Golf stars Minjee and Min Woo Lee eye Olympic medals

Siblings Minjee (L) and Min Woo Lee (R) would love nothing more than to both medal in Paris. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)

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 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.

Min Woo Lee and Minjee Lee.
Min Woo Lee critiques his sister Minjee's putting style.

"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.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store