WiretoWire: K.H. Lee notches back-to-back wins at AT&T Byron Nelson

SOUTH KOREA’S K.H. LEE DEFENDS TITLE AT AT&T BYRON NELSON

​​K.H. Lee once professed a desire to become not only the world’s top-ranked golfer, but the world’s sexiest golfer as well. His game at the AT&T Byron Nelson fits the bill. The South Korea native, 30, successfully defended his 2021 title at TPC Craig Ranch, carding a four-round total of 26-under for a one-stroke victory over Jordan Spieth, whose eagle chip on the 72nd hole to force a playoff settled just left of the hole. Lee trailed 54-hole leader Sebastian Munoz by four strokes into Sunday in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, but he rallied with a closing 9-under 63, punctuated by a two-putt birdie on the closing hole to post a score that neither Spieth nor Munoz could match. Lee becomes the fourth player to successfully defend an AT&T Byron Nelson title, joining an esteemed group that includes Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson. Having entered the week without a top-10 this season, Lee found his antidote on comfortable terrain at TPC Craig Ranch; he moves from No. 116 to No. 28 in the season-long FedExCup standings, 500 points accrued. “It’s amazing. It feels like a dream again,” said Lee as he celebrated greenside with his wife Joo Yeon Yu and infant daughter Celine. With a combined 51-under across his last eight AT&T Byron Nelson rounds, his dreams in Dallas are limitless.

THE SECOND MAJOR OF THE YEAR AWAITS The PGA Championship heads to Southern Hills Country Club for the first time since 2007. FedExCup leader and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler leads the field as he looks for his second major championship victory and fifth tournament win of the season. Tiger Woods is set to return to action. Just 14 months after a horrific car accident, Woods teed it up at the Masters in April and made the cut. Woods has won the Wanamaker Trophy four times (including the last time the PGA was hosted at Southern Hills) and has finished runner-up three times. Here’s a look at Woods’ lowest 10 rounds in major championships. Brooks Koepka, a two-time PGA champion, is set to compete at Southern Hills. Koepka has never missed the cut at the PGA in nine starts. Rory McIlroy is looking to keep some major momentum going at Southern Hills. McIlroy is looking to break a major championship drought that spans eight years. RBC Heritage winner Jordan Spieth is again looking to capture the career Grand Slam. Patrick Cantlay is looking to win his maiden major championship. Twenty PGA of America club pros earned their way into the event via qualifiers. ​​Southern Hills Country Club is a par 70 and plays to 7,556 yards. Southern Hills is an established major championship venue but was restored in 2018 and reopened in 2019. Here are nine things to know about the legendary course. The winner will receive a whopping 600 FedExCup points.

STRICKER’S MAJOR COMEBACK COMPLETE AT REGIONS TRADITION

In the first major of the PGA TOUR Champions season, Steve Stricker completed a major comeback in major fashion. After successfully captaining the United States Ryder Cup team to victory last fall in his native Wisconsin, the 12-time TOUR winner was sidelined due to a mystery ailment that caused him to lose 25 pounds and necessitated two stints in the hospital. The 55-year-old made his return to competition at the Insperity Invitational two weeks ago, finishing T2, and after another top-10 at last week’s Mitsubishi Electric Classic, he arrived in Alabama for the Regions Tradition primed to contend for his fourth senior major title. Stricker kept the pedal down throughout the week at Greystone G&CC, carding a four-round total of 21-under – punctuated with a bunker hole-out birdie at the par-3 17th hole Sunday – for a six-stroke victory over Padraig Harrington. After he putted out for a closing birdie in Birmingham, the soft-spoken Stricker turned emotional. “It’s a hard day,” he said. “It’s been a long time. I hate crying … but where I was last November, even a couple months ago, to come out here and get a ‘W,’ it means a lot.” Stricker moves to No. 4 on the season-long Charles Schwab Cup standings – in just three starts – as well.

THE TURN VIDEO OF THE WEEK MIC CHECK

“There’s just a sea of people … I love playing at home. I would love to win it someday.” — Jordan Spieth after finishing runner-up in his hometown AT&T Byron Nelson, the event that cultivated his interest in playing professional golf

BY THE NUMBERS

43 – Spots that Anders Albertson moved up on the Korn Ferry Points List (No. 52 to No. 9) after winning the Visit Knoxville Open.

2 – Aces on Sunday at the AT&T Byron Nelson. Marc Leishman made a hole-in-one at the long par-3 15th, and Justin Lower followed with another at the par-3 17th.

60 – Course record at TPC Craig Ranch set by Sebastian Munoz in the first round of the AT&T Byron Nelson. It was the second 60 of the season for Munoz.

The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Regular Season as determined by the FedExCup standings. The competition recognizes and awards the most elite in golf.