This will be the eleventh Masters Tournament of Lee's career. His best finishes were T6th in 1999 and T11th in 2008. He finished in 43rd place here last year, following a disappointing round of 79.
Lee has made some changes to his pre-Masters routine by playing a practice round with Chris Wood on the Sunday before the Shell Houston Open, and by himself the next day.
“Having played it Sunday and Monday, you don’t appreciate how lovely the course and surrounds are when the tournament’s on - everything goes on at about 120mph.”, he later said
Lee's Dad travelled to Augusta on Tuesday to support him.
Tee-times were announced on Tuesday and Lee is paired with Canadian Mike Weir and Matteo Manassero of Italy. Lee has a 9.40 (BST -5) start on Thursday and 12.58 on Friday from the 10th tee.
Despite it being windy for most of the day, Lee carded his best ever opening round of the Masters. He birdied 2 and 3, then three putted the next two holes and was back to level par, but picked up a birdie at the next to go out in 35 (1-under). Picking up shots at 12,13,15 and 18, saw Lee end the day with a 5-under 67 and lying in T2nd place.
"I started off well, birdied the second and third and my only two dropped shots of the day were two 3-putts on 4 and 5 but came back quickly with a nice iron shot on 6 and made that 15-footer for birdie there and just played solidly. I played solidly all day. I didn't miss a green in regulation. Gave myself a lot of chances. Hit it close. Picked up shots on three of the par 5s. Hit a big drive on the last".
"I think they were a little kind to us with some of the flags," Lee said. "But it was still very tricky out there. ... The wind is moving around a little bit now. Towards the end of the round, it started to move just a little bit.
"The course is in fantastic condition. The greens are immaculate. You start a putt on the right line, it doesn't deviate off line. The flags could get a lot harder. So that's really the reason for so many good, low scores, I would say."
Lee played a fine second round in difficult wind conditions and took the lead (on 7-under) with an eagle at the second? "I had a couple of great shots down there, probably the best drive I've ever hit, down the second, I would say, right down the bottom and a 6-iron to about 18 inches. So I don't know how far the drive went, nearly in another time zone I guess!", and then followed with a birdie at the 3rd.
And for the rest of the birdies? "Driver, pitch just off the back edge and holed from 18 feet at the third par 6-iron 30 feet under the hole at 6.
Driver, wedge, 18 feet at 7.
Driver and a 7-iron to two feet at 11.
Driver, 3-iron on the green at 13, two putts".
He double-bogeyed the 14th. "At 14, we had a long wait on the tee. I hooked my tee shot, hit the tree and came down and I overhooked my second shot and just tried to get too cute with a chip. That was probably the hardest flag of the day there. It was a real stinker. And I should have just sort of accepted a five and pitched it behind the hole, but tried to get too cute and that's what happens, and regrouped pretty quickly".
"Hit a great drive off the next and I had 248 to the flag, and hit 5-wood over on the right side of the green, pretty much exactly to the yard where I was aiming" - to make another birdie and go to 9-under.
"At 18 it was in the right-hand trees and had to chip out. I didn't hit a good shot. I was a bit surprised how soft the green was up by the flag. It zipped down by the green. Normally it's up there glued, that shot" and settled for an 8-under joint lead with Ian Poulter.
"I was very calm today. Just sticking to my game plan and going through the processes and doing what I've been practicing for", Lee said, who now has a third round tee-time of 2.45 (local), with Ian Poulter.
It was an exciting round as Lee lead by 4 strokes, but Phil Mickleson's back to back eagles on the back nine saw him surge up the leaderboard, ending the day only one stroke behind Lee, who is leading on 12-under par, following a third round 68.
"I hit a good drive down the first and a nice wedge shot right where I wanted it, under the hole. And made a nice 25-footer to start the day. Missed from five feet at the next, but, you know that's to be expected. You're going to have some slippery ones out there with a lot of break, and just played solid stuff. Hit a great shot into 4 with a 4-iron within 10 feet. Made a nice putt. Nice birdie on 8. Driver, 5-wood about 35, 40 feet behind the hole on 8, two putts.
