There is a healthy rivalry in the Lee family. Minjee, 27, and Min Woo, 25, throw darts at each other amidst laughter. They both have a great sense of humour and you only have to see the younger sibling’s grace on the 17th hole of the final round of the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship last Sunday, wearing a chef’s hat on the bustling hole just before being proclaimed tournament champion. Sister and brother will share an event this week: their country’s Open at The Australian Golf Club and The Lakes in Sydney.
“It’s funny, because every time I win it seems like the next week or the one after she does, so if you want to bet some money on my sister’s victory in the Australian Open, you’ll probably win,” Min Woo assured after his victory at Royal Queensland.
His prediction is based on a couple of certainties. Minjee’s most recent victory at the South Korean BMW Championship came just seven days after her brother won the Macao Open, making October a fabulous month for the Lees. But also in 2021, two weeks after Min Woo took the Scottish Open, the older sibling won her first Major, the Evian. Another curiosity is that both have won the Vic Open: she in 2018 and he in 2020. They are already the first pair of siblings in golf history to win on the main world tours in consecutive weeks and their victory this Sunday would elevate the Lee siblings to an even higher status.
“She knows she slowed down at the beginning of the year, but she found a way to win again. It’s very special to see that hard work really pays off. That’s no secret to anyone. She’s always worked hard and I hope to follow in her footsteps and keep winning tournaments,” Min Woo praises the fifth-ranked player in the world.
In addition, a historic double by the siblings in Sydney next Sunday could pave the way for the Lee siblings to represent Australia at the Olympic Games in 2024. After his victory at the Fortinet, Min Woo has risen to 38th place in the world ranking; this makes him the third highest ranked Australian, only behind Cameron Smith (18th) and Jason Day (21st). While Smith is desperate to represent his country for the second time (although he will have to score points in the valid tournaments, not many for him, as he continues to compete in LIV Golf), Day’s Olympic ambition is less clear. This could open the door for Min Woo to join Minjee in Paris, as she has secured her presence given the world ranking.
Min Woo’s prospects of making his Olympic debut are such that he and a select group of players will undergo Olympic uniform testing this week in Sydney, bringing a new sense of reality to what was just a few years ago an impossible dream. “You don’t want to get ahead of yourself and prepare for something you’re not yet qualified for, so yes, there’s a bit of pressure, and I like that. I usually tend to play well when I need to do something. It would be a real honour to play for Australia,” declared the younger Lee. But before, long before the meeting in the Gauls, he will have a duel with Minjee to see who finishes better in the Australian Open, which their parents, Soonam and Clara, will watch live, present at their younger son’s victory in Brisbane the other day.
