He's been the 'other' amateur from Perth at this week's Australian Open and forever playing second fiddle to his superstar sister Minjee, but Min Woo Lee cares little for sibling rivalry as he climbs up the Australian Open leaderboard.
Lee arrived at Royal Sydney with less fanfare than fellow Western Australian Curtis Luck, but his round of five-under-par 67 on Friday propelled the 18-year-old into the top 10 at Royal Sydney.
Lee - who this year became the first Australian male to win the US Junior Amateur title - believes he's already done enough to emerge from the shadow of older sister Minjee, a three-time LPGA Tour winner by the age of 20.
He doesn't care about comparisons as he looks to make his own name.
"She's my sister. I've got to care for her. She's got to care for me," said Lee.
"It's not like I get pissed off or anything. It's good to see her playing well and it's good to see myself playing well."
Teeing off the 10th, Lee didn't make ground on the field until birdies at the par-5 16th and par-3 17th to make the turn at two under.
Lee then mixed two birdies and an eagle at the par-5 seventh with a bogey at the fifth and said his 67 was "up there" with his course-record eight-under 64 to lead the WA PGA Championship last year.
But Lee acknowledged good weekend scores would be needed to keep pace with first-round leader Luck.
"We (amateurs) have the potential to play really well and we have the drive to win and go low around this course," he said.
"But we just want to beat each other."
A member of Royal Fremantle Golf Club, Lee has compiled a significant amateur golf record during the past two years.
In April, he received a private lesson with Tiger Woods at the Sage Valley Invitational in South Carolina before firing the lowest round of the final day to finish runner-up at the prestigious amateur tournament.
In July, he earned 2-and-1 victory over American Noah Goodwin in the 36-hole final of the US Junior Amateur. Lee's victory meant he and 2012 US Girls' Junior winner Minjee became the first brother-sister combination to claim USGA junior championships.
Last year, Lee took out the 2015 Aaron Baddeley International World Final in the US, as well as the WA Amateur Championship.
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