Min Woo Lee getting in on his sister’s act

Min Woo Lee unveils what affliction threatened his sister’s career this year.

Min Woo Lee during his victorious final round at the Australian PGA Championship Picture: AFP

Golf is the new tennis. If Australians are going to hoist major championship trophies to the ephemeral sky next year it will be at Augusta National or Royal Troon as opposed to Wimbledon, Flushing Meadows or dear old Melbourne Park.

The only cause of a golfer’s sorrow is the absence of a slam on home soil. Min Woo Lee and his mates are always attempting to raid foreign lands.

Lee is a loquacious and likeable character. He’s front and centre at this week’s Australian Open – should be a major! – with big sister Minjee.

He may have swung into action by letting a secret out of the family bag. We knew Minjee’s putting wasn’t up to scratch earlier this year but Min Woo has offered a startling new context.

She was so gripped by golf’s greatest curse, the dreaded yips, that it might have killed off her ­career.

“It’s funny because every time I win it seems like next week she wins, so if you guys want to put some money on my sister winning next week, you’ll probably have a win,” he said before his arrival in Sydney for his tilt at the Stone­haven Cup. “I’m obviously trying to be as good as I can and she’s one of a kind. She’s a really great golfer and she’s not slowing down.

“She knows she slowed down early in the year but she’s found a way to win again. It was near ­career-ending kind of putter yips and now she’s slowly overcoming that. It’s pretty special to see that hard work really happens.

“That’s not a secret to anyone. She’s always worked hard and hopefully I can follow in her ­footsteps and keep winning ­tournaments.”

Near career-ending kind of putting yips!

I imagine Minjee may have preferred to keep the extent of her shambolic work with the short stick under the peak of her cap.

The only thing worse than having the yips … is having everyone know you’ve had the yips.

She must have solved a few issues because she’s won twice this year on the LPGA Tour and climbed back to No. 5 in the world rankings. Yippee.

Getting in on his sister’s act, Min Woo leapt to world No.38 after his lightning bolt of a win at Royal Queensland.

He’s Australia’s third-highest-ranked men’s player behind No.18 Cam Smith and No.21 Jason Day. He let slip another exclusive snippet of information when mentioning he was about to be fitted out for his Paris Olympics uniform.

It’s usually a private, unpublicised and unmentionable process. It doesn’t mean you’re in the team. Just means you’re in the mix.

You can hex yourself by talking about it but perhaps he’s become unhexable.

“I think we’re going to get a team fitting tomorrow or next week,” he said. “You don’t want to get ahead of yourself and get fitted for something that you’re not in so, yeah, there’s a bit of pressure there. And I like pressure.

“I normally tend to play well when I need to make something or I need to do something to get in a tournament, so I’m really excited for that. That would be a true honour to play for Australia.”

So, you’re in? “No, no, no,” he replied. “I think there are just a few of us, whoever’s going to potentially get in – I still need to play some good golf to get in.”

His elevated levels of confidence, momentum, popularity and swagger are matched by the career-high ranking that gets him into next year’s US Masters.

He’s a cool enough youngish dude, aged 27, to go moonwalking through tournaments but his next serious step is to get down to the nitty gritty of majors.

“For sure,” he nodded. “I’m really close to doing well in the big majors and the big tournaments.

“My game’s in a great spot and I can’t wait for those majors. The game’s in an unreal space right now and I’ve found a really good mentality.

“My team’s there to support and … we haven’t been changing anything, which was my problem, really, when I was younger.

“I’ve found my craft a little bit and now I’m starting to develop and mature into it.”

Thirty is the new 20. Orange is the new black. Mary Fowler and Nathan Cleary are the new Posh and Becks. Golf is the new tennis.

Put it this way. As an Australian sportswriter, I know what I’ll be pitching up to the boss for next year.

Minjee Lee has not had the best of years with the putter Picture: Getty Images

Ash Barty is deep into the mother of all early retirements and so what’s the point of going to The All England Club to witness a series of gallant third-round tennis defeats?

Better to take pen and paper to watch the Lees, Smith, Day, Adam Scott, Hannah Green and Grace Kim, for starters, have a proper crack at winning a major.

Min Woo has played nine ­majors. Missed three cuts. Tied for 14th on Masters debut last year.

He hit his straps with a tie for fifth at this year’s US Open at Los Angeles Country Club. He was only five strokes behind the champ, American Wyndham Clark. Five shots over four rounds … nothing that Doctor Chipinski cannot overcome.

“I’m really excited,” Min Woo says of his date with Augusta National in April. “It’s one of the best places on earth for myself. I rate it so highly. It’s the best place to go.

“I rank that one the number one major. Obviously the (British) Open’s right behind it but, yeah, Augusta’s a special place. I can’t wait to go back.”

Golf is the new tennis. Min Woo and Minjee are the new Waugh twins. A pair of superstars chasing the sibling slam in ­Sydney.

But they’re opposites. Fire and ice. Min Woo is so extroverted he could play an entire Australian Open in one of those oversized chefs hats.

Minjee is more likely to go for one of those T-shirts that says, “Introverts Unite. We’re Here, We’re Uncomfortable And We Want To Go Home”.

Like Barty, she’s a two-time major champion. Unlike Barty, she doesn’t have a huge public profile. I reckon the name of Min Woo has become more recognisable than Minjee. He disagrees.

“I think it’s nearly the opposite,” he says before the Open starts at The Australian and The Lakes courses on Thursday.

“Everyone knows she’s good and I’m slowly becoming a name for myself. The social media presence (for himself) has been amazing. Everywhere I go, it doesn’t matter where, I’ve gotten support, which is fantastic.

“Even the small countries. I tell myself to just keep playing golf. It’s nice to have a sister that plays really well.

“Sometimes a lot of people think it’s bad. I think it’s amazing. I’d rather her play good than bad. I’m proud of her and the family and hopefully I can keep it going.”