Minjee Lee could achieve something no Australian golfer ever has at the women's British Open
Instead, the world No.5 had 'just been playing' but admitted after arriving in Wales and with questions being asked said that matching the feat of Hall of Famer Lydia Ko had suddenly provided 'quite a big motivation'.
With three major championships on her resume already, adding the women's Open would lift Lee into not just golfing rare air but elevate her among the greats of Australian sport.
'Surprisingly, it hasn't really been on my mind. I've just been playing,' Lee said.
'I don't feel like it's really played on my mind that much, but now that I'm here I want to obviously play well and have a good result.
'I mean all the majors are a great motivator for me, so yes, I definitely want to win it at some stage and be able to get the career Grand Slam. That would be absolutely amazing.
'Lydia's done it and she's in the Hall of Fame and I think now that I look back at it, right now, what I can say, that's quite a big motivation for me to try and get over the line.'
Australian women have won two of the four majors so far in 2025, with Lee taking out the PGA and Grace Kim's stunning playoff victory in the Evian Championship in France.
Asked if she felt like it was a 'golden era', with Hannah Green also a major champion, Lee, who didn't want to class herself as a 'veteran' at 30, said things do 'feel different' now with nine Australians in the field this week.
'I think obviously I'm a little older than the girls coming through now, so I don't know how to say it, but I'm not a veteran, more of an older sister to these guys,' she said.
'So it just feels a little bit different … kind of feels like more of a full circle moment now. I've seen them since their amateur days and junior days, so now they're on the circuit with me.'
Cassie Porter is part of the next generation, playing her first British Open, and said it was the 'best time ever to be an Australian women's golfer' with such a large cohort providing constant support, encouragement and guidance.
'We have so many Aussies out here and it's such a family. Our physios are Aussie. There's so many Aussie players, so many Aussie caddies,' she said.
Despite not winning, Lee has a remarkable Open record, with six top-11 finishes in 11 starts that she puts down to a 'home' feel on links courses.
'It's a different vibe,' she said.
'And some of the bunkers are kind of rolling, so it's with the natural terrain, which just looks really nice and there's a few pot bunkers here and there. It just reminds me a little bit more of home.'
Australians the field
Minjee Lee
World ranking: 5
Past AIG Women's Open appearances: 11
Best AIG Women's Open finish: 3rd in 2020
Hannah Green
World ranking: 11
Past AIG Women's Open appearances: 7
Best AIG Women's Open finish: T16 in 2019
Grace Kim
World ranking: 26
Past AIG Women's Open appearances: 2
Best AIG Women's Open finish: T36 in 2023
Karis Davidson
World ranking: 220
Past AIG Women's Open appearances: Nil
Best AIG Women's Open finish: N/A
Stephanie Kyriacou
World ranking: 42
Past AIG Women's Open appearances: 5
Best AIG Women's Open finish: T7 in 2022
Hira Naveed
World ranking: 141
Past AIG Women's Open appearances: 1
Best AIG Women's Open finish: MC in 2024
Cassie Porter
World ranking: 178
Past AIG Women's Open appearances: 0
Kirsten Rudgeley
World ranking: 162
Past AIG Women's Open appearances: 0
Gabriela Ruffels
World ranking: 63
Past AIG Women's Open appearances: 2
Best AIG Women's Open finish: MC in 2020, 2024
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