Min Woo Lee isn't hiding his feelings about Scottie Scheffler's withdrawal from the Houston Open. The defending champion had a surprisingly honest take on the world number one's absence.

Min Woo Lee, who last year won his first PGA TOUR title at Memorial Park, expressed what he felt about Scottie Scheffler's departure.

At the pre-tournament press conference, the moderator asked how the field was stacking up. Lee responded, saying, "Obviously, Scottie not playing hurts that. I guess a few of us are saying, nice that he's not playing."

Scottie Scheffler stepped away from the Houston field despite plans to compete. His team told Golf Digest that the golfer's wife, Meredith, is expecting their second child, and that was the reason behind Scheffler's withdrawal.

Lee remarked regarding the world number one, "He very rarely makes a mistake. He goes about his business and makes a lot of birdies," so his absence should make the field easier, at least on paper.

A Rivalry Born from the Final Green

Their rivalry was highlighted in last year's hotly contested finish, where Lee held off both Scheffler and Gary Woodland to win by one stroke.

Lee remembered how frenzied the last round became and said it got really tight when he struck into the water on the 16th hole, which allowed Scheffler to narrow the margin.

Lee stated on his closing holes, "It was a sigh of relief because you hit 4-iron and then you have a 7-iron in. That's still a great birdie if you do make one."

Outside this particular rivalry, Lee remarked that professional golf, at least in his case, appears to be slipping back in time by punishing long hitters with thick rough, which is a challenge he faced in multiple Signature Events.

He has since aimed for a higher level of accuracy to cope with tougher layouts, stating, "These young kids are hitting it long and pretty straight. You've just got to be hitting it straight at Signature Events."

To defend his title, Lee must handle a tougher layout at Memorial Park. Do you think he can become a back-to-back champion?

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Written by

Abhishek Sharma

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi