This photo provided by CJ Group shows South Korean PGA Tour golfer Lee Kyoung-hoon during a press conference ahead of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, on May 1, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 2 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean PGA Tour golfer Lee Kyoung-hoon is determined to hunt for as many birdies as possible this week in pursuit of his third title on a familiar track in Texas.
Lee will compete in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. He won the tournament on this very course in 2021 and 2022, when the event was called AT&T Byron Nelson. The South Korean conglomerate CJ Group stepped in as the new title sponsor last fall and will run the tournament honoring the late legend Byron Nelson for 10 seasons.
At his pretournament press conference Wednesday (local time), Lee said it “feels so nice and comfortable” whenever he comes to TPC Craig Ranch.
“When I am here, I am always confident,” Lee said. “I struggled a little last year but getting better every week this year. Hopefully, I will have a good week this week.”
Lee said he has always putted well on the greens at the Texas course, but admitted his ball striking has to improve to give himself birdie opportunities.
“My iron play isn’t as sharp as in the past. That was especially the case last year,” said Lee, who posted four top-10 finishes and missed 11 cuts in 33 starts last season. He dropped from 27th in the FedEx Cup rankings in 2022 to 77th in 2023.
In this photo provided by the CJ Group, Lee Kyoung-hoon of South Korea (R) tees off during a pro-am ahead of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, on May 1, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
“But I think I am gradually getting better and I should be able to play with more confidence this week,” Lee continued. “This course yields a lot of birdies and eagles. So I want to be aggressive out there. I think I have to pick up as many birdies as I can to have a chance to win this week.”
Lee won the 2021 Byron Nelson tournament, the first held at TPC Craig Ranch, at 25-under. He did one better at 26-under to defend his title in 2022. Jason Day won last year’s tournament at 23-under.
(Yonhap)
