Min Woo Lee’s pursuit of a remarkable Masters Tournament triumph at Augusta National encountered an obstacle during Saturday’s play, as he incurred a penalty stroke due to a rules violation on the 13th hole.
The incident occurred when Lee requested clarification from tournament officials after noticing his ball had shifted position on the fairway. Following their assessment, it was determined that “his actions near the ball did cause it to move,” according to Augusta National’s ruling.
Lee’s round concluded with a score of 77, placing him among those towards the lower end of the leaderboard alongside Justin Thomas, J.J. Spaun and Akshay Bhatia.
The young Australian entered this tournament carrying momentum from a recent victory at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, where he secured a commanding win with a score of 20-under par – one stroke ahead of Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland.
- Three wins on the European Tour
- Two victories on the PGA Tour of Australasia
- One victory on the Asian Tour
Despite his earlier successes, a significant comeback appeared improbable at this stage of the competition.
The final round promises an exciting contest between Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy and Corey Conners. McIlroy holds the lead at 12-under par, while DeChambeau sits at 10-under and will begin his round at 2:30 p.m. ET. Conners is positioned at 8-under par, with a tee time scheduled for 2:20 p.m. ET.
Last year’s champion, Scheffler, sits in a tie for sixth place at 5-under par.
“It was a challenging day for Lee, and the penalty certainly didn’t help his chances,” stated an observer on the course.
The tournament will conclude Sunday with a battle for supremacy amongst these top contenders.
