Danny Lee, chipping onto the 12th green Friday, has lost just seven holes in match play this week. (John Mummert/USGA)

By Ken Klavon, USGA

Village of Pinehurst, N.C. – At 18, Danny Lee is a performer.

Ever hear a Korean who lives in New Zealand imitate a Texan? The punchline is that this space can’t do the comedic effect justice. But Lee pulls it off with aplomb.

Ask him how many languages he speaks and he deadpans, "English, Korean, Spanish and Japanese." Long pause. "No, no, I’m kidding. Just English and Korean."

What bothers him most after his U.S. Amateur experience ends? "I have to go back to New Zealand, go back to high school, sadly. It’s not a good time," said Lee with a pouty expression, again, for effect.

A little explanation needed here: Lee, who has been in the U.S. since May, has played in so many tournaments that he missed his graduation at Rotorua Boys High School in Rotorua, New Zealand.

Favorite thing about the American culture since he’s only been to the States a few times? "Cheeseburgers! I loooove cheeseburgers."

Forget Jimmy Buffet’s ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise.’ This is turning into ‘Lee’s Amateur in Paradise.’

Lee has taken his act to the largest stage of all this week – namely Pinehurst No. 2 as he’s blindsided his opponents the way a locomotive plows through a crossing gate.

In other words, his opponents have had no idea what hit them. Take Morgan Hoffmann, who dropped a 4-and-3 decision on the 15^th hole Friday in his quarterfinal duel to Lee. That, incidentally, is the farthest anyone, besides David Bartman, has taken Lee in any round of match play. Lee has lost just seven holes thus far and also beat Hoffmann at the Western Amateur.

"He’s just a solid player," said fellow 18-year-old Hoffmann of Saddlebrook, N.J. "You have to hit every fairway, which I didn’t do.

"He’s not going to shoot over par."

If it makes any difference, Lee shot the equivalent of one under par Friday. It should be noted, too, that he did it after injuring his left shoulder on the range while warming up. During his backswing on a shot, the shoulder clicked and caused immense pain. "I couldn’t move my shoulder," said Lee.

A conference ensued. Lee’s uncle, Rambert Sim, recommended that he withdraw. Lee looked at him bemused as if to say, "Not on your life." So the powers that be wrapped Lee’s shoulder in ice and everyone involved held their collective breath until he got to the first tee.

"The first five holes it hurt to swing," said Lee, who is coming off a brutal three weeks of golf that saw him win the Western Amateur, tie for 20th at the PGA Tour Wyndham Championship and essentially play the last six days. He admitted after his victory over Hoffmann that he was exhausted. The U.S. Amateur, as has been said many times before, is perhaps the most gut-wrenching amateur event because it is a test of endurance and mental fortitude.

Lee hasn’t shown the effects of fatigue. He hasn’t taken many tired swings and continues to apply more pressure on opponents than a tourniquet.

His caddie, Bob Scheirer, has been at Pinehurst for 10 years. He was assigned Lee and is amazed at his resilience.

"The mental part of his game," said Scheirer when asked what has impressed him the most. "He’s so mentally strong. There’s a ball in the rough? To him it’s just a ball to hit. When he’s over a putt, he thinks he can make every putt."

Scheirer’s guidance has assumed the role of a figurehead lugging his bags around, although he will share his thoughts on putts. Scheirer said he’s also dumfounded how Lee can be so serious over the ball and then resort to jester the next moment.

Lee inherited his pedigree from his mother, Sujin Sea, a retired golf instructor. When he was 9, while splitting time between New Zealand and Korea, his mom took him under her wing at the driving range she worked at. He hit a couple of balls and loved it. All the while, Lee kept a loose nature as he improved. In the past 10 weeks, he has ascended the ranks of amateur golf faster than anyone expected. He flew from New Zealand to California in May to stay with Rambert, an uncle only in name but more of a family friend, in his home outside of San Diego.

Lee has aspirations to play on the PGA Tour one day. In fact, later this year he intends to go to Qualifying School as an amateur.

First things first.

If he should win the U.S. Amateur, he’d become the youngest winner in history, overshadowing Tiger Woods by six months. It would be ironic because he said Woods was the one who served as inspiration to him. As a spectator, Lee took in the first round at this year’s U.S. Open. He wanted to feel the ambiance and watch from afar as the world’s best players went about their business after he failed to qualify.

To that, another reporter sauntered up and made Lee revisit what he had already regurgitated to everyone moments before. The topic returned to his bum shoulder. How’d he do it?

"I whipped myself," mused Lee. "No, I’m kidding."

Always the jokester.

Ken Klavon is the USGA’s Editor of New Media. E-mail him with questions or comments at kklavon@usga.org.