World's youngest golf champ now a Kiwi
03 Sep 2008
US Amateur Golf Champion Danny Lee, hailed as the next Tiger Woods, has officially become a New Zealander.
The 18-year-old, who has surpassed Woods to become the youngest person ever to win the US Amateur Golf Championship, was made a New Zealand citizen in the North Island tourist town of Rotorua on Tuesday, 2 September.
Lee was honoured in a special ceremony at the Springfield Golf Club, where he has been a member for the past eight years, before attending a mayoral reception.
The young golfer had arrived back in New Zealand a couple of days earlier, slipping back into his new country almost unnoticed after his triumphant win in the United States last month.
Bigger than Woods
Lee was born in Korea and started playing at the age of eight after watching his mother. He came to New Zealand with his family nine years ago and has previously travelled on a Korean passport.
Although he was granted his citizenship some time ago it could not be conferred until this week’s ceremony which had to be arranged around Lee’s playing schedule in the US.
The teenager says he was "really happy" with his US win and is amused at reports of him being tipped to be as big as Tiger Woods, if not bigger.
"It’s a special thing to be compared to Tiger - he's my idol," Lee said.
"Next year, it's going to be good to play at the Masters, just because it's another chance to see how he plays and how he's so good."
Humble and modest
David Graham, high performance manager of New Zealand Golf, said the youngster was "too modest" about his winning performance.
"That's the thing about Danny - he's humble and too modest.
"For the public to hear that he doesn't feel pressured to perform - professional athletes won't say that. They just play, and that's Danny, he just plays," Mr Graham said.
Practice, practice and more golf practice
The young champion’s mother, Seo Lee, says she is humbled by her son's stellar golfing achievements. "We are very proud," she said.
"Danny practised so hard, every day practice and more practice for 10 years."
Mrs Lee was hopeful of Danny's prospects for the future. He is likely to turn professional next year and will be a target for huge endorsement and sponsorship deals.
But more than anything Mrs Lee just wanted a hug from her son and said she hadn't seen him for four months.
"I've missed him; he's been gone for a long time."
Danny Lee acknowledged that to be a top golfer, youngsters needed not only to hit lots of balls but also required endless support, particularly from their parents.
Future competition
Lee will now be available to play for New Zealand in the Eisenhower Trophy in Adelaide from 16-19 October 2008.
The amateur golfing competition sees teams of three from all around the world playing for the illustrious title.
Aside from the Eisenhower Trophy, Lee's short- to medium-term playing schedule would predominantly feature professional events, Mr Graham said.
"He will concentrate on playing professional events so he can gain good experience before he turns professional some time next year," Graham said.
Golf in New Zealand
New Zealand has the highest number of golf courses per capita in the world, with many world-class courses and facilities that welcome visitors.
Tiger Woods' caddy, New Zealander Steve Williams, plied his trade on the greens at home, and New Zealand has produced many top international players, including Michael Campbell who won the US Open in 2005.
More information:
New Zealand golfer: Danny Lee
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