) unhappy holes during the round.
Last year, for example, apart from the lesser-strength Puerto Rico Open (where he came second), Lee's poor start to the season (cut in eight of his first 10 tournaments) improved as he managed to avoid more cuts. But his good starts were harpooned by fourth-round flops when he was in the running for some bigger money. Like the Zurich Classic (75 in the last round), the Wells Fargo Open (76), the Crowne Plaza Invitational (70), the FedEx St Jude Classic (73), the Canadian Open (70) and the Barclays (73). Outside Puerto Rico, he had one solitary top-20 finish all season.