Village of Pinehurst, N.C. – New Zealand’s Danny Lee started slowly but went on a mid-round birdie barrage Sunday to hold a 5-up lead over Drew Kittleson of Scottsdale, Ariz., after the first 18 holes of the 36-hole championship final at the U.S. Amateur on Pinehurst No. 2.

In the middle of the morning round on the 7-281-yard, par-70 course that has hosted two U.S. Opens in the past 10 years, Lee won seven of nines holes to go 5 up after 15 holes. The two players halved the final three holes. Lee made five birdies during the stretch, leaving Kittleson somewhat shell-shocked.

"He only made only one bogey on No. 5 and then he made birdies on holes 10, 11, 13 and 15, and made 10 or 15-footers to save par on 17 and 18," Kittleson said. "What are you going to do?"

A high school senior, Lee is bidding to become the youngest Amateur champion. One month past his 18^th birthday, Lee would be six months younger than Tiger Woods was in 1994 when he won the first of his three consecutive Amateur titles.

Lee particularly showed his skill when he negotiated an awkward stance from a fairway bunker on the 14^th hole, a long par 4 at 468 yards. He lifted a 6-iron from 175 yards and dropped it within 20 feet of the hole. Kittleson, who was also in trouble off the tee, missed the green with his approach and made bogey to go 4 down.

"I am feeling really well (shoulder) right now and that’s why I’m playing so well," Lee said at the break. "I am trying to play aggressively. I needed to find the green speeds early, but I knew it was going to come. This is fun. This is so cool to play in front of all these people."

Lee had trailed for only one hole in his previous five matches. The only thing that troubled him earlier in the week was a tight left shoulder that he iced and took pain medication for prior to winning his quarterfinal match.

Kittleson, a sophomore at Florida State, birdied the first hole and won the fifth hole with a par, putting Lee in a position (2 down) he had not been in before.

Lee responded by winning the seventh with a birdie from 5 feet. He squared the match with a par on the ninth. He took the lead with a tap-in birdie on the par-5 10^th and followed that with winning birdies on three of the next five holes.

The two finalists already have earned a full exemption for the 2009 U.S. Open and a probable invitation to the 2009 Masters Tournament. The champion also earns a spot in the 2009 British Open.

The afternoon round will be televised on the Golf Channel; from 1-4 p.m. (EDT) Sunday.

The Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Story written by Craig Smith, the USGA Director of Media Relations. E-mail him with questions or comments at csmith@usga.org.