Heon Young Lee
1/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Jan. 29, 2007
It's strange how one of life's simple events can alter your course.
Such is the case of Rice golfer Heon Young Lee.
Heon Young Lee certainly did not imagine he would be a student-athlete at Rice University in Houston, Texas, when he casually picked up his dad's golf clubs as a teenager growing up in Korea. Now, his image graces the cover of the school's media guide for golf.
Lee, who was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, didn't catch the golf bug until he was 13 years old when his father, Joseph, allowed him to tag along with him to a driving range and let him hit some balls.
"My dad had injured his back so I started using his clubs and going to the driving range using his membership," says Lee. "After a few months I told him that I wanted to be a golfer."
Since Heon Young's raw golf skills needed refining his family sent to him to the Shirley Boys School in Christchurch, New Zealand, where Peter Davis coached him. Davis' mentoring paid off. Lee won several tournaments and began searching for collegiate golf opportunities.
"I had never heard about Rice until my dad had told what a great school it was," states Lee."
Heon Young promptly mailed a golf highlight video of himself along with his golf resume to then Rice golf coach Clay Homan. Homan liked what he saw and was able to offer a partial-scholarship to Lee.
Though he had not visited the Rice campus prior to his arrival, Lee has more than adjusted to the Rice life, as he is also a member of the Korean Student Association, which puts on a festival celebrating the Chinese New Year.
"I had not visited the beautiful campus until I arrived here, but I had seen images online and I have really enjoyed attending Rice University," comments Lee. "The environment and the people here are really nice. Plus, Coach (Drew) Scott has really improved my golf game."
Besides being one of the Owls' top golfers, Lee is also one of the school's up and coming financial wizards. With a double major in economics and managerial studies, Lee is currently serving an internship with Merrill Lynch.
"I've really learned a lot from Dr. Yossi Yakhin (assistant professor of economics at Rice) in international finance," says Lee. "You can't learn everything from a book and he easily explains the material in real-world terms."
As an intern at Merrill Lynch, Lee works 25 hours a week in company's private wealth management and investment banking sectors.
"I really enjoy working for Merrill Lynch," comments Lee. "It's a big company and has an excellent reputation and everyone takes pride in working there."
Heon Young Lee pictures himself working and staying in the United States upon his graduation this May 2007.
"After I graduate, I would love to stay in the U.S. and with Merrill Lynch as I really enjoy investments and analysis. But if not, I plan to work in finance and still play golf."
Lucky for Rice that Lee picked up those golf clubs in Seoul.