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.
The Perth prodigies will become the first golf siblings to represent Australia at an Olympics and hope to win the countryās maiden medals in the sport.
Ranking the Olympics āright up thereā behind only the four annual major championships, Min Woo admits Paris wasnāt even on his radar until he started making a big move up the rankings.
āI 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,ā the 25-year-old said on Wednesday of his Games debut.
āItās very special to play in the Olympics.
āMinjeeās already played a couple now, so she was always kind of going to be in there.
āBut to have my sister, as a family to be there, itās amazing.ā
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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 Wooās final round live after arriving in France later with the womenās tournament starting three days after the menās finishes.
āItās more motivation that we both give to each other,ā said the world No.11.
āIf somebodyās winning a tournament or doing really well, I also want to do really well.
āSo I think we both drive each other to be better.
āSo I wouldnāt say itās a rivalry. I would just say itās just nudging each other along.ā
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With two DP World Tour wins compared to Minjeeās 10 LPGA Tour victories, Min Woo knows he has ground to make up but hopes to inspire his sister in Paris.
āShe can see where I finish on the leaderboard and she can try and beat that,ā he said.
With fellow West Australian Hannah Green joining the Lees, the Games will also be a special time for the trioās trusted coach Ritchie Smith.
Jason Day is the only 2024 Olympian not in Smithās stable.
āItās an amazing achievement. As a coach, you canāt really ask for more,ā Min Woo said.
āThe Olympics, obviously thereās 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.ā
Smith has been mentoring Minjee since she was 12.
āHeās like just part of the family now,ā she said.
Contesting her second Olympics, Green has come closest of this yearās Australian competitors at winning a medal, finishing fifth in Tokyo in 2021.
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