"'Seed Tournament Regular' Im Jin-hee: '2 Wins in a Year Life'... 'The Driving Force is Practice, and More Practice'"

Im Jin-hee is cheering right after winning the McCol and Mona Park Open. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "Practice, and more practice."

'Qualifying tournament regular' Im Jin-hee (24) reached the '2-win milestone' in just one year. On the final day of the McColㆍMona Park Open (total prize money 800 million won) held at Birch Hill Golf Club in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province (par 72ㆍ6,434 yards) on the 3rd, she added a 3-under-par round to secure a 2-stroke victory (11-under-par 205). It was her first win of the season and her second career victory, leading the leaderboard throughout the three days with remarkable power. Adding the winner's prize of 144 million won, she jumped to 8th place in the prize money rankings (291 million won).

Although Im Jin-hee is the same age as Park Min-ji (24), who is considered the 'number one in Korea,' she took a different path from elite players who have been national representatives. Usually, players start competing in tournaments from 5th or 6th grade in elementary school, but Im began learning golf seriously only after entering high school, making her start relatively late. She barely advanced to the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour in 2018 but ranked only 64th in the prize money rankings, surviving through the qualifying tournament. In 2019, she ranked 84th in prize money and eventually spent 2020 moving between the Dream Tour events.

This is why she earned the unwelcome nickname 'qualifying tournament regular.' She introduced herself by saying, "When I woke up in the morning, I went to practice no matter what and only returned home after sunset," adding, "Because I started late, I had no choice but to practice a lot." In June last year, she finally won the BC CardㆍHankyung Ladies Cup, and despite being cut five times in the previous nine tournaments, she attracted more spotlight. She explained, "A sudden wrist injury held me back."

This season, she has shown strong form with four top-10 finishes in 11 events, and in this tournament, she took an early lead with a 5-under-par round in the first round. It is interesting that Im Jin-hee demonstrated 'steel mental strength' by responding to Yoon Yi-na's (19) four consecutive birdies from holes 9 to 12 on the final day with 'stepping stone birdies' on holes 10 and 12. On the last hole, the 18th (par 5), after Yoon Yi-na's '2-on,' Im's third shot landed just 1 yard from the hole, maintaining her 2-stroke lead to secure the victory.

"I couldn't relax throughout the game," said Im Jin-hee. "Yoon Yi-na's momentum was formidable, so I played aggressively from start to finish," she added, cheering, "I gained confidence and will immediately challenge for my second win of the season and 700 million won in prize money." She expressed hope, saying, "I am growing every year, including increasing my driver distance. Since my hometown is Jungmun, Jeju Island, I definitely want to win the Jeju Samdasoo Masters in early August." Yoon Yi-na was satisfied with second place (9-under-par 207).