Richard T. Lee (golfer)
Canadian professional golfer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard Taehoon Lee (born October 29, 1990) is a Canadian professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour and LIV Golf League. He played in the 2007 U.S. Open at the age of sixteen.
| Richard T. Lee | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Richard Taehoon Lee | ||
| Born | October 29, 1990 | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 13 st) | ||
| Sporting nationality |  Canada | ||
| Residence | Chandler, Arizona, U.S. | ||
| Career | |||
| Turned professional | 2007 | ||
| Current tours | LIV Golf Asian Tour Korean Tour | ||
| Former tour | Nationwide Tour | ||
| Professional wins | 6 | ||
| Number of wins by tour | |||
| Asian Tour | 3 | ||
| Other | 3 | ||
| Best results in major championships | |||
| Masters Tournament | DNP | ||
| PGA Championship | DNP | ||
| U.S. Open | WD: 2007 | ||
| The Open Championship | CUT: 2021 | ||
| Achievements and awards | |||
| |||
Early life
Lee was born in Toronto, Canada. His father, Jeff, played professional tournament golf in South Korea and is now a teaching professional.[1]
Amateur career
In 2006, at the age of 15, Lee was the runner-up to Philip Francis at the U.S. Junior Amateur.[2] The result gave him an exemption to sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open the following year. Lee finished as runner-up at his qualifier to earn entry to the 2007 U.S. Open,[3] becoming the second youngest golfer in the 107-year history of the tournament. However, he did not finish the tournament as he injured his wrist in the second round. He finished at +20, and turned professional at the conclusion of the tournament.
Professional career
In 2011, Lee played on the Nationwide Tour but could not retain his card. In 2013, he finished runner-up at qualifying school for both the Asian Tour and the OneAsia Tour, signalling his intention to play full-time on that continent.[4][5] In March 2014, Lee won for the first time as a professional on the Asian Tour at the Solaire Open with a one shot victory, having been a runner-up the previous year. In September 2017 he had his second win on the Asian Tour, the Shinhan Donghae Open, an event co-sanctioned with the Korean Tour. A final round 66 gave him a one stroke victory over Gavin Green. In April 2019 Lee won again on the Korean Tour, in the DB Insurance Promy Open.
In 2026, Lee shot rounds of 64, 66, 64 and 65 to win the LIV Golf promotions event in Florida five strokes clear of Björn Hellgren in second, to earn a place on the 2026 LIV Golf League.[6]
Personal life
Lee is now a resident of Chandler, Arizona.
Professional wins (6)
Asian Tour wins (3)
| Legend |
|---|
| International Series (1) |
| Other Asian Tour (2) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 16, 2014 | Solaire Open | −7 (68-70-70-69=277) | 1 stroke |  Chawalit Plaphol |
| 2 | Sep 17, 2017 | Shinhan Donghae Open1 | −11 (68-71-68-66=273) | 1 stroke |  Gavin Green |
| 3 | Nov 3, 2024 | BNI Indonesian Masters | −23 (62-67-66-70=265) | 4 strokes |  Chang Wei-lun, Phachara Khongwatmai |
1Co-sanctioned by the Korean Tour
Asian Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019 | Sarawak Championship |  Andrew Dodt |
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
Korean Tour wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 17, 2017 | Shinhan Donghae Open1 | −11 (68-71-68-66=273) | 1 stroke | Gavin Green |
| 2 | Apr 21, 2019 | DB Insurance Promy Open | −14 (69-67-68-70=274) | 1 stroke |  Kim Jae-ho |
| 3 | Oct 24, 2021 | Hana Bank Invitational | −17 (66-67-64-70=267) | 4 strokes | Kim Min-kyu |
| 4 | Apr 27, 2025 | Woori Financial Group Championship | −5 (69-70-70-70=279) | Playoff | Kang Tae-young, Park Jun-hong |
1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour
Korean Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2025 | Woori Financial Group Championship | Kang Tae-young, Park Jun-hong |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2025 | SK Telecom Open | Eom Jae-woong |
Lost to bogey on first extra hole |
Playoff record
LIV Golf League playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026 | LIV Golf Singapore |  Bryson DeChambeau |
Lost to par on first extra hole |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | WD | ||
| The Open Championship |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | ||||||||||
| The Open Championship |
| Tournament | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | ||
| The Open Championship | NT | CUT |
WD = withdrew
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Note: Lee only played in the U.S. Open and The Open Championship.