Min Woo Lee put himself squarely in contention to defend his Texas Children's Houston Open title after carding a 7-under 63 in Friday's second round at Memorial Park Golf Course.
The Australian, chasing a second PGA Tour win on the same property where he broke through in 2025, made the most of a bogey-free round that included an eagle on the 16th hole — his seventh of the day — and nearly another on the 17th.
"16 was a great hole. I hit a nice drive down there and then had a seven iron in, which was great. Holed like a 35-footer down the hill, left to right, which was nice. Always a bonus to hole long putts," Lee said. "Then on our 17th hole, eighth hole, it was a great putt too and it just went around the back corner. I thought it would go in the side door but just crept over and missed. So it was a great round and hopefully I get more eagle chances on the weekend."
Lee, who has been searching for consistency since his breakthrough victory, said the 63 represented a clear step forward from a frustrating opening round.
"Today was really good. Cleaned it up a little bit more and it was solid. Didn't really do too much wrong. Maybe a couple things to still clean up, but it was cleaned up from yesterday. So, good step forward."
The 27-year-old, a notorious drawer of the ball, diagnosed a technical issue with his iron play in round one that he said was tied to subtle differences between the practice range and the fairway turf at Memorial Park.
"I probably only pulled one or two today. Yesterday I felt like I pulled 90% of my shots, and they all felt like good swings, which was a bit strange. So I thought there was something up there. The fairway had a little bit more growth on it than the range and the balls were teed up a tiny bit, and for a drawer, you want the ball to start right but mine was starting a lot straighter than I wanted to. Just something to keep in the back of my head."
Playing as the defending champion carries its own set of pressures, but Lee said the goodwill from Houston gallery fans outweighs the burden of expectation.
"I have a lot of people supporting me and I want to play good again. So yeah, there's a bit of pressure, but there's also a lot of support, which is great."
Asked whether he feels like a different player to the one who won here in 2025, Lee said the raw numbers might not change dramatically but his overall game has filled out.
"I feel like I'm a lot more solid player. I did play great last year, but I feel like I'm a more complete player, I would say. So yeah, the weekend, hopefully I can make some more birdies and keep doing what I'm doing."
The one area Lee singled out as still needing work is his short game around the greens, where he said the Memorial Park lies can be deceptive.
"I would say my chipping wasn't actually that good yesterday. The lies are kind of awkward. They're — the ball seems like it's sitting up, but there's a little bit of grain and a little bit of thatchiness into the grass. So you can see a few guys, when they just — even such a simple chip, you think it's pretty easy, but it comes out with no spin and it rolls out. I did clean it up a little bit today, but if that can be tidy and my approach play can be solid, I think it'll be fine."
Lee's breakthrough PGA Tour win last year transformed his profile on tour. Whether the 63 is another springboard or merely a flash of form, he heads into the weekend with the home-crowd support and the course knowledge of a reigning champion.
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*Originally published on [Golf News Global](https://golfnews.global/article/min-woo-lee-fires-7-under-63-houston-open-defending-champion). Visit for full coverage.*
