After a small celebratory birthday lunch on Saturday and an early night, 37 year old Lee travelled to Charlotte, for the Quail Hollow (formerly Wachovia) Championship, which begins on Thursday. He finished in T61st place, when he last took part in 2007.
Lee is currently 4th in both the Race to Dubai and World Ranking.
"It's nice to be back at Quail Hollow", Lee said on Tuesday. "It's a golf course I enjoy playing. It's a golf course that's got a major championship feel to it, if anything, I'd say. It's an old, traditional course, makes you think a lot. You have to drive the ball well. All your game has got to be in good shape. And once you get on the greens, this week there's some really fast putts out there. These are as quick as anything I've seen all year, I think. It's good to be back".
"As for the last two weeks, I have not done a lot. I feel a bit rusty. After the Masters I sort of sat down and felt like I needed a bit of a rest, and as I built up to the Masters since, well, the end of last year, really, so I've been switched off the last couple of weeks and just a bit rusty coming in here. Not hitting it quite as good, but I think I'll sharpen as the week goes on hopefully".
Lee corrected the reports in some UK papers recently, quoting him as saying he was the best player in the world "Somebody asked me, tee to green do you think you are the best player in the world at the moment, and I said, the way I played at Augusta, which is the last time I played and the last time all the best players in the world got together, I led the greens in regulation. So it was very difficult to argue against that the last time we all played. I've been out here long enough to know that things get just twisted around slightly to suit people. I led the greens in regulation, so I answered the question accordingly"
"I came out on Sunday to try and give myself an extra day to warm up and get some good preparation in. You know, the quality of the field here is fantastic. You've got the two best players in the world, strong field all the way through. It's right before THE PLAYERS Championship next week obviously, as well, which attracts players there. So you know, in regards to me coming over, it's a great two weeks to come over and test myself against the best again. You know, it's a nice tournament at the moment".
Bryce Molder and Matt Bettencourt are paired with Lee for the first two rounds. Lee had a 7.20 EDT (BST-5) for Thursday.
Lee, who admitted he was a bit rusty this week, had an up and down first round when a bogey at 11, double bogey at 13, a birdie at 15 and a bogey at 17, saw him go out in 39 (+3). On the inward nine he bogeyed the 4th, but picked up a birdie at 5, an eagle at 7 and a birdie at 8 to go back to level par. A bogey at the 9th saw him finish his round on 1-over (73) and in T67th place.
Lee had a 12.30 tee-time on Friday. A second round 72 ( 3birdies and 3 bogeys), saw him end the day in T48th position on 1-over par. Billy Mayfair currently leads on 8-under par.
Lee played the third round wih Tim Herron and had an 8.28 start. Following a 1-under 71, Lee was back to level par and lay in T42nd place. He had a 10.05 start with Stuart Appleby for the final round and birdied four of the first six holes. Trouble hit at the 7th, which he bogeyed, then he dropped another shot at the 10th . He made a double-bogey at 11 and dropped shots at 12 and 14, but picked up birdies at 15 and 18 for a 72. Even par (288), earned him T38th place.
There was good news however, for the ISM stable as Rory McIlroy won the event on 15-under par.
Lee remains in the US for The Players Championship and still lies in 4th place in WR and 4th in the Race to Dubai.
