A historic brother-sister double at this week’s ISPS Handa Australian Open could pave the way for Lee siblings, Minjee and Min Woo, to represent Australia at the 2024 Olympic Games.
On the back of his three-stroke win at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship on Sunday, Min Woo will climb to No.38 in the Official World Golf Ranking. That makes him Australia’s third-highest ranked men’s player behind only Cameron Smith (No.18) and Jason Day (21).
While Smith is desperate to don the green and gold for a second time, Day’s Olympic ambition is less clear. That could open the door for Lee to join Minjee in Paris, big sister a lock given her current Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking of No.5.
Such are Lee’s prospects of an Olympic debut, he and a select group of players will undergo fittings for Olympic uniforms this week in Sydney, bringing a new sense of reality to what just a few years ago was an impossible dream.
“I think we’re going to get a team fitting tomorrow or next week,” said the newest winner of the Joe Kirkwood Cup [pictured above with parents Soonam and Clara].
“You don’t want to get ahead of yourself and get fitted for something that you’re not in, so yeah, there’s a bit of pressure there, and I like pressure.
“I normally tend to play well when I need to make something or I need to do something to get in a tournament, so I’m really excited for that. That would be a true honour, to play for Australia.”
Given that the four Australian golf representatives for Paris won’t be finalised until well into 2024, Lee knows that he needs to extend his current rich vein of form for as long as possible.
He also knows that there is the very real prospect of being upstaged this week by big sister Minjee.
Currently being shadowed by an ABC film crew for a future episode of “Australian Story”, Minjee and Min Woo enter the week as two of the standout favourites for the women’s and men’s Australian Opens to be contested at The Australian Golf Club and The Lakes Golf Club.
Already the first brother-sister pair in golf history to win on major world tours in consecutive weeks, such an accomplishment this week would elevate the Lee siblings into all-time great status well before either turn 30.
The pair have already won the Vic Open two years apart while Minjee has made a habit of stealing back Lee family bragging rights.
When Min Woo won the Scottish Open in 2021, Minjee responded with a breakthrough major victory two weeks later at the Amundi Evian Championship.
And when Min Woo won the SJM Macao Open on October 15, Minjee took just seven days to claim her 10th LPGA Tour win at the BMW Ladies Championship in Korea.
“It’s funny, because every time I win it seems like next week she wins, so if you guys want to put some money on my sister winning next week, you’ll probably win,” Lee joked less than an hour after putting out on the 18th green at Royal Queensland Golf Club on Sunday.
“It’s cool. If I win next week or she doesn’t win, it will be nice to have that for the Christmas and for the New Year’s break, have it for a few weeks, that will be nice.
“I’m obviously trying to be as good as I can and she’s one of a kind. She’s a really great golfer and she’s not slowing down. She knows she slowed down early in the year but she’s found a way to win again. That’s not a secret to anyone.
“She’s always worked hard and hopefully I can follow in her footsteps and keep winning tournaments.”
And perhaps matching Olympic gold medals.
