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Danny Lee Needs to Prove that 2015 Was No Fluke

By Tim Letcher

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 15: Danny Lee of New Zealand plays a shot on the 17th hole during the first round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic at El Camaleon Mayakoba Golf Course on November 15, 2019 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 15: Danny Lee of New Zealand plays a shot on the 17th hole during the first round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic at El Camaleon Mayakoba Golf Course on November 15, 2019 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Danny Lee finished ninth in the FedEx Cup standings in 2015, but has not been close to that since. Can he prove that 2015 was no fluke?

Danny Lee has established himself as a solid, if not spectacular, player on the PGA Tour. At 29 years of age, Lee is hoping that this year could be one in which he makes that jump in the FedEx Cup standings, one that would take he and his career to another echelon.

Lee, a native of South Korea by way of New Zealand, joined the tour in 2012, but made only 13 cuts in 26 events and was forced to play on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2013. There, Lee had five top 10 finishes and finished 15th in the regular season standings, earning his way back to the PGA Tour for the following campaign.

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In 2014, Lee appeared much more comfortable on tour. While making only 13 of 28 cuts, he did register a second-place finish at the Puerto Rico Open. Based on that, and two other top 25s, Lee made the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time. He finished in a tie for 35th at the Barclays to advance to the Deutsche Bank, where he also finished in a tie for 35th. He did not advance any further, finishing 88th in the standings for the season.

The 2015 season was the best of Lee’s career to this point. Lee made 24 of 36 cuts and earned his first PGA Tour win at the Greenbrier Classic. He had a second-place finish, two third-place finishes and eight top 10s overall. He made the FedEx Cup playoffs easily. He would advance all the way to the Tour Championship where, in his first trip to East Lake, he finished in a tie for second place. He finished ninth in the FedEx Cup standings that season.

Since then, it’s been a bit of tough sledding for Lee. He only had two top 10s in 2016 and as a result, he slipped to 92nd in the FedEx Cup standings. In 2017, he had four top 10s, including a third place spot, but he still ranked only 70th in the stadings.

The 2018 season was not much better. Lee had just three top 10s and finished 97th in the FedEx Cup standings, his lowest finish since 2012. Last season, Lee did have a second-place finish at the Mayakoba Classic, boosting him to 73rd in the FedEx Cup standings.

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This season, Lee has made eight cuts in 12 events. He was second in the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges, tied for fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and tied for 10th at the Zozo Championship. Lee currently sits at 31st in the FedEx Cup standings.

Lee needs to have another big season at some point to prove that 2015 was not a fluke. He’s in good position to make that happen this season, but his track record says that it probably won’t happen. Perhaps he will prove everyone wrong, but that remains to be seen.

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