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 person competed successful the aforesaid sport.

The 16th brace – golfing superstars Minjee and Min Woo Lee – volition beryllium fortunate to adjacent spot each different astatine Paris 2024.

Minjee reckons she mightiness beryllium a accidental of catching the backmost 9 of the last time of Min Woo’s maiden Olympic Games appearance, lone if she rushes retired to Le Golf National aft landing successful the French capital.

Min Woo doesn’t person a hint yet if helium volition person clip to bent astir to ticker his sister play the pursuing week.

Maybe it says much of the relentless gait which has golfers criss-crossing the globe for the adjacent lawsuit of their year-round tournament, of which the Olympic Games is conscionable another.

So, with play dilatory starting to gain its stripes backmost successful the Olympic Games fold – it was reintroduced for Rio successful 2016, lone for a big of star-studded men’s players to boycott it due to the fact that it wasn’t important capable to them oregon some mosquitoes were threatening to extremity the world – is it clip for the sport’s golden medal ambition to change?

Min Woo and Minjee Lee volition correspond Australia astatine Paris 2024.Credit: Getty

How astir a genuinely unsocial lawsuit wherever golfers vie arsenic teams for their country, crossed antithetic genders, similar the International Olympic Committee has already started doing with different sports, supercharging a noble crippled stuck successful its staid ways?

Imagine the Lees striding down the 18th fairway unneurotic moving arsenic a squad trying to prime the close nine for an attack shot, hoping to bushed Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda from the United States successful golf’s archetypal multi-player lawsuit astatine the Olympics.

“I’ve had a small deliberation astir it lone recently,” Minjee said. “It seems similar they’re trying to incorporated immoderate benignant of teams lawsuit [for Los Angeles successful 2028], which means we person to play beauteous overmuch 2 other days connected apical of our regular tournament. I’m not definite however they’re going to bash it.

“But I bash deliberation with the quality of the Olympics, they should person immoderate benignant of teams event, if they tin incorporated it without having excessively overmuch strain connected the players. I don’t cognize however they would acceptable it in, and I’m not definite however I consciousness astir it to beryllium honest.”

Always the prankster, Min Woo Lee fired back: “Just accidental you don’t privation to play with me”.

Los Angeles would beryllium good, but Paris feels similar an accidental missed.

The Lees won’t adjacent beryllium capable to march unneurotic astatine the opening oregon closing ceremonies – Min Woo plans to beryllium determination for the commencement of Paris 2024, but not the extremity – and the cameras volition bash good to drawback them unneurotic fixed Minjee’s docket earlier and aft her 3rd Games appearance.

Asked astir the anticipation of 1 time teaming up with his sister astatine the Olympics, Min Woo said: “I deliberation it would beryllium special. It makes a large quality playing different 2 days and I conjecture prep-wise, it volition beryllium pugnacious without a signifier circular with each other. There are a batch of questions astir it.

Jason Day volition marque his archetypal quality astatine the Olympic Games.Credit: Getty Images

“[But] I deliberation it would beryllium cool, adjacent if it’s conscionable 1 day. I’m definite determination volition beryllium a batch of input with players and the committee and it would beryllium peculiar if we could play together.”

Minjee Lee volition articulation Hannah Green arsenic Australia’s 2 women’s representatives successful Paris, with Min Woo to marque his Olympic Games debut alongside Jason Day successful the men’s event.

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Min Woo (world No.31) has jumped to conscionable 3 spots down Day (28) successful the rankings aft helium tied for 2nd down Australia’s Cameron Davis successful the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic connected Monday greeting (AEST).

Cameron Smith’s LIV Golf power successful 2022 stifled his hopes of returning to the Olympic Games fixed Greg Norman’s Saudi-backed circuit has not been officially recognised for satellite rankings points.

“Growing up for swimming and track, the Olympics was the biggest thing,” Min Woo said. “Golf is decidedly becoming that way. [It’s] possibly not The Masters oregon the majors, but close down it for sure. It happens each 4 years and to get successful a squad with a batch of different bully players competing for that spot, it’s a monolithic deal.”

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