Minjee Lee is the Australian Olympic gold medal hope you haven’t heard much about.
The 25-year-old golfer’s breakthrough victory at the Evian Championship in France last week was the equivalent of Ash Barty winning the French Open.
Her final round performance at Aix-les-Bains – seven-under 64 and a one-hole sudden death victory – was as stunning as a Sam Kerr hat trick.
Yet here she is in Toyko: an understated, unacknowledged champion in the form of her life.
“I feel pretty good about my game in all areas, so hopefully I have a chance come Saturday [the final round].”
Golf made it back onto the Olympic schedule in Rio after a 112-year interval.
The top professional players in the world weren’t sure what it would be like or how it would be received.
Minjee Lee was 20 when she represented Australia in Rio; she loved the experience.
Getty Images: Scott Halleran
)Tokyo has been on her mind ever since.
“I feel like Rio, everything was kind of new and it was just a little but unfamiliar,” she said.
“Japan, there was just a little bit more hype around it. A lot more of the players were eager to go and play.
“And since I got my first taste of what the Olympics were like, I just was really looking forward to coming to Japan.”
The West Australian finished seventh in her first Games.
Tokyo 2020’s postponement did not dampen her enthusiasm to once again represent Australia.
“Initially they were supposed to have fans in Japan,” she said.
“So I was expecting a great crowd atmosphere but unfortunately with Covid and everything that’s going on, there’ll be no fans this year.
“But it’s just something about Tokyo 2020 – everybody was much more excited about it. I always wanted to qualify for the Olympics.”
Minjee Lee joins exclusive club of Australians
Minjee Lee has been a world class professional since she was LPGA rookie of the year in 2015.
Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
)She’s won six LPGA tour events and $7.8 million in prizemoney.
Her breakthrough major championship placed her in an exclusive club of Australians, including Karrie Webb, Jan Stephenson and Hannah Green, who is also competing at the Tokyo Games.
“It was kind of a relief,” she said.
“I’ve been waiting to win a major for quite a long time and I’ve worked really hard for it.
“I knew it was in me and it was eventually coming but just to get it at the Evian is extra special and I was just really, really happy.”
‘Maybe it ignited something in me’
Lee’s biggest win came just days after her brother, Min Woo Lee, won the Scottish Open.
Last week, the siblings caught up in Dallas, Texas, to relax, compare trophies, watch the start of the Games on television, and celebrate Min Woo’s 23rd birthday.
“I was more emotional seeing him win than when I won the Evian,” Minjee said.
Getty Images: Stuart Franklin
)“Golfers go through a lot of ups and downs, and you don’t know what’s really going on until you’ve walked in our shoes.
“I think maybe his win gave me a little bit more fire in my belly.”
On her first day in Tokyo, Lee played nine rounds at Kasumigaseki Country Club.
It seemed the weather would take more getting used to than the course.
“It’s really hot here,” she said.
“The course is in really great shape. It’s a good ball-striking golf course.”
She’ll tee off tomorrow knowing her recent success was not a surprise.
“I’ve been trending in the right direction for the past couple of weeks,” she said.
“I felt like I’ve been playing better and better each week. So, for it to come altogether I think it was really nice to see, and to see the hard work pay off.”
Lee’s hectic schedule won’t cease after the Olympic competition.
On Sunday she’ll leave for the United Kingdom — next stop the Scottish and British opens – perhaps carrying a medal, along with an indisputable reputation as one of Australia’s finest sportspeople.
