On Sunday, Australian golfer Minjee Lee overturned a seven shot deficit to beat South Korea’s Jeongeun Lee in a play-off to clinch her first major title in the Evian Championship.
Before that weekend triumph in France, the 25-year-old, who has been ranked as high as world number two, was widely considered to be one of the best current players not to win a major.
What a way to do it! The win matches the biggest comeback to win a major in women’s game, matching the feats of Australia's Karrie Webb in a play-off at the 2006 Kraft Nabisco Championship and Patty Sheehan at the 1983 Women's PGA Championship. It was Lee’s 37th major start, and her previous best was third which she has achieved twice.
Lee had put a lot of pressure on herself to win a major, so to finally clinch one, a huge weight has been taken off her shoulders and now the sky's the limit.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform, and I hear so many people say, ‘We really want to you win a major and a major is just around the corner’,” she said after the triumph.
“It’s easier said than done, and everybody is so good out here. It’s just really nice to have a major title under my belt. I always have high expectations for myself.”
It marks a remarkable few weeks in the Lee household, with her younger brother, Min Woo Lee, also picking up a big win at the Scottish Open. Like his sister, the 22-year-old emerged victorious in a play-off to clinch his second European Tour title.
Unsurprisingly, the pair share the usual rivalries you’d expect from a brother and sister, but Min Woo has spoken often about the support Minjee has given him over the years and how it’s developed him as a pro.
“I get a bit of grief sometimes about being in her shadow a bit, so it’s become kind of a motivation for me. But apart from that, it’s nice to have a sister who plays at the highest level and you can brag and tell people she’s a really good golfer,” he wrote PGA Tour website in February
“She’s been a good mentor since I turned professional. Amateur golf is different to professional golf and I needed someone to talk to initially to guide me along and she’s been there and I appreciate her for it.”
“I think it’s pretty special to have a brother as a professional golfer as you don’t really see too many families with two golfers playing at the highest level,” added Minjee.
“That’s kind of a special thing coming from the family. Previously, a lot of people were saying ‘This is Minjee’s brother’ and I think that kind of got on his nerves a little but I think he’s writing his own book now which is cool to see.”
The pair have already made history as the first brother/sister combination to win the U.S. Juniors (Minjee won the U.S Juniors in 2012, whilst Min Woo won it in 2016), but now the two are beginning to make their mark in the big leagues. We might be seeing the rise of two superstar siblings who could dominate the men’s and women’s game for years to come.