Between rounds with ... Won Joon Lee
Posted on Friday, May 9, 2008
Born in Seoul, South Korea, but raised in Australia since he was 4, Lee didn’t start playing golf until he was 14. Lee, 22, is a Nationwide Tour rookie who has made $ 4, 582 in six events this year, but he shot 3 under Thursday to put himself on the early leaderboard. Lee was a basketball standout before taking up golf fulltime, although he stills plays pick-up games when he can. QDoes everyone do a double-take when they hear you talk for the first time ? AThey don’t really see an Asian guy with an Australian accent happening. A lot of people in the restaurant especially get bedazzled with it. QYou didn’t play golf until 2000. What made you pick it up ? AMy dad started playing. He wanted me to have a go at it. I was playing basketball at that stage. My dad said, ‘Try golf as a hobby.’ QDid you pick it up real quick ? AI followed my dad to the driving range and my dad saw me hit an old persimmon 3- wood about 200 meters. That was my first or second shot off the deck and he thought, ‘Oh, he might be OK playing golf.’ QDo you miss playing basketball ? ADuring my U. S. trip, every gym has a basketball court. There are a couple of Aussies who go out and shoot some hoops. There seems to be a lot of local guys who want to play a little game, 3-on-3 or 4-on-4. QAre you the best basketball player on the Nationwide Tour ? AI’d give myself about a 6- or 8-handicap right now QIn your tour biography, you said your childhood dream was to be a secret agent. If your government came and said they wanted you to be their Agent 007, would you walk away from golf ? AYeah, sure. My mum was a police officer, my dad’s dad was a police officer and my dad was in the army. I grew up watching James Bond movies and action movies. I like the idea of going around shooting things up. QWould your cover be as a golfer, would you have Q build you a secret golf-club weapon ? AI don’t think that would work. It’d be funny. It’d be a good story.
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