Growing up, Lee Janzen was an avid baseball player. But when his parents moved to Florida, he enrolled in a junior golf clinic and quickly excelled at the sport. Baseball’s loss has been the PGA Tour’s gain, as Janzen is one of the rarefied few to have won the U.S. Open, golf’s toughest major, twice. He also has won the Players Championship and a slew of other high-profile Tour events, including the Phoenix Open and Buick Classic.
At age 40 Janzen is still going strong, and before the end of June he was well on his way toward the magic million-dollar mark in season winnings for the fourth time. He has two top-10 finishes and posted a strong top-25 showing at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.
Waterfront Relaxation
Despite his continued success, Janzen, who is spon sored on Tour by IMI and is known to be a man deeply dedicated to his family, decided to take the month of July off to enjoy an extended summer vacation with his wife and son. He rented a house at The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards in South Carolina.
“I think after this break I should be pretty energized and my game will be in great shape,” Janzen says. “I’m spending July here on Keowee because I’m interested in having a summer home and wanted to try it out.”
Janzen says his 10-year-old son loves it. “We went out and hit balls until dark last night. In the summer I’m just interested in relaxing, and we are right on the lake here. I’ve only been here one day and I already love it.”
At Home with IMI
Through his IMI sponsorship, Janzen says he’s become very interested in what the company does. “[IMI] is changing the face of how great golf communities are designed, marketed and sold,” he says.
In the ultimate demonstration of his belief in IMI and its developers, Janzen and his family just bought property at Bella Collina in Orlando, FL, a community which is being developed by IMI client The Ginn Company. Janzen’s confidence in IMI and its partners demonstrates a commitment that runs deeper than the relationship between player and sponsor. Janzen’s family is now connected to the IMI world, which means there’s an inherent trust. “Everything I’ve seen [with IMI] is first class and people really respond to that,” Janzen says.
