Min Woo Lee sports his new signature shoe
Payntr
When it comes to both meal prep and golf, a keen mind goes a lot farther than a sharp knife or a fast swing. Fans of Australian pro Min Woo Lee—the younger brother of 11-time LPGA Tour winner Minjee Lee—wear chef’s hats while watching their player “cook” on the golf course.
With A24’s Anthony Bourdain biopic Tony in theaters, the timing is particularly apropos for Lee to add a fresh dash of flavor to his repertoire.
The golf star’s tinkering with his equipment recipe was a storyline at the Tour Championship. He opened the season-ending tournament with a 62 after a blind shaft test arranged by Callaway’s tour reps prompted him to make a late switch. He went on to finish tied for fourth, earning a $1.7 million payday.
For Lee, the next equipment tweak starts at ground level. The 28-year-old joined Payntr’s player roster in January, and the company is now giving him a $240 signature golf shoe that drops today.
The CHEF RX RS was developed and extensively wear-tested with Lee, marking the five-year-old footwear and apparel brand’s latest effort to turn its tour ambassadors into product collaborators.
The signature-shoe launch extends a player-collaboration strategy Payntr began in 2024 with the Jason Day co-designed Eighty Seven SC, which remains part of the company’s current kicks lineup. The goal is not merely a recognizable player wearing the logo, but a shoe with that player’s fingerprints all over its performance brief and visual identity.
For Lee, the challenge was to strike a balance. “I wanted a shoe that felt locked in and responsive when I’m swinging at full speed,” he said in a statement, “but I also wanted it to look clean, premium and different from anything else out there.” The result pairs a full-grain-leather upper and copper-accented styling with a propulsion plate that Payntr says is intended to help golfers better harness ground reaction forces—the forces generated through the feet and legs that help create speed in the swing.
Payntr Creative Director Michael Glancy said the project was considered through “the lens of how Min Woo moves, generates power and expresses himself on the course.”
That approach helps distinguish the model from a run-of-the-mill branded colorway. Lee’s tastes are baked into its knit tongue, integrated bootie construction, traction system and cushioning, while the “Chef” moniker winks at the player’s fan-facing persona.
“Min brings tremendous energy, creativity and authenticity to everything he does,” Payntr president Mike Forsey said, adding that Lee’s feedback helped the brand build a shoe for his competitive requirements while simultaneously translating its performance benefits to everyday golfers.
Starting today, the shoe is available through Payntr’s website, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, PGA Tour Superstore and select retailers nationwide.
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