Min Woo Lee Aims to Defend Houston Open Title

Min Woo Lee is the favorite to win the 2026 Houston Open

Defending champion Min Woo Lee looks to repeat at the 2026 Texas Children's Houston Open, after a strong start to the season. Min Woo Lee's subtle driver swing change has unlocked his best golf, and he's looking to capitalize at the Houston Open.

“I thought that I was good enough to be out here and play, but the Signature Events beat me up last year...”

Min Woo Lee is back in familiar territory at the Texas Children's Houston Open, the site of his PGA Tour breakthrough. The 27-year-old Aussie has been on fire this season, with a string of solid performances that have seen him make the cut in every tournament he's entered so far.

Back where he cooked up a win 🔥@Minwoo27Lee returns to Texas to defend his @TCHouOpen title. pic.twitter.com/Z0m5PUsRGJ

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 24, 2026

Lee's recent form has been impressive, with a T2 finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am a notable highlight. As the defending champion, he's looking to build on that momentum and pick up his second win of the season. 

“Yeah, Pebble was a very nice week, felt like ‌I put four good rounds together,” Lee said Tuesday.

“That's all you have to do, ‌you've got to put yourself in contention. I feel like I've been doing ‌that, just getting a lot familiar with my game, putting well and doing everything pretty solid. You've got to do that to win and put yourself in that spot.

“Yeah, it's ‌not rocket science, you've got to play very good.”

Lee's Pebble Beach performance was impressive, with two rounds of 65 on one of the PGA Tour's most iconic courses. Now, he's shifting gears to Memorial Park Golf Course, a municipal course that's a far cry from Pebble's prestige.

At the Houston Open, Lee's power game and mental toughness will be put to the test. He won last year by crushing drives and staying sharp on approach shots, even when missing fairways. “It was just one of those weeks where everything was clicking,” he said, reflecting on his locked-in mindset.

He cooked with this one 🏆@MinWoo27Lee’s winning moment was all-time at last year’s @TCHouOpen. pic.twitter.com/3N8bvPReCx

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 25, 2026

 

“Something about last time I was here, I was very head down and just focused on the process and hitting the next shot,” Lee added.

“Which I think that's why it was very, I guess, exhausting because I didn't - normally I would look ‌around, look at the crowd, but not last year. I was very head down and just kind of did my thing.

“Maybe I should do it every week, I don't know.”

Lee's been working on his approach game, and it's starting to pay off. After struggling in signature events last year, he's focused on improving and it's showing - he's now above-average in strokes gained on approach, ranking 77th for the season.

“Yeah, you always look back at the week and think, ‘That 3-footer that I missed could have made a big difference ‌towards the end of the year,' or stuff like that,” Lee continued.

“I mean, yes, that's something that you get feedback from, but you've just got ‌to move on and do the best you can.

“I thought that I was good enough to be out here and play, but the Signature Events beat me up last year.

“I needed to get a lot better and a lot more stable. A lot stronger, too. 

“Yeah, it was just ⁠a good period of time after ⁠the fall we really had to ‌do something about my game. Yeah, it's starting to pay off now, which is great.”