Craig Lee
Lee at the 2012 KLM Open
Personal information
Full nameCraig Andrew Lee
Born (1977-05-09) 9 May 1977
Stirling, Scotland
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight182 lb (83 kg; 13.0 st)
Sporting nationality Scotland
ResidenceStirling, Scotland
Career
Turned professional1996
Current tour(s)Tartan Pro Tour
Former tour(s)European Tour
Challenge Tour
PGA EuroPro Tour
EPD Tour
Professional wins8

Craig Andrew Lee (born 9 May 1977) is a Scottish professional golfer who played on the European Tour. He lost to Thomas Bjørn in a playoff for the 2013 Omega European Masters.

Career

Lee had a successful amateur career in his home country, culminating with a win in the national Boys Stroke Play event in 1995.[1] He turned professional the following year, but struggled to replicate his success, spending many years working as a club professional in the Stirling area.

In 2007, despite not having a sponsor, Lee advanced through all three stages of qualifying school to gain his European Tour card for the first time. However, a poor debut season left Lee without a tour to play on at the start of 2009.[2] He battled back to the second tier Challenge Tour in 2010 courtesy of a runner-up finish in the English Challenge, and his good form on that tour continued through 2011: another second-place finish at the Saint-Omer Open, a tournament co-sanctioned by the European Tour, helped Lee to 14th place in the season-end standings and a return to the European Tour.

From 2012 Lee played primarily on the European Tour before retiring as a touring professional at the end of 2017. He never won on the tour, losing to Thomas Bjørn in a playoff for the 2013 Omega European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre, when Bjørn holed at 12-foot birdie putt at the first extra hole. Lee had led after at the start of the final round after a third round 61. Lee tied for third place in the 2015 Tshwane Open in South Africa. His best season was 2013 when he finished 59th in the Order of Merit.[3] Lee was a captain's pick for the 2019 PGA Cup team.[4]

Amateur wins

  • 1995 Scottish Boys Stroke Play Championship

Professional wins (8)

PGA EuroPro Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner-up
1 18 Jun 2010 Dunlop Masters −18 (68-63-61=192) 6 strokes England Steve Uzzell

EPD Tour wins (2)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 29 Jan 2009 Sueno Pines Classic −4 (72-69-71=212) 2 strokes England Paul Hendriksen
2 2 Feb 2009 Sueno Dunes Classic −8 (71-64-64=199) 1 stroke Netherlands Richard Kind, Austria Christoph Pfau

Tartan Pro Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner-up
1 3 May 2023 Barassie Links Classic −14 (68-67-67=202) Playoff Scotland Paul O'Hara

Other wins (4)

Playoff record

European Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 2013 Omega European Masters Denmark Thomas Bjørn Lost to birdie on first extra hole

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

  • PGA Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 2019

See also

References

  1. "Scottish Boys Stroke Play Past Champions". Archived from the original on 13 September 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  2. Lee off to encouraging start in pursuit of lifeline
  3. Dempster, Martin (29 September 2020). "Craig Lee 'thrilled' to be back on European Tour in Scottish Open". The Scotsman.
  4. "Lee is captain's pick for PGA Cup". pga.info. 24 June 2019.
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