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Danny Lee - Source: Getty -
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Danny Lee knows that every time he makes a birdie on the PGA Tour, Kiwi golf fans thousands of miles away are cheering him on and sharing in his success.
The New Zealand No.1, who shot a nine under par 63 to share the clubhouse lead at the Pebble Beach National Pro-am, backed it up with a one over par 73 at Spyglass Hill Golf Club today to be tied for third.
The former US Amateur Champion is on an eight under par total, four shots back from South Korean Charlie Wi (61, 69) who leads on 12 under par with a host of big names like two-time champion Dustin Johnson, Vijay Singh, Padraig Harrington and Phil Mickelson all in contention.
Lee knows New Zealand golf fans are with him in his quest to become the first Kiwi to win on the tour since Michael Campbell's triumph at the US Open in 2005.
"It's good to know that back home all of the people in New Zealand are rooting for me," said the 21-year-old Korean-born Kiwi.
"I know that I have a lot of people supporting me and watching me on TV all the time. I get texts and emails from my friends encouraging me and it's nice to know that I have that kind of support.
"It means a lot and I want to play good for them."
Lee played solidly for most of the second round at Spy Glass to stay within one shot of the lead only to bogey two of the final three holes and drop back to a share of third place.
"It was playing really tough today. It was foggy this morning and I thought the course was playing really hard so I am not too unhappy with my round.
"The weather made it really hard for scoring."
Lee said he feels comfortable among the elite of world golf and believes he is a good chance to become the first Kiwi to win on the regular PGA Tour since Phil Tataurangi, who won the Invensys Classic at Las Vegas in 2002.
"Yep I can win this tournament," he said confidently.
"I am not too far away from the lead and if I play well anything can happen and I will give it my best to win. Everything will be alright."
Lee is staying away from the hype and focusing on what he can control as he heads into the third round and Monterey Peninsula tomorrow.
"I don't take any notice of what the media are saying or look at leaderboards. I have really good people around me who help me get ready to play.
"I am going to keep doing what I have been doing the past couple of days and see what happens.
"What the other players shoot is out of my control but I will be giving it my best. It is really hard to win any professional golf tournament so you need to take your chances."
He thinks that Monterey Peninsula - the third of three courses used in the AT&T National alongside Pebble Beach and Spy Glass- will suit his eye like the famous US Open layout did on day one.
"It seems like the same sort of course as Pebble Beach actually so I will go and try to play like I did there.
"I know that I need to keep attacking and making birdies. I feel comfortable out here.
"When I am in contention I normally play well because I like to play attacking golf."
Lee, who back in 2010 became the youngest amateur to win on the European Tour when he claimed the Johnnie Walker Championship, said he game has developed a lot since the time he was the game's top ranked amateur.
"I feel like I have come a long way. I am more experienced than I was a couple of years ago and that helps in the hard situations.
"I have improved my scoring because I make more pars or birdies from positions that I would not have before.
"I keep fighting and with experience I know how to score better."
