By Dave Shedloski

Village of Pinehurst, N.C. – Danny Lee is a fast learner.

Fatigued and fighting his golf swing, Lee, the reigning Western Amateur champion, found a way to dig down and navigate Pinehurst No. 2 in level-par 70 Tuesday afternoon to qualify for match play in the 108^th U.S. Amateur.

"I really learned so much last week about the game that I didn’t know before," said Lee, 18, who competed in Greensboro, N.C., at the Wyndham Championship on the PGA Tour and shot four sub-par rounds at Sedgefield Country Club to tie for 20^th place. "To play with those great golfers, they really inspired me. I think that definitely helped me play so well."

Lee, who was born in Korea but grew up in New Zealand when his family moved there nine years ago, has every reason to be tired.

He has been playing and practicing in the U.S. for 15 straight weeks. At the beginning of the month Lee, the top-ranked Amateur according to Golfweek magazine, won the Western Amateur and then finished as the medalist at the U.S. Amateur qualifier in Springfield, Ill.

He received a sponsor exemption into the Wyndham Championship, and headed to Greensboro after making a stop in Pinehurst to play a practice round on the No. 4 course. Following rounds of 68-66-67-67-268, he drove back to Pinehurst to prepare for the opening round of the Amateur at 8 a.m. Monday on No. 4.

His opening 71 gave him a 141 total to easily place among the top 64 for match play.

Lee’s round Tuesday included a pair of clutch birdies on Nos. 4 and 7 after he turned in two over par playing the back nine first. He two-putted from 20 feet on the par-5 fourth hole after reaching the green in two. At the seventh he drained a 10-footer, one of the few putts he’s holed in two days.

"I’m doing everything pretty well," said Lee, who began playing golf at age 8 after being introduced to the game by his mother, So Jin Seo Lee, a teaching professional. "I haven’t gotten a lot of putts to fall, but I felt like I was still going to shoot a good score because I have been hitting it really well."

And he was remembering lessons from PGA Tour players Jerry Kelly and Y.E. Yang, who he joined for a practice round at Sedgefield Country Club.

"The big thing they told me was to play as safe as you can and just let it happen," said Lee. "I went out there today, and I didn’t make any big mistakes. I didn’t try to make a score. I just played as best I could. I’m pleased with how I played."

And he’s played well for quite a while. Prior to the Amateur, Lee has finished in the top-10 in the Porter Cup, Northeast Amateur and Dogwood Invitational, and he tied for 17th at the Players Amateur. He also was a semifinalist in the Australian Amateur.

He is contemplating turning professional after he completes his senior year of high school in New Zealand. His decision might be affected by his results this week.

Though tired, he was still planning on hitting the driving range for a practice session Tuesday evening. He wanted to be ready for match play.

"I just want to make sure I keep playing my best," he said.

Dave Shedloski is a freelance writer whose work has previously appeared on www.usamateur.org.