Craig Lee

For other people with similar names, see Greg Lee (disambiguation).
Craig Lee
Lee at the 2012 KLM Open
Personal information
Full nameCraig Andrew Lee
Born (1977-05-09) 9 May 1977 (age 47)
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. Date Tournament Winning score Margin 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. Date Tournament Winning score Margin 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. Date Tournament Winning score Margin 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. Year Tournament Opponent Result
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.