Iris Lee is a calm, charming, polite teenager with a quiet disposition. Upon meeting the 13-year-old, most people would never suspect she is one of the top young golfers in the United States, and, perhaps, in the world.
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It’s that relaxed, unassuming demeanor, however, that is the essence of why the Lake Nona youngster is able to dominate on the golf course. All she does is win, and she is doing it at a remarkable rate.
On June 12, she became the youngest player to win the Women’s Western Junior Championship, one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments in the country. By winning the 99th edition of the tournament, Lee joined a legendary list of past winners that includes Nancy Lopez, Cristie Kerr, Grace Park and Candie Kung. They all went on to brilliant careers in the LPGA.
“She has such a great demeanor about herself and such a good belief in herself and it’s just cool to watch,” said Justin Blazer, one of her coaches. “I think it’s a very natural thing for her, too. Just the purity of her athlet
icism and her knack to compete is hard to teach.
“She has an extremely high golf IQ, she’s very coachable and soaks it up. It’s so natural for her to compete and go out and play.”
She’s unfazed by her success and that is probably the trait that makes her most appealing and likeable.
“And it’s not like in an ungrateful way, but in a way of like … I don’t know how to explain it,” Blazer said. “She goes out there and she wins, but she’s not like the one who rubs it in your face, or anything like that. All of the girls love her, she has a huge group of friends and it’s just a really, really cool thing.”
Leaving New Jersey for Florida
The Lees used to live in New Jersey, but Iris’ parents — Gil Lee and Grace Kim — recognized their daughter’s special talent at an early age. They also realized that the New Jersey climate and landscape was not exactly conducive to providing their daughter with a suitable training atmosphere.
So they sold their business, sold their house and moved 9-year-old Iris to Florida four years ago. She loves the weather, the golf courses and the ability to play year-round in the Sunshine State, and it’s done wonders for her game. She is thriving.
“It’s very hard to raise a kid in New Jersey for golf,” said Lee, who was born in Korea and worked in the fashion industry for many years in New Jersey before moving the family to Florida. “We came at COVID time and we came down here for a month to check it out. She liked it, so we sold the house, we sold the business and we moved down here.
“She’s happy and so I’m happy. She practices hard and she’s doing good in golf tournaments. Thankfully she is winning many times. We really enjoy it. We sacrifice … golf is a very expensive sport and we need a lot of money, so we reduce the budget. Thank God she is very talented and she gets supported by the USNDP (United States National Developmental Program) and AGA (Allied Golf Association), and she is supported by Calloway Golf.”
Iris loves it.
“I think Florida is such a better environment for me and that really helped my practice and I think that’s how I improved a lot,” she said. “I mostly practice every day and experiencing all of the new courses here was cool. It’s such a different place than New Jersey, especially the grass, so that has been a great experience.”
Her parents have taken the plunge into their daughter’s career and are the backbone of her support.
“My parents are always here for me, always here for me with practice, even though they are busy with work,” she said of mom and dad, who recently opened their own beauty salon called Dodo, which is located inside the H-Mart on West Colonial in Orlando. “I’m really grateful for them and my coaches help me a lot. I couldn’t do this without them.”
Long and varied list of notable achievements
Her list of accomplishments since arriving in Florida is impressive.
Last year, as a 12-year-old, she became the youngest player to reach the match-play portion of the U.S. Girls Junior Championship in Atlanta. In 2024, she was the lowest-scoring amateur in a U.S. Women’s Open Qualifying Tournament; in that same year, she won the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship in Kinder, La.
She won back-to-back titles at the UA World Golf Championships in 2023-24. In 2022, she was named to the All-World team.
She has a unique ability to focus on the task and can perform under intense pressure, those closest to her say. Last year at the AJGA Arnold Palmer Invitational, Lee rallied to win the event with seven birdies on the back nine. At the Western, she trailed 17-year-old Athena Singh by one hole after 15 holes when she buckled down. She tied the match on the 16th hole, took the lead when she birdied the 17th hole and made par on No. 18 to secure the title.
“I tried not to think about (winning) too much and just focus on the last hole, because anything can happen on the last hole,” Lee said of the Western.
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Blazer said her talent at her age is rare, and even compared Lee to a young Michelle Wie. Blazer works with Lee on her short game and her other swing coach is Tony Ziegler.
“She’s a phenomenal player,” Blazer said. “I wasn’t surprised she won the Western because I guess she’s surprised me so much that I’m just not surprised anymore.
“She’s such a solid player all around. I couldn’t, even as a coach, pinpoint any weaknesses in her game. She’s really solid at every facet of the game.”
Generating a lot of power in her swing
One of the most impressive things about Lee is her ability to generate such power in her swing. Despite a small stature, she can rip her driver 250 yards in what looks like an effortless swing.
“The power she produces is crazy,” Blazer said.
Lee describes her power swing as if it’s just a flick of the wrist.
“I think the reason why I hit it far is because my hands swing pretty fast,” Lee said. “And the contact is good. Everyone is always like, ‘Iris, your club speed is only like 91. How do you hit it so far?’ I think I just hit it good on the face.”
Like Blazer, its difficult for even Lee to pinpoint the best part of her game.
“Honestly, to be fair, it always changes,” she said. “At one point, it would be chipping, at one point it would be approach shots, but I think my driving is the best thing. I’ve always been a good hitter. I’m not really a far hitter, but I guess my accuracy is OK.”
Always humble, she says things like she’s “just OK.” At the rate she’s winning, though, her father may have to add onto the house to accommodate all of her trophies. But she maintains her humility.
In describing the distance on her driver, Lee said, “I guess, for my age, it’s pretty good.”
After winning the Western, Lee didn’t even realize the extent of her achievement.
“It was crazy. It felt so good, but I actually didn’t know I was the youngest to win; not until the day after I won,” Lee said. “I was reading that I was the youngest to win and it felt so good and I was so honored.”
She didn’t even enter the tournament with the expectations of winning.
“I just wanted to play like how I practice and play my best, but when I made it to the semifinals, I thought, ‘I might have a chance at winning this,’” Lee said. “I was feeling really good and nervous. The final holes were like so nerve-wracking for me.”
But no one would know it. She’s has ways of calming her nerves.
“I have a lot of ways. Sometimes I’ll just think about something else, like just hear the birds or the wind blowing or look at the trees and stuff,” Lee said.
What’s next for her?
Looking ahead, she doesn’t talk about grandiose goals of fame and fortune.
“I just want to be the best version of myself,” she said. “I just want to play my best in all of my tournaments. My goals haven’t changed. I’m not really much of a future-seeking person. I’m more in the present and if I feel like if I just work on what I need to know, it will build up in the future.”
The rising eighth-grader will have a decision to make in the near future. She is currently home-schooled but could decide to attend Lake Nona High after next school year. Even if she remained a home-school student, she could play golf for any high school in Orange County, and she would certainly be a welcome addition at Lake Nona, which won the Class 3A state title in 2024 and was runner-up last year.
“They’re really good and maybe I might join the team or continue being home-schooled,” Lee said. “I’m still thinking about it. … I’m going to have more events coming up and I don’t want to get distracted. Home-schooling has been working out very good for me.
“I feel like golf has been my priority my whole life, and now I have more motivation.”
Her next tournament is the 67th Florida State Girls Junior event, with play starting Monday at Mayacoo Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach. For Lee, it’s just another event on the calendar. That’s how she approaches golf — one tournament at a time.
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“It’s not really overwhelming. I’m just excited,” she said.
Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.