Lee, 26, was born in Chicago, moved to Korea with his family when he was three years old, then moved to Bellevue at age 10. It was during a family vacation to The Philippines that Lee first got the golf bug. Friends of his were playing on the Asia Tour, and that became his dream, too — he was going be a professional golfer. It didn’t seem to matter to him at the time that he had nowhere near the necessary golf skills.
Minor detail, really.
“People can dream but they’ve got to believe,“ he says. “That’s easier said than done. But I believed I could be here making a living. Deep down, I knew what I was going to do.“
Lee left Newport High School after the first semester of his sophomore year to live with a friend in The Philippines, where he home-schooled himself and ratcheted up his golf intensity.
“I gave it everything I had,“ he says. “But it didn’t turn out the way I wanted. I missed school. I missed my friends. I ended up going back.“
What he missed the most was Christine, a girl he grew up with and always had a thing for. Her father was the pastor of their church. Lee’s parents were friends with Christine’s parents.
“She did not like me at the time,“ Lee says. “She gave in later.“
By age 18, marriage was on the table.
“My friends would ask me, ‘Is she pregnant? What’s the deal? Why 18?’ I just explained that it feels right,“ Lee says. “I knew she was the one. Our parents were for it, so why wait? I was going to marry this woman. It was a gut feeling. It’s awesome. For me, there are no regrets.“
It’s a wonderful story, marrying your childhood sweetheart. And while it was a storybook romance, the happily-ever-after part was a tad more problematic. Lee didn’t even have a high school degree, and carving out a professional golf career at age 18 doesn’t exactly jibe with starting a family.
Life had rushed ahead; Lee was in a constant state of catch-up. He took five different tests, and passed them all, to earn his GED. He then attended Bellevue College (formerly BCC) for two years, building up his grade-point average with the intention of transferring to Washington. He also played on the school’s golf team.
“That really made me become a better player,“ he said. “At BCC, I learned to compete and win. I won a lot of tournaments. It’s not the best competition but you still had to compete. I saw some progress.“
He also worked intensively on his game with Joe Thiel, who teaches out of Olympia’s Tumwater Valley Golf Course.
“We would build a 10-step foundation covering every aspect of the game, with the mental equation involved in each one,“ Thiel says. “He understood and practiced the program to create a mental and physical DNA and became a fantastic player.“
Word finally spread to Thurmond that this Lee guy was worth a second look. Thiel called Thurmond from time to time to make him aware of Lee’s development. It helped that Lee was named the No. 1 community college player in the country while playing for BCC.
Other players also were saying positive things about his game.
“Players know who’s really good,“ Thurmond says. “I had to take a look at this guy.“
Thurmond was impressed. Lee’s game had grown strong enough for a scholarship offer, but his grades “were nowhere near where they needed to be,“ Thurmond says. “We sat down and told him, ‘Here’s what you need to do.’ He did everything.”
Lee entered UW in the fall of 2008, a full-scholarship player on a increasingly improving golf program that featured eventual Hogan Award winner Nick Taylor.
“Imagine a guy showing up for a workout at 7 a.m., planning a complete golf schedule, traveling, practicing, going to classes and still being a father, husband and student,“ Thurmond says.
The Huskies won the Pac-12 Conference title in both of Lee’s seasons. He became one of the top-30 players in the country, and was twice named a third-team All-American.
For all that he had to overcome, for all that he accomplished and for all his responsibilities, Thiel calls Lee, “a significant man.“
“He makes a difference with the lightness of his smile, his kind heart and his beautiful perspective on life,“ Thiel said. “What an amazing story. He and his wife are the perfect match, the finest family you could ever run into.“
Thiel deflects any credit for helping Lee’s transformation. He said it was a group effort.
“I hadn’t really thought about it, but looking back, I realize how tough it was,“ Lee says. “I had to learn how to be a student, golfer, dad, husband. And my wife was still in school, too. We had a lot of help from my wife’s mom.
“The real credit goes to my supportive wife. When I was 15, I knew this was what I wanted to do. She understood what it meant to me. She helped me get through the ups and downs and the challenges of what we went through.“
By 2010, he had earned his degree. Now this is where dreams intersect with reality.