Golfer Minjee Lee hears the hype about her capturing the women's Australian Open crown this weekend.
But she refuses to listen.
Australia's top-ranked golfer says she places enough pressure on herself, let alone adding to it with external expectation.
"Pressure-wise, you put more on yourself because you have such high expectations competing in your home country and it's your national title," Lee told reporters on Tuesday.
The Perth-born golfer is her nation's best chance of winning the Australian Open at Adelaide's Kooyonga Golf Club from Thursday.
The 21-year-old enters the tournament in red-hot form: a Victorian Open win followed by second place in the Canberra Classic.
Hence the chatter about her chances of becoming the first Australian to win their national title since Karrie Webb in 2014.
Webb, who has five Australian Open victories, will be part of a field including four players ranked in the world's top 10, and 15 winners of LPGA major championships.
But it's Lee who will carry Australian hopes.
"I had two great tournaments prior to this week so I'm feeling pretty solid in all parts of my game so I think I had great preparation," she said.
"My goal is to win. I don't think anybody comes into a tournament not wanting to win, so it would be great if I could.
"(But) at this point, everybody is my rival - so many top players are here and being so competitive."
Lee is ranked world No.17 after finishing top-five in six LPGA tournaments last year, including a tie for third at the co-sanctioned Australian Open.
And he had set herself a goal of breaking into the top 10 by the end of this LPGA season.
"I'd like to break into the top 10 but I have my process goals," Lee said.
"That (top 10) is a big goal. That is a result-based goal.
"I think if you can tick off your process goals then you can probably make the end goal.
"So I try not to get ahead of myself, just go one step at a time and just try and tick off the things I am working on."
Share
