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Norman Medal winner eye's world No.1 spot

3 minute read

Minjee Lee is hoping her historic Greg Norman Medal win and rise into the world golf's top 10 is only the beginning.

MINJEE LEE1 of Australia on the first green during the ANA Inspiration on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California.
MINJEE LEE1 of Australia on the first green during the ANA Inspiration on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. Picture: Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Greg Norman Medal winner Minjee Lee has slowed down to speed up, and has her eye on becoming Australia's first official women's world No.1.

The current world No.6 became the first female to earn Australian golf's top gong in the award's four-year history this week, following a campaign that netted two titles and 13 top-10 finishes on the LPGA tour.

That run saw her surge from 19 to as high as five in the world.

But her team is eyeing more, with coach Ritchie Smith revealing plans to lift the West Australian's power game in 2019.

"With Minjee this year we really focused on technically improving her club delivery and dropped her (swing) speed by about seven miles an hour," he told the audience at Tuesday night's Greg Norman Medal dinner.

"Which is non-modern ... but we've improved her greens in reg(ulation) by about three or four per cent.

"The focus for the next two months will be about power and getting that speed back and trying to compete length-wise with the people above her on the rankings."

Lee outlined her plans for 2019 in a live Skype conversation with Norman after her win was announced.

"Probably the plan is to get to that No.1 spot I think," she said.

"Technically I'm pretty sound but we always go back to the little things and a little bit psychologically that will help me get to that next level."

Lee would be the first Australian woman to reach the heights of No.1, given the rankings system didn't exist when Karrie Webb was in her prime.

Webb has won 41 LPGA Tour events, including seven majors, is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and would have jostled with Swede Annika Sorenstam for top spot if the system had been in place earlier than 2006.

Former No.1 Norman, who said Lee's "performance was above everyone else's" in Australian golf this year, was happy to hear her camp weren't about to settle.

"It's (world No.1) not a bad spot to get to," he said with a smile.

Lee's coach is confident it can happen.

"No-one can say that she doesn't put in the effort," Smith said.

"If there's a goal we set her she'll meet it and she's demanding that from us."

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