Third-year men’s golfer Dori Lee was named A-10 Player of the Week, the result of a reappraisal of his play technique and dedicated practice on his swing.
Third-year men’s golfer Dori Lee was named A-10 Player of the Week, the result of a reappraisal of his play technique and dedicated practice on his swing.
Men’s golf third-year Dori Lee was named the Atlantic 10 Golfer of the Week of Sept. 30 after a great performance at the Zach Johnson Invitational hosted by Drake University.
Lee first picked up a golf club at 7-years-old and ever since then, golf has become a major part of his life. Impressed by Lee’s talent during his high school golf career at Buffalo Grove High School, men’s golf head coach Erik Hoops was able to observe Lee and recruited him during his second-year.
Hailing from Buffalo Grove, IL., Lee was drawn to the city and enjoyed the idea of being close to home. The biggest appeal for him was the team’s practice methods and program structure, along with the opportunity to continue his education at the Quinlan School of Business.
Unfortunately for Lee, the results he saw when he started playing at Loyola weren’t the ones he had hoped for.
At the end of Lee’s second-year spring season, Hoops had a development conversation with him and wanted to see more from him. He said he pushed for Lee to change his way of playing, his ball flight and even recommended getting different golf clubs.
“What he was trying to do just wasn’t clicking,” Hoops said. “He wasn’t getting the scores he wanted.”
After struggling with an uneasy start to his collegiate golf career and the conversation with Hoops, Lee said he knew he had to come into his third-year with a different approach.
One aspect Lee wanted to improve on was his swing. He started seeing a personal swing coach in the winter of 2023, after putting a pause on private lessons for nearly two years.
Lee said he began seeing the same swing coach his siblings were seeing. He understood why he needed one.
“From not seeing a coach to seeing a coach, you realize you really need a coach to see your swing with a second eye,” Lee said. “My swing wasn’t in a great spot. Making a lot of improvements to my swing and the way I move helped my confidence on the course and my ability to hit the shots I needed.”
Lee’s dedication has seemingly paid off, as his scores over this past year have improved.
Lee showed off some of his best work during the Zach Johnson Invitational Sept. 23-24. He shot nine under in two rounds, scoring significantly better than the par. He played a round of 66 strokes, setting a new personal best single round score. By the end of the tournament, he had played a three-round score of 207, setting a career low, and was later awarded the A10 Golfer of the Week accolade.
Hoops said he’s noticed the adjustments Lee has made and how they’ve benefited his play.
“He tried out some new ideas with how he plays the game of golf and it’s working,” Hoops said. “It’s showing in tournament results now, which is fun to see. It’s just kind of one of those breakthrough performances. Players can surprise you.”
Lee said he’s transformed himself entirely. He’s happy with the results he’s getting and is glad he’s succeeding with his new approach.
During his underclassman seasons, Lee didn’t believe he was even remotely close to reaching the status of top player on the team, let alone receiving the conference award.
Winning the A10 Golfer of the Week recognition was a pleasant surprise from Lee, proving he’s made a huge turnaround compared to his previous seasons.
“I wasn’t really expecting [receiving A10 Golfer of the Week], it felt great,” Lee said. “I was already very happy with getting second place and playing my record best tournament, and that just added another piece of happiness to my game. It gave me that confidence to know that, hey, I can lead the team.”
As the fall season draws to a close, the work doesn’t stop, according to Lee. He said he continues to have high expectations for himself and the team for the remainder of the season.
Lee wants to continue bringing home victories, and he knows the team and himself are skilled enough to continue doing so. One of his goals is to go into their final round confident they will win.
“These past four tournaments I’ve proven to myself and to my team that I’m capable of getting these awards, bringing home trophies,” Lee said. “I want to continue that and maintain that playing. For the rest of the season, fall and spring season, I just want to give myself a chance to win a tournament.”
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