Min Woo On Target To Become A 10th ‘Down Under’ Born Houston Open Champ

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2025 Texas Children’s Houston Open

(14th of 36 FedExCup Regular Season events)
Houston, Texas March 27-30, 2025 FedExCup points: 500 (winner)
Memorial Park Golf Course Par/Yards: 35-35—70/7,475 Purse: $9,500,000 ($1,710,000 winner)

Third-Round Notes – Saturday, March 29, 2025

Weather: Cloudy. High of 85. Wind S 10-16 mph. Preferred lies were in effect for round three. With the potential for fog
Sunday morning, final-round tee times will feature threesomes off split tees from 10 a.m. – 12:01 p.m. CT.

Third-Round Leaderboard
Pos. Player R1 R2 R3 Total
1 Min Woo Lee 66 64 63 193 (-17)
2 Alejandro Tosti 65 67 65 197 (-13)
T3 Ryan Fox 68 65 65 198 (-12)
T3 Ryan Gerard 65 65 68 198 (-12)
T3 Scottie Scheffler 67 62 69 198 (-12)

Australian Min Woo Lee (1st/-17)

Background (Wikipedia)

Twenty-six year old Australian born (27 July 1998) in Perth, Western Australia.

He won the 2020 ISPS Handa Vic Open, the 2021 Abrdn Scottish Open and the 2023 Fortinet Australian PGA Championship on the DP World Tour. He also won the 2023 SJM Macao Open on the Asian Tour.

Australian-born winners TC Houston Open:

2014 – Matt Jones; 2007 – Adam Scott; 2006 – Stuart Appleby; 2000 – Robert Allenby; 1999 – Stuart Appleby;  1983 – David Graham; 1975 – Bruce Crampton; 1973 – Bruce Crampton; 1972 – Bruce Devlin.

Min Woo Lee – Post Third Round:

 After entering the third round trailing Scottie Scheffler (T3) by one stroke, holds a four-stroke lead over 2024 runner-
up Alejandro Tosti following a career-low 7-under 63; previous-low round of 64 came this week in round two

 Marks first 54-hole lead/co-lead in his 56th PGA Tour start; previous-best 54-hole position was second at the 2023
Players Championship when he trailed eventual winner Scheffler by two; finished T6 after a 76 (Scheffler shot 69)
 Sets a personal-best 54-hole score of 193 (previous: 196 – 2023 Travelers Championship/T9)
 Marks the best opening 54-hole score at the Texas Children’s Houston Open (195: Curtis Strange/1980, Tony
Finau/2022); one shy of the best 54-hole score on Tour this season (192/Hideki Matsuyama/The Sentry)
 Seven Australians account for nine wins at the event; would be the first to win since Matt Jones in 2014
 2024 Presidents Cup International Team member is making debut appearance at the Texas Children’s Houston Open;
Paul Casey (2009) is the last player to win in his first start at the event
 Would become the third first-time winner since the event moved to Memorial Park Golf Course in 2020 (Carlos
Ortiz/2020, Stephan Jaeger/2024)
 Would become the fifth first-time winner of the season (Thomas Detry/WM Phoenix Open, Brian Campbell/Mexico
Open at VidantaWorld, Joe Highsmith/Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, Karl Vilips/Puerto Rico Open)
 Two runner-up finishes on Tour: 2024 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, 2024 Rocket Classic (his last top-10)

Miscellaneous notes

 Making second start at Texas Children’s Houston Open after holding 54-hole co-lead in 2024 before a final-round 68 led to a career-best T2 finish, Alejandro Tosti (2nd/-13) trails by four; would become the first player to finish runner-
up and win the same tournament the next year since Robert MacIntyre (2023, 2024 Genesis Scottish Open)

 After entering the third round with a one-stroke lead over Taylor Pendrith, Min Woo Lee and Ryan Gerard following a
tournament record-tying 62, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (T3/-12) posts a 1-under 69 and is five back
 Ryan Fox (T3/-12) cards a third-round 65 and trails by five; has three top-10 finishes in 62 TOUR starts, led by T4s at
the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans (with teammate Garrick Higgo) and the 2024 Myrtle Beach Classic; would
become the event’s second winner from New Zealand (Bob Charles/1963)
 Ryan Gerard (T3/-12) seeks his third top-10 finish in 33 PGA TOUR starts (2023 Cognizant Classic in The Palm
Beaches/4th, 2023 Barracuda Championship/5th)
 In bid to become the first Swedish winner of the Texas Children’s Houston Open, Jesper Svensson (T6/-11) turns in
the round of the day (along with Min Woo Lee) with a personal-best 63, highlighted by a front-nine 28; marks the
lowest front-nine score since the event moved to Memorial Park in 2020 and the lowest on TOUR this season
 Making first start at the event since 2014 and his debut at Memorial Park Golf Course, FedExCup leader and World
No. 2 Rory McIlroy (T14/-9) trails by eight following a 5-under 65



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