Min Woo Lee has demonstrated remarkable form at the outset of the 2026 golf season, consistently making cuts in his initial three events. While still pursuing his second PGA Tour title, his recent performance at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am places him in a strong competitive position. Lee attributes his improved play to a pivotal decision: swapping out two key clubs in his bag for this particular tournament.
Following impressive rounds of 67 and 65, Lee currently stands tied for fifth, trailing leaders Akshay Bhatia and Ryo Hisatsune by three strokes. His second round on the picturesque Californian coast was particularly noteworthy, featuring seven birdies and an eagle. This surge in performance, transforming good play into exceptional, is directly linked by Lee to his recent equipment adjustments. He specifically highlighted that his new driver and putter are performing exceptionally well.
Lee elaborated on the impact of these changes after his second round, stating that “everything really” contributed to his success. He specifically pointed to his new driver and putter, both of which “were all cooperating.” He emphasized his significantly improved putting, an area he had been keen to enhance, noting it was “one of the best strokes gained putting rounds I’ve had in a long time.” Furthermore, his driving was also exceptionally strong.
The golfer transitioned from his S2S Jailbird putter to an innovative Odyssey prototype. This new putter is equipped with four adjustable weights at its base, allowing Lee to fine-tune it to match his individual swing path. Concurrently, he replaced his Elyte TD Tour Draw driver with Callaway’s prototype Quantum TD-TD driver for the Pebble Beach event. Both modifications have proven to be perfectly suited for his game, yielding immediate positive results.
An analysis of Lee's statistics reveals significant gains across all aspects of his game at Pebble Beach, with the most pronounced improvements observed in his putting. While a gain of 1.46 strokes in putting may not appear astounding on its own, it marks a substantial turnaround from his previous two events where he lost strokes on the greens. Given that Lee has historically not been an elite putter on the PGA Tour, this shift represents a highly encouraging development. The equipment changes have had a less dramatic, though still positive, effect on his tee shots, where he has gained 0.79 strokes over two rounds.
The capacity to consistently sink putts on the notoriously challenging greens of Pebble Beach provides Lee with a substantial advantage. This newfound precision could very well be the decisive factor that propels him to secure his inaugural victory of the nascent season, marking a significant milestone in his campaign.
