Currently 4th in World Rankings and the Race to Dubai, Lee has remained in the USA for The Players Championship, at TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach,  Florida.  His best finishes were T5 in 1998 and T6 in 1999, but in recent years, T38 in 2006.  He missed the cut in 2001, 2002 and when he last played here in 2008. 

Lee had a 1.49 (BST-5hrs) tee-time for the first round with Jason Day (AUS) and Rickie Fowler (US).

Lee made six birdies and one bogey at the 16th, where he said, "I hit a good driver into the middle of the fairway. It was a tough shot today. Finished between clubs. It was either a 5-wood bringing the back water into play or a 3-iron bringing the front water into play. Just came out for a little bit and paid the price".

"But there is no point in focusing on the only thing that went wrong in the round, my focus is on the rest of the stuff".

He said he'd had a good day and ended with a good tee shot att he last. "We found a divot, and then from 196 or something like that, I hit a 7-iron out of the divot to three feet. So that was a nice way to finish off to get to 5-under par". His 67 left him in T3rd spot at the end of the day, just one stroke behind the leaders.

Lee produced a blistering display on Friday when he carded a second round 65 to give him a one shot lead on 12-under par. "I picked up where I finished off yesterday, said Lee. "Really, played very solidly again. Hit a lot of greens, hit a lot of fairways. I think 15 greens in regulation or so today. Made a couple of nice putts coming in, hit it close a lot. So solid couple of days' work"

Running through his scores he said, "Started on 10, missed from three feet on 11 for birdie.  3-wood, lob wedge to ten feet on 12, made that (birdie).
16, driver, 5-iron to three feet (eagle). 9-iron to five feet on 17 (birdie).
Hit it in the right-hand trees on 18, had to hack out and hit it on the green, two putts (for bogey).
Driver, sand iron to six feet on 1 (birdie).  Driver, 4-iron on the green, two putts on 2 (birdie).
7-iron, four feet on 3 (birdie).  3-wood, 8-iron on 7 (birdie), I guess 20 feet behind the hole. Made a nice one from about 12 feet on 8 for par and missed from 10 feet on 9 for birdie".

He had a 2.35 start with Ryuji Imada on Saturday and now leads the event by one shot.  "It was tough out there. The golf course changed a lot", he said. "It got really firm this afternoon. I thought I played well, gave myself a lot of chances, made some nice iron shots in close. Missed a couple, but all in all I was pleased with the way I played. I didn't make too many poor shots out there". 

At one point  Lee lost the lead and Heath Slocum was ahead of Lee by two shots, but having dumped his tee shot in the water at 17 he finished three off the pace.

At the 18th Lee's tee shot found a drain cover and after getting a free drop, he fired a remarkable shot high over trees with a 5-wood and on to the green. He missed his birdie try but ended the day with a 70 for 14-under 202

 "I got a little bit lucky. I hit it on the same line yesterday and had to hack out sideways basically. But today I found a little gap and took advantage of that.
The trajectory of my 6-iron really matched the trees in front of me to go under one and over the next one to fade it into that flag".

Knocking on the door for his first PGA victory in twelve years, he was asked what he plans to do in the final round.  "Just exactly the same as I did today as the leader. You know, it's getting harder... the golf course. I don't think it'll be softened up overnight. I think it'll get nice and firm. You'll have to hit as many fairways as possible and as many greens as possible, I would imagine".

He was out at 2.40 with Robert Allenby for the final round.  

Lee opened with a bogey at the 1st, then made birdies at the 2nd and 5th.  On the back nine some of his tee-shots were off line, which cost him a bogey at the 14th. He holed an amazing 40-yard par putt at the 15th after pulling his drive left.  A five-iron second to the par five 16th came up short in a bunker.
"It was just another rubbish iron shot with 5-iron in there. I mean, I should have able to hit that and it just drifted in there on the wind and it was a low cut really that didn't even carry the trap which was only about 198 yards to carry. It wasn't the hook that was to blame, it was the poor iron shot", he said.

He fired at the pin on the island green 17th, but the wind held up his soaring wedge and pushed into the water, resulting in a double-bogey.  "Well, that was tricky with yardage, and I was caught right between a little 9-iron and forcing a wedge, and I just hit a wedge and it climbed up into the wind, and on that line it was never going to carry!"

Lee finished  with a two-over 74 for a share of fourth alongside four others on 276 (12-under par).

"It was really tough out there. They got the greens really firm and crusty and exceptionally fast. When you start lagging it from eight and nine feet, you know the greens are fast.  I'm disappointed, but not something I'm going to pull my hair out over. If you don't play well, you don't deserve to win, and I just didn't play well over the weekend".

Lee earned $358,150 in prize money.  His next event is the BMW PGA Championship on 20th May.  He remains 4th in WR and the Race to Dubai.