Min Woo Lee hopes Hearts connection can help him land Scottish Open goal

Min Woo Lee is hoping his Hearts-daft caddie can help him score a second Genesis Scottish Open success in three years at The Renaissance Club over the next four days.

Min Woo Lee and his caddie, Edinburgh man Stuart Davidson, talk tactics during the WGC--Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club in March. Picture: Harry How/Getty Images.

The Australian, who landed the biggest win of his career when triumphing in the Rolex Series event in 2021, linked up with Edinburgh man Stuart Davidson last year.

“We started maybe nine or ten months ago and, straight off the bat, I had the best round of my life at Wentworth on the weekend,” he said of shooting a ten-under-par 62 in the second round of the curtailed BMW PGA Championship.

“I thought there must be something good with this relationship and, since then, we have kept stringing off good events.

“We haven’t got over the line yet, but it’s been a lot of good, just to get to that stage. Now we are figuring out the weekends and how to finish off tournaments. It’s nice to have that combo.”

At this year’s Players Championship at Sawgrass, eagled-eyed fans spotted Davidson using a yardage book which had the Hearts crest on the cover.

“He loves his Hearts,” said world No 47 Lee, who has been tipped to become one of the game’s new big stars over the next few years. “He hasn’t converted me, but he has given me a jersey. I wear it now and then.

“He’s a die-hard fan and went to the pre-season game [at Dunfermline] at the weekend. I missed out on that one, but I’d love to go.”

Lee, brother of women’s major winner Minjee, tied for second in the first Rolex Series event of the season - the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January - and has been playing mainly on the PGA Tour over the past few months.

“It was not as special as last year as I was defending, but I feel amazing,” he said of his memories of this week’s venue, which is hosting a field that contains eight of the world’s top ten. “I’ve been playing a lot of good golf and I’m at a course I am familiar with and have had success on.

“It’s a special venue. You don’t get to go to places again where you win unless you are one of the top players in the world, so it is nice to come back to somewhere I have done well.”

Along with the majority of the players teeing up on Scotland’s Golf Coast, the 24-year-old has one eye on next week’s 151st Open at Royal Liverpool.

“One, the jet lag,” he replied to being asked about the importance of being here this week. “Most of the guys are coming here to play well but also prepare their bodies. I played Belfry (in the Betfred British Masters a fortnight ago) and I was in a mood.

“I made the cut and then had a run at the weekend, but that’s when the jet-lag started to go away. It was the Thursday and Friday.

“I came from the Travelers (in Connecticut) and it wasn’t an easy travel. It was a thing to acclimatise. Hot weather to cold weather. Coming early to take care of the body.”