Andalucía Recap: Lee the bright spot for Iron Heads with battling rounds
SOTOGRANDE, Spain – Playing with an almost new set of clubs, Danny Lee overcame a recent poor run of scores on one of the most difficult golf courses in the world in finishing tied 6th in LIV Golf Andalucia.
At 5-under par total through 12 holes on Sunday, the Iron Heads star was in contention for the title, but four bogeys in his last six holes took the wind out of his sail and he dropped to 2-under par total. The tied 6th place bettered his only other top-10 finish of the season – a tied 9th in Adelaide.
Champion in Tucson last year in his second start on LIV Golf, Lee is trying to salvage his season after undergoing surgery at the end of 2023 for two chipped bones in his wrist. He has said his primary goal this year is to make it to the top-24 in Individual Standing and hence get into the Lock Zone and secure his playing privilege for 2025.
The New Zealander took a significant step toward that goal and moved from tied 45th at the start of the week to 33rd with 21.4 points.
His score was also instrumental in ensuring that Iron Heads finish inside the point – at 8th place – but that seems like the worst result they could have got after a bright start saw them climb to the top of the board on a very difficult opening day before finishing third at -1. Lee was on fire on Friday with a 4-under 67, the second-best round of the day.
“I wasn’t playing perfect golf. I was out of position a couple of times. But whenever I did that, I tried hard and grind it out for really good pars and it was good, the whole round,” said Lee, who felt something click in his game on Sunday of Nashville where he shot a 1-under, but felt he played much better than his score.
“Even my finish as Nashville, I was trying to have a new driver swing and we were testing out all the stuff. I felt like I was dialled in. But I really wasn't. It’s all about grinding out. My teams are trying to figure things out and I'm just happy to see I'm back on the right track.
“I try not to think about…I would like to finish top 24 to end the season. With only three events left, it means I can still do it but I need positive weeks to make it happen.”
Lee played in Andalucia with a new set of irons, a new driver and a broomstick putter that he went back to in the final round of Nashville.
Scott Vincent also showed signs of regaining his form with solid rounds of 72, 73 and 71. The 3-over total was good for tied 17th place, but a closing bogey denied him a greater share of points.
Captain Kevin Na and Jinichiro Kozuma were tied for 40th place at +9.
STAT REVIEW
Field ranking in parentheses
Fairways Hit
Lee – 22 (T18)
Vincent – 22 (T18)
Kozuma – 19 (T33)
Na – 20 (T27)
Driving Distance Avg.
Lee – 292.1 (44)
Vincent – 291.7 (47)
Kozuma – 296.6 (39)
Na – 293.6 (43)
Greens in Regulation
Lee – 28 (T14)
Vincent – 28 (T14)
Kozuma – 26 (T30)
Na – 28 (T14)
Total Putts
Lee – 77 (T8)
Vincent – 83 (T29)
Kozuma – 83 (T29)
Na – 84 (T36)
Total Birdies
Lee – 15 (1)
Vincent – 10 (T12)
Na – 8 (T25)
Kozuma – 11 (T9)