Date: February 16, 2016
Author: Martin Blake

VIDEO: Top 10 is target for brilliant Lee

Minjee Lee has set herself a short-term goal of leaping into the top 10 of the Rolex world rankings as she prepares for an assault on her home national championship. 

Perth's Lee, who was tied-seventh last year and just outside the top 10 as an amateur in 2014, also is intent upon clinching a place in the Australian team for the Olympic Games.

A maximum of two spots are available for Rio de Janeiro, with 19-year-old Lee and veteran Karrie Webb in the slots at the moment.

Lee is familiar with The Grange having won an Australian amateur title here a few years ago, although she pointed out today that the matchplay portion of those titles was played on the east course, rather than the west, which is being used for this week's Open.

From what she has seen of the west course, it is "just like how I remember,'' which is tough.

Lee said positional play would be important. "It's going to be tough.You're going to have to be really accurate. It looks wide, but the fraction of the fairway that you want to hit it to is really small.''

A Golf Australia rookie squad member, Lee has risen to No. 18 in the world (and was as high as 16th last year) after winning her first LPGA Tour event in America.

After a gruelling 2015 season, she plans on playing slightly less this year since her playing rights are secure. "I played 29 (tournaments) of 31, I think, but I'm young. I can handle it.''