Anything you can do: How our Games golf hopes will rest on Perth pair
Minjee and Min Woo Lee will cast sibling rivalry aside and feed off each other in pursuit of Olympic glory as the sister-brother act pen a slice of Australian sports history in Paris.
Minjee Lee of Australia (left) and Min Woo Lee of Australia speak to media ahead of the ISPS HANDA Australian Open 2022, at the Cheltenham Golf Club in Melbourne, Wednesday, November 30, 2022. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett) NO ARCHIVING
The Perth prodigies will become the first golf siblings to represent Australia at an Olympics and hope to win the country’s maiden medals in the sport.
Ranking the Olympics “right up there” behind only the four annual major championships, Min Woo admits Paris wasn’t even on his radar until he started making a big move up the rankings.
“I was too far back but last year and this year, after coming out on the scene and playing out in America, it was one of the biggest goals,” the 25-year-old said on Wednesday of his Games debut.
“It’s very special to play in the Olympics.
“Minjee’s already played a couple now, so she was always kind of going to be in there.
“But to have my sister, as a family to be there, it’s amazing.”
As a dual major winner and one-time world No.2, Minjee boasts family bragging rights but insists the banter will make way for support when the pair hunt medals at Le Golf National outside of the French capital.
The 27-year-old hopes to catch at least nine holes of Min Woo’s final round live after arriving in France later with the women’s tournament starting three days after the men’s finishes.
“It’s more motivation that we both give to each other,” said the world No.11.
“If somebody’s winning a tournament or doing really well, I also want to do really well.
“So I think we both drive each other to be better.
“So I wouldn’t say it’s a rivalry. I would just say it’s just nudging each other along.”
With two DP World Tour wins compared to Minjee’s 10 LPGA Tour victories, Min Woo knows he has ground to make up but hopes to inspire his sister in Paris.
“She can see where I finish on the leaderboard and she can try and beat that,” he said.
With fellow West Australian Hannah Green joining the Lees, the Games will also be a special time for the trio’s trusted coach Ritchie Smith.
Jason Day is the only 2024 Olympian not in Smith’s stable.
“It’s an amazing achievement. As a coach, you can’t really ask for more,” Min Woo said.
“The Olympics, obviously there’s only the top two (men and women) in a country get to play so it just shows how good he actually is as a coach.”
Smith has been mentoring Minjee since she was 12.
“He’s like just part of the family now,” she said.
Contesting her second Olympics, Green has come closest of this year’s Australian competitors at winning a medal, finishing fifth in Tokyo in 2021.
