With the countdown on to the Halberg awards on February 18, Newshub is running through the credentials for the sportsman and sportswoman of the year contenders.
In part three of the series, Jeff McTainsh looks at why golfer Danny Lee should take out the Sportsman trophy.
Golf's in vogue at the Halberg Awards, so why not Danny Lee?
Often regarded as the most competitive sporting competition in the world, Lee has made a home for himself on the PGA Tour, furnishing that with his best season in the professional ranks in 2015.
To appreciate Lee's achievements of late though it pays to look at his remarkable journey through the pro ranks over the last eight years.
Lee was always earmarked for golf's big stage, winning the US Amateur Championship as an 18-year old (eclipsing Tiger Woods' long standing record) and was the world number one amateur until he turned pro in 2009.
After making the switch, the reality of the professional game hit Lee hard. He struggled to transfer his game from the amateur ranks and had mixed success on the PGA, European and Asian Tours.
But as the old adage goes, 'form is temporary, class is permanent' and Lee proved that on the greens this season, culminating in his first PGA Tour win at the Greenbrier Classic.
The Classic was no fluke, with Lee carding a further seven top-10 finishes, including a second placing at the Tour Championship behind American Jordan Spieth, a player well on his way to becoming a hall-of-famer.
A popular member of the tour, Lee's season didn't go unnoticed by his peers either. He showed enough class to achieve what only the best of the best earn selection for, a place at the Presidents Cup.
Although Lee's International team finished second to a star-studded United States team, the experience capped off a wonderful year which saw the Rotorua-raised 25-year-old finish 42 in the world rankings and ninth on the money list.
If Lydia Ko's exploits in the women's game were enough to earn her the Sportswoman of the Year prize two years in a row (without winning a major), then I think Lee is a worthy recipient, proving he can drive, putt and chip with the best of them.
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