By Ken Klavon, USGA

Village of Pinehurst, N.C. – In 1951, Ben Hogan brought a monster that was Oakland Hills to its knees when he won the U.S. Open.

If true, how pray tell, does one describe what 18-year-old Danny Lee did to Pinehurst No. 2 Sunday? He shredded it like mincemeat in silencing Drew Kittleson, 5 and 4. So much so that even Kittleson, a 19-year-old sophomore from Florida State University, had to give him his props.

"Now that I look at it," said Kittleson, "usually I'm not the guy who would be so happy for the other guy when that's happening. But it was kind of fun to watch. What are you going to do?"

Yes, what are you going to do when your opponent pours in birdies on 40 percent of the holes played? That’s 13 of the 32 contested. What are you going to do when you salt away at a seemingly insurmountable lead with an eagle and birdie, seeing a pot of gold on the other side of the rainbow, only to find it was a mere mirage?

If the two were planes, Lee would have been a Concorde to Kittleson’s Boeing 747. Lee just simply accelerated into mach speed. That’s no disrespect to Kittleson. Not at all.

"Well, the Amateur runner-up, I mean if there was one tournament you would want to get second this is definitely it," said Kittleson. "It's got the most benefits, that's for sure. … I can’t complain about my play. I caught him on the wrong day."

Every time Kittleson had him cornered, Lee darted away from trouble. Never was it more evident than on the 26^th hole after Kittleson had the proverbial momentum on his side. He sliced Lee’s lead to two holes on the 24^th with a stirring chip-in from 20 yards out. The crowd cheered mightily and Kittleson raised his right arm like Sylvester Stallone’s "Rocky."

Then Lee lanced the thrust like a boil.

On the 467-yard, par-4 eighth (26^th), Kittleson hit a lagging 35-foot putt that disappeared. He rose his arms again. Except, this time, Lee craftily answered with a 7-footer for an important halve.

"He put lots of pressure on me," said Lee.

Two consecutive birdies for wins sucked the life out of Kittleson. On the final hole, Lee found inspiration in the form of 8-year-old Spencer Kelley of Charlotte, N.C. As he made his way to the green to find the line on his 35-foot putt, Lee shared a high-five with Kelley.

"He told me I was going to do it," said Lee of the final putt that left him animatedly pumping his arms in the air when it dropped in.

It put an exclamation mark on a three-week run that saw Lee win the Western Amateur, finish tied for 20^th in a PGA Tour event and now earn his first USGA title. The victory was almost derailed.

Before his quarterfinal match against Morgan Hoffmann, Lee hurt his shoulder while warming up. His father’s elementary school friend, 39-year-old Rambert Sim, known more as an uncle to Lee, stopped him.

"I told him it’s not worth it," said Sim Sunday after the final. "If it hurts, don’t risk doing anything worse to it."

Lee wouldn’t hear of quitting, telling him that he wanted to go to the Masters and U.S. Open next year.

Stephen Boyd, U.S. Amateur Championship Director, lined up a massage for Lee. He endured medicine and a rubbing ointment to loosen it up. It even meant a hospital visit for X-rays, but Lee persevered.

In retrospect, Lee made the right decision.

"It’s good," said Sim laughing. "Usually he listens to me, but now he’s a grown up."

While the match went on, Sim was busy texting Lee’s parents in New Zealand. When it was finished, Lee spoke to them briefly. He laughed at how his mom was more emotional when he made the final. "I’m not sure why she doesn’t cry today," he said to laughter.

It doesn’t matter. Lee is a loose cannon who seems to hear only one beat: his own.

Consider his exchange after learning he did something not many players in golf have been able to do the past 12 years: he upstaged Tiger Woods. Yep, you read that right.

When told that he broke Woods’ mark as the youngest champion ever in the 108-year history of the championship, Lee shrugged it off.

"Actually, it's a special thing that I'm the youngest U.S. Amateur champion, but I don't think - it's not a big deal, I think," he said.

Then he was told that the U.S. Amateur winner is traditionally paired with the reigning U.S. Open champion, which ironically enough, is Woods.

Lee’s jaw dropped.

"Oh, my God," he said. "That’s a special thing. Wow. I’m going to beat him."

For now, he’ll head back to New Zealand for about three weeks. Then, he said, he’ll start preparing for more tournaments. He might even go to PGA Tour Qualifying School as an amateur. He’s not sure.

He just knows this: for three years he tried qualifying for the U.S. Amateur and always came up short. Until this year. He couldn’t explain why other than finding a relationship to Pinehurst and New Zealander golfers, not exactly a Mensa pairing that would go together like peanut butter and jelly.

It was only three short years ago that fellow Kiwi Michael Campbell won the U.S. Open here with a 72-hole total of even par. To put in context, Lee played the virtually same setup but longer.

"I think this golf course likes New Zealand," said Lee. "I think that's why I play so well."

Not exactly. Lee played so well because he’s gifted, the New Zealand angle aside.

Expect to hear more from him soon.

Ken Klavon is the USGA’s Editor of New Media. E-mail him with questions or comments at kklavon@usga.org.