Lee remains 3rd in the OM with €2,228.642. He is 11th in WR, 55th in the USPGA Money List and 50th in FedEx Cup points, and returns to the Tour for the final event of the season, the Volvo Masters, which takes place at the Club de Golf, Valderrama, Sotograde, Spain. Lee holds a few records in this event, as winner with all rounds in the 60's, when in 1997 at Montecastillo, he won the title with rounds of 65, 67 and 68, to finish 16-under par. Only three rounds were played due to poor weather conditions. He also holds joint record with Retief Goosen (1999), for the lowest first 54 holes.
Lee has had six top-ten finishes in this event, since he first played in 1994, which are T2nd in 1996, 1st ('97), T3 (2000), T7th (2004,2005,2006). He did not play here in 2007.
In the penultimate group, Lee had a 12.45 tee-time (GMT+1) with Miguel Angel Jimenez on Thursday. A difficult course with difficult greens, but Lee managed a one-under par 70, to end the day in T5th place, but as Lee said, "Then, you know, Valderrama on a windy, wet week can be unpredictable and anything can happen".
Lee had a 12.30 start with Hennie Otto on Friday, but play was halted at 12.08 on the second day of the Volvo Masters due to heavy rain at Valderrama and was finally abandoned for the day at 15.30hrs, meaning ten players hadn't even started their second rounds, including Lee.
Tournament Director, David Garland said, " We will hopefully restart tomorrow morning at 08.30hrs on the golf course. It depends on the damage tonight if we can get the golf course ready for that time tomorrow. We're very confident because of how good the Valderrama staff are. With five hours of play approximately, remaining and, if we get away at 08.30hrs, we should finish by 1.30pm. Then hopefully we will have a redraw with a two tee start and three balls 14.00hrs to 15.30hrs, which may leave us with only two hours left to complete".
Lee dropped three shots in the first seven holes in his second round but birdied 8,10,11 and 12, then the final two holes (68) to finish 3-under for the day and 4 under for the event and in T2nd place. He joined Soren Kjeldsen and Anthony Wall for the third round, from the first tee at 15.30 (14.30 GMT). He played the first six holes in par on Saturday before heavy rain again stopped play, leaving him in third place, on 4-under, just one stroke behind co-leaders, Kjeldsen and Garcia. On Sunday morning he continued to make par until he birdied 11, dropped a shot at the next and made a birdie at 14 to finish 1-under for the round (70) and in T2nd place. It was a quick turn around before going out again with Kjeldsen and Anthony Wall for the final round.
Not quite on song, he dropped shots at the 7th, when he found a side bunker and missed a four-footer to make par, and again at the next, when he missed a 15 footer for par. He went on to birdie 11, bogey the 12th and birdie 17 for a 1-over 72. His 4-under 280, was good enough to make T4th place in the Volvo Masters, but his €196,000 in prize money was not enough to overtake Padraig Harrington and Order of Merit winner 2008, Robert Karlsson, and Lee settled for 3rd place in the final Order of Merit. Now 9th in World Ranking, Lee's Dad has spotted that Lee is the only player in the top ten, who hasn't had a win this season, which shows how consistently Lee has played.
Lee will have a few weeks break as he is off to have his tonsils out on Monday. "Never had an operation in my life. Never had a stitch (though he has had his eyes lasered). It will be a different experience.I believe they put you out, or I hope they do. It's just one of those things, it's got to happen. In the long term, it's going to benefit me a lot. I've been in with chances and caught it and had to miss out on tournaments when I've had it, three times this year. It's time it happened".
"That'll do me", said Lee. "Jelly and ice-cream and all that".
Monday Update - Now tonsil free, Lee is recovering from his operation and fully expects to be discharged from hospital after an overnight stay.
