Min Woo Lee revealed Tuesday that he broke his finger less than two weeks ago but a “miraculously good” recovery will allow him to compete in the Masters this week.
The up-and-coming Australian golfer said he injured his right ring finger during a workout two Saturdays ago. He “threw” a 20-pound dumbbell down after his last rep of a glute exercise and it clipped his finger.
“Went to the doctor and I thought it was OK because I could move it,” Lee said. “It was just red. I thought it would be fine. Then they came in and said, ‘You’ve broken it.’
“So, yeah, a lot of anxiety. This is the first time telling the public. We didn’t know as a team to tell or to not, and I felt like I should tell people because there was a lot of the pressure on me I guess playing well.”
While the injury interrupted his preparation for the Masters, Lee said his finger is still swollen but not causing him pain at this point. He returned to practicing chip shots a few days after the accident, and he hit his first full driver just last Friday.
“I still went to the gym last week as much as I could,” Lee said. “Obviously didn’t do that exercise. Every time I looked at that 20-pound dumbbell, yeah, gave it a death stare.”
Lee, 25, has won four titles worldwide, including three on the DP World Tour, but is still seeking his first win on U.S. soil. He missed the cut at the Masters last year after a T14 finish in his debut in 2022, but he did tie for fifth at the 2023 U.S. Open.