Minjee and Min Woo Lee might not see each other in Paris. Why aren’t they playing together?
In 128 years of the modern Olympic Games, Australia has had 15 sets of siblings who have competed in the same sport.
The 16th pair – golfing superstars Minjee and Min Woo Lee – will be lucky to even see each other at Paris 2024.
Minjee reckons she might be a chance of catching the back nine of the final day of Min Woo’s maiden Olympic Games appearance, only if she rushes out to Le Golf National after landing in the French capital.
Min Woo doesn’t have a clue yet if he will have time to hang around to watch his sister play the following week.
Maybe it says more of the relentless pace which has golfers criss-crossing the globe for the next event of their year-round tournament, of which the Olympic Games is just another.
So, with golf slowly starting to earn its stripes back in the Olympic Games fold – it was reintroduced for Rio in 2016, only for a host of star-studded men’s players to boycott it because it wasn’t important enough to them or some mosquitoes were threatening to end the world – is it time for the sport’s gold medal ambition to change?
Min Woo and Minjee Lee will represent Australia at Paris 2024.Credit: Getty
How about a truly unique event where golfers compete as teams for their country, across different genders, like the International Olympic Committee has already started doing with other sports, supercharging a noble game stuck in its staid ways?
Imagine the Lees striding down the 18th fairway together working as a team trying to pick the right club for an approach shot, hoping to beat Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda from the United States in golf’s first multi-player event at the Olympics.
“I’ve had a little think about it only recently,” Minjee said. “It seems like they’re trying to incorporate some sort of teams event [for Los Angeles in 2028], which means we have to play pretty much two extra days on top of our regular tournament. I’m not sure how they’re going to do it.
“But I do think with the nature of the Olympics, they should have some sort of teams event, if they can incorporate it without having too much strain on the players. I don’t know how they would fit it in, and I’m not sure how I feel about it to be honest.”
Always the prankster, Min Woo Lee fired back: “Just say you don’t want to play with me”.
Los Angeles would be good, but Paris feels like an opportunity missed.
The Lees won’t even be able to march together at the opening or closing ceremonies – Min Woo plans to be there for the start of Paris 2024, but not the end – and the cameras will do well to catch them together given Minjee’s schedule before and after her third Games appearance.
Asked about the possibility of one day teaming up with his sister at the Olympics, Min Woo said: “I think it would be special. It makes a big difference playing another two days and I guess prep-wise, it will be tough without a practice round with each other. There are a lot of questions around it.
Jason Day will make his first appearance at the Olympic Games.Credit: Getty Images
“[But] I think it would be cool, even if it’s just one day. I’m sure there will be a lot of input with players and the committee and it would be special if we could play together.”
Minjee Lee will join Hannah Green as Australia’s two women’s representatives in Paris, with Min Woo to make his Olympic Games debut alongside Jason Day in the men’s event.
Min Woo (world No.31) has jumped to just three spots behind Day (28) in the rankings after he tied for second behind Australia’s Cameron Davis in the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic on Monday morning (AEST).
Cameron Smith’s LIV Golf switch in 2022 stifled his hopes of returning to the Olympic Games given Greg Norman’s Saudi-backed circuit has not been officially recognised for world rankings points.
“Growing up for swimming and track, the Olympics was the biggest thing,” Min Woo said. “Golf is definitely becoming that way. [It’s] maybe not The Masters or the majors, but right behind it for sure. It happens every four years and to get in a team with a lot of other good players competing for that spot, it’s a massive deal.”
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