3-wood, 6-iron to about 18 feet to make a nice birdie on 10 but gave myself chances in between there, as well. Driver, 5-iron to 15, about 20 feet under the hole. Two putts".
"Pete Cowan has had a massive impact on my game. I started seeing him in '96, I think it was, and I've worked on and off with him since then. More recently, he's had a big influence on my short game. My chipping, my pitching and my bunker play has improved immensely. I think that's there for everybody to see".
"My strategy for tomorrow is the same as it was today, to ignore the rest of the field and just play my own game. That's all I've done for the first two days. That's what I did in Dubai last year, and that's the only thing I can control, just hitting it where I want to hit it and keeping it under the hole and miss it in the right spots, holing the odd putt. I only had one bogey (12 ) and that was a pretty good shot"
"I'm just going to go out and keep playing to my game plan the way I've played. Start off tomorrow afternoon, try and hit that first fairway and we'll go from there and see what happens. Try and hole the odd putt, not make too many mistakes, and see what the situation is at 7:00 tomorrow night".
Lee had a 2.40 start with Phil Mickelson for the final round. He made three bogeys and two birdies on the outward nine and Mickelson took the lead when Lee misjudged his putt for par at the 9th. Lee managed to make birdies at 13 and 17, missing a birdie chance at the last (71), and with Anthony Kim and KJ Choi also snapping at his heels, took sole 2nd place on 13-under par, after Mickelson produced a magical 67, to win the title for the third time.
"It wasn't that rough a day, really. It was quite enjoyable out there", Lee said after the event. "We both struggled off the tee early on, I think, but Phil being the champion he is hit some great shots coming down the stretch there; his 9-iron into 13, and his second shot into 13 was incredible, and then just played solid coming in".
"I didn't get off to a fast start like I would have wished today really, being one shot in the lead, I got 2- or 3-under through seven or eight holes, and maybe it would have been a different result. But didn't quite drive the ball as well over the first few holes. And obviously bogeyed 1 and 4, and 3-putted 9, which was a bit of a disappointment because I hit a couple of good shots there".
"I played well on the back nine, it's not easy when you're under pressure, shot 34. Had some good chances coming in. I got a bit unlucky at 14; the ball didn't feed down the hill there; The only disappointing thing on the back nine was not birdieing 15 after two good shots there. I got a real hard bounce with a 6-iron that was coming almost out of the clouds, and it still released through the back.I thought I hit a good chip but just checked up on me a bit and hit a little spike mark on my line and the putt went straight left. Then at 16 hit a great shot in there, didn't make birdie; 17 made birdie and then 18 hit two great shots. When I needed to put a bit of pressure on Phil I did do, but he played nicely on the back nine when he needed to, and the second shot into 13 was incredible".
"If I was analyzing, I would say at the start of the year the Masters would have been the tournament that suited me the least really. I would say Pebble Beach, I've played well there in the past; St. Andrews, I'm getting the hang of that; and Whistling Straits I like. I'm delighted that I finished second. If you would have given me that at the start of the week, I probably would have taken it. But obviously slightly disappointed because I came so close".
"I'm getting better. I've got less weaknesses in my game, my short game is improving, my longer play is improving, I'm much calmer out on the golf course than I used to be, I think. And just enjoying golf, and I put a little bit of extra preparation getting in early for this year's Masters. I think that paid off.
I think I just need to keep doing what I'm doing. One of these days the door is going to open for me. I keep knocking, finished third, third, second the last three majors.
I think whenever you come as close as I've come today, there's a tinge of disappointment there, but that doesn't last too long. Phil was saying in there, he's been there, kept finishing second and third, he was saying that in the cabin there, and it's just a case of persevering, and one of these days I'll get the breaks and I'll become a major champion hopefully".
