[2021 New Start⑦] ‘Runner-up in the King of Kings Tournament’ Lee Sehee "No More Tears"

Overcoming the Nightmare of the 2019 Scorecard Error, Ranked 4th in Last Year's Dream Tour Earnings, Entering Division 1: "My Role Model is Kim Se-young Unni"

Rookie Lee Sehee expressed her determination, saying, "I will steadily advance toward the goal of winning this year."

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] "I want to become a successful player."

This is the bold ambition of Lee Se-hee (24, MC Square), a rookie on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour. She is a promising player who secured her 2021 regular tour ticket by ranking 4th in the Dream (2nd division) Tour money rankings last year with 71.66 million won. In a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 18th, she said, "I will not rush and will slowly move toward my goal," and expressed her determination, "This year, I want to definitely bring a winner’s trophy to my parents who have supported me for a long time."

She comes from a Taekwondo family. Her father, Lee Seon-jang (55), a 1985 World Championship gold medalist, is a professor in the Taekwondo Department at Keimyung University. Her mother, Park Young-sook (50), was the first female instructor at the Korea Army Academy and is a certified 7th dan who also served as an international referee after being a player. Among five siblings, four have earned black belts, but Lee Se-hee, the second child, is the only one without a dan rank. She moved to the United States following her father, who went to the University of Florida as an exchange professor, and there she happened to start playing golf.

After returning to Korea, she nurtured her dream of becoming a player from the 6th grade of elementary school. She explained, "I thought hitting the ball on the field looked cool," and "somehow it seemed free." She turned professional in 2017 but her entry into the first division tour was delayed. She couldn’t overcome the final hurdle. 2019 was a regretful year. At that time, she ranked 20th in the Dream Tour money rankings and finished 2nd in the final event, but was disqualified due to an incorrectly filled scorecard. Ultimately, she was pushed to the qualifying tournament and tasted defeat.

"At that time, I cried heavily just holding a club," she revealed. Last year, she made a desperate effort again. She even made a concrete plan: "If I don’t make it to the regular tour, I will quit golf and study sports psychology in the U.S." She entered the top 10 six times in the Dream Tour and finished the season 4th in earnings. She also finished 2nd in the October King of Kings tournament. She cheered, "An aggressive approach was effective," and "I was so happy." Having entered the tour with great difficulty, she is determined to have a long career.

Last winter, she started a ‘7-week hell training’ in Haenam, Jeollanam-do, to build her basics. Since early this month, she has moved to Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do, to meticulously check technical aspects. She will have practical rounds until the 3rd of next month. Kim Se-young (27, Mirae Asset), ranked 2nd in the world, is her role model. Lee Se-hee, who calls her "an older sister who took good care of me since amateur days," said, "She used to buy me meals and even gave me taxi fare," and expressed her wish, "I want to become a successful player like her."