Eddie Lee and the rest of the University of West Florida Argonauts pose for a group photo after winning the national team title of the 2025 NCAA Division II Men’s Golf National Championships, which were held at the PGA National Resort at Palm Beach, Florida from May 19 to 23.
Contributed photo
THE NMI’s Eddie Lee and the rest of the University of West Florida Argonauts claimed the national team title in the 2025 NCAA Division II Men’s Golf National Championships at the PGA National Resort at Palm Beach, Florida. The tournament was held from May 19 to 23.
Lee, 21, and his team played three rounds of individual golf. The top eight teams then advanced to match play with the Argonauts winning their matches to claim the championship.
“I feel blessed to be able to partake in the national championship,” he said in an interview with Variety. “There’s a lot of college teams who would have loved to play in this tournament and being able to be there and win the national championship is truly a blessing and a result of all the hard work we put in together as a team,” he added.
For Lee, every moment on the golf course stood out because he had never competed in such a high-level tournament before.
“I took every single golf shot with all my focus because my team and I knew that one single stroke mattered,” Lee said.
He said his team had several memorable moments, including one when they were trailing in the final match and his teammates rallied from four points down to tie the game and keep their playoff hopes alive.
In the five-on-five playoffs — in which four out of the five scores counted — three of Lee’s teammates where in the first group while he and his other teammate went out last.
“One of my teammates in front of me had a 70-80-foot putt for eagle, and another guy had a sliding 12-15 feet for birdie while the last guys had a 50-footer for birdie,” Lee added.
He said he and his teammate, playing in the final group, had a 60-foot putt for eagle and left it about a foot short to tap in for birdie, while their opponents finished with a bogey, a birdie, and a par.
Lee was left with an 8- to 10-foot putt for birdie. He sank it to secure both the individual win and the team championship.
“I think that stretch of golf will be my best moment and it was like a movie on how we ended up in this situation and winning,” he said.
After competing in such a prestigious event, Lee said the biggest lesson he learned was, “You need to stay patient on the golf course and have a positive mindset.”
He added, “Being down on yourself after a shot will drag you and you end up making bad shots over and over. You need to have a clear mind, focus on each shot, and commit to it.”
Lee’s journey from the NMI to college golf is something he never knew he had in him. From living on Saipan for 16 years to moving to the States, it was a significant transition.
“I was homesick for a while and I missed all my friends that I’ve known since we were kids. But thankfully, I had my parents and friends that supported me and I was blessed enough to do good in high school (school-wise and tournament-wise) to go to a good college and play college golf for a national championship caliber team,” Lee said.
“There are so many people that helped me stay in this spot. All my coaches I’ve had since I was a kid on Saipan, all the adults at LaoLao Bay that I can’t even start naming because there are so many that treated me so well. They were all a big part of being who I am,” he added.
Lee’s biggest motivation is his family. “I’ve always had a dream of playing in the PGA and right now my focus is finishing my college career both academically and golf, and trying to enjoy every moment I get when I’m playing college golf with my teammates,” he said.
Lee’s advice to the youth is to keep working hard.
“Everyone says the same thing but it’s because that true. When I say working hard, it doesn’t mean eight hours of work in whatever sport they are playing. It can be four hours of training where you put all your focus and effort into one single shot to hit instead of doing it without purpose.”
Lee continued, “My last advice would be to love the sport you are doing. If you don’t enjoy doing what you are doing, then all the practice you put in won’t matter.”
