Lee Seung-min (right) on July 20 poses for photos with Kim Moore of the U.S. as the men’s and women’s champions of the inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
By Israa Mohamed
Photos = Official Facebook account of USGA
Miracles occur not only in Korean dramas like “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.”
Lee Seung-min, aka Simon Lee, who is classified as having a Level 3 developmental disability, on July 20 won the men’s division of the inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
In the third and final round, the autistic Lee faced Felix Norman of Sweden as both competitors finished at three under-213. Lee shot one under-71 in all three rounds, and in the playoff, he won by two strokes thanks to a birdie putt on the 17th hole and par on the 18th. Norman finished the two holes with par and a bogey.
A combined 78 disabled golfers from around the globe competed in the men’s division of the tournament.
This is the first individual victory for Lee, who won a group competition while in high school at the National Sports Festival of Korea.
Starting golf in his first year of middle school, Lee in 2017 qualified to play in tournaments of the Korean Professional Golfers’ Association on his fifth attempt.
He often repeats the same words just like the autistic protagonist of the hit Netflix original Korean series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.”
In a news conference after his win, Lee received applause from reporters after saying, “Today I played with my mind of thinking, I can do it, I can do it, I can do it.”
Lee Seung-min on July 20 celebrates after winning the men’s division at the inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Lee’s mother Park Ji-ae told reporters, “Golf was not just a hobby for Lee but a channel for communication with the world,” adding, “As he focused on golf, his social skills improved and his developmental disability status was upgraded from Level 2 to 3.”
“Thanks to ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo,’ I think interest in disabled people with autism, has grown,” she added. “I hope this is an occasion for people to consider that people with autism can adapt well in the real world.”
ess8@korea.kr
