‘Golf World Woo Young-woo’ Lee Seung-min ‘Regretful, Runner-up’

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‘Golf World’s Woo Young-woo’ Lee Seung-min took second place.

Lee Seung-min

Lee Seung-min, a professional golfer with autism spectrum disorder, finished the final 3rd round of the 3rd US Adaptive Open held on the 10th (local time) at Sand Creek Station Golf Club (par 72) in Newton, Kansas, USA, with a 4-under par, securing 2nd place (10-under par 206 strokes). This marks his second consecutive runner-up finish following last year. He won the inaugural tournament in 2022. Starting from 3rd place, 7 strokes behind, Lee made one eagle, five birdies, and three bogeys, but it was difficult to overturn the lead. England’s Kip Popham claimed the top spot with 14-under par 202 strokes, achieving back-to-back victories following last year.

Lee Seung-min is the protagonist who is active as a professional golfer despite having autism spectrum disorder. He was diagnosed with congenital autism spectrum disorder around the age of two, and his intelligence quotient (IQ) is 66, equivalent to the level of a 6-7 year old. He was introduced to golf while living in the United States with his father, a diplomat. In 2014, when he was a sophomore at Sinseong High School, he earned the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) semi-pro qualification, and in 2017, after five attempts, he became a full member of the Korean Tour. This was the first time for a player with developmental disabilities.

Lee made history by overcoming his disability to win the inaugural tournament. He has also showcased his skills as an invited player on the domestic professional stage. In 2018, he advanced to the main round for the first time at the KPGA Tour DB Insurance Promy Open. He has passed the qualifying rounds five times on the KPGA Tour. His best individual performance on the KPGA Tour was a tie for 37th place at the KB Financial Live Championship in May last year. This year, he has participated in seven tournaments and performed well with a tie for 49th place at the KPGA Founders Cup in April.

In April, Lee won the 1st Glico Paragolf Championship hosted by the European Disabled Golf Association, and on the 8th, he collected the winner’s trophy at the 2nd Japan Grand Prix Disabled Open held in Mie Prefecture, Japan. He said, "I want to participate in many more tournaments in the future," adding, "My goal is to become number one in the world disabled golf rankings."

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