Winning the KLPGA Popularity Award for 2 Consecutive Years 'Popular Star'
Shin Ji-ae 'Mentor', Outstanding Skills and Good Deeds
Departing for Thailand Training Camp "Aiming for Domestic Top and US Advancement"
‘KLPGA's Most Popular Player’ Lim Hee-jeong said, "I have not won an individual title yet," and emphasized, "My goal this year is to become the money leader." Photo by Spotizen
"This year, I will definitely be the money leader."
This is the confident ambition of Lim Hee-jeong, a five-time champion on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour. She boasts a strong fan base, having won the KLPGA Tour Popularity Award for two consecutive years. Her fan club has 3,700 members, ranking first among KLPGA Tour players. In an interview with Asia Economy on the 12th, Lim said, "The Popularity Award is especially meaningful because it is chosen directly by the fans," adding, "I am always grateful." She continued, "Aside from the Popularity Award, I have never received an individual title," and expressed her determination, "This year, I will challenge for the money leader title."
Lim has worn the Taegeuk mark since 2016. At that time, she was active as part of the ‘national team big three’ along with Cho A-yeon and Park Hyun-kyung. She swept up trophies at major amateur events such as the 2017 Avondale Amateur Championship in Australia and the 2018 Bear Creek Cup. The silver medal in the women’s team golf event at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games was a bittersweet moment, as winning gold would have immediately granted her full KLPGA membership. Ultimately, she passed the full membership test in October and entered the KLPGA Tour by finishing second in the November qualifying tournament.
During her rookie season, Lim won three tournaments including one major but missed out on the Rookie of the Year award. She lost by 248 points in rookie points to Cho A-yeon, who won two titles. Lim smiled and said, "I think I haven’t had much luck with awards until now," adding, "I think it’s time for me to start receiving them."
Lim will leave for training camp in Bangkok, Thailand on the 22nd. After about four weeks of hard training, she is scheduled to return on February 20. Coach Kim Yoon-ki will accompany her. This will be her third year receiving guidance at the spring camp. Lim is a golfer whose strengths lie in her iron shots and putting, especially her mid-irons. She said, "I’m confident starting from the 7-iron," adding, "I can create birdie opportunities."
Last year, Lim focused on increasing her driving distance but her shot accuracy declined. This year, she is concentrating on her iron shots. Lim explained, "During the training camp in Thailand, I plan to focus on training that enhances my strengths."
Lim experienced ups and downs last year. She suffered a traffic accident in April and endured considerable aftereffects. In the six tournaments she entered after the accident, she either withdrew or missed the cut, struggling to produce good results. However, she made a perfect comeback by breaking the 72-hole lowest score record at the major DB Group 36th Korea Women’s Open in June.
Lim’s nickname is the ‘Pretty Desert Fox,’ given by her fans. Her fan club’s name is also a shortened form of this nickname, ‘Yesa.’ Lim recalled, "Last year, with gallery admission allowed, I was very happy to connect with the fans," adding, "Playing felt exciting." Lim is also doing good deeds with her fans. In January last year, she donated 20,220,000 KRW to the Korea Leukemia and Pediatric Cancer Association, and last month, she donated 30,000,000 KRW. She also delivered saplings to the Gangwon region affected by wildfires and gave sanitary products to low-income teenagers.
Lim said, "I don’t want to be remembered just as a golfer who plays well. I want to be a good person," adding, "I live with gratitude in everything. If given the chance, I want to be a player who can share what I have."
Lim admires ‘Golf Emperor’ Tiger Woods (USA) and Shin Ji-ae, who boasts a combined 59 wins across Korea, the US, and Japan. Lim said, "Watching their interviews and games nurtured my hope as a golfer," emphasizing, "They are like idols to me." Last month, at the KLPGA Tour Hana Financial Group Singapore Ladies Open, Lim played alongside her mentor Shin Ji-ae. Lim added, "It really felt like a dream," and "Ji-ae unnie bought me a meal and shared a lot of good advice."
Lim changed her atmosphere for the new year 2023. She moved her management to Sportizen and decided to use TaylorMade irons. She has steeled her mind to claim the money leader title this year. Lim concluded, "(Laughing) Park Min-ji unnie will find it hard to perform well for three consecutive years. I want to be the money leader too," adding, "After reaching the top spot domestically, I will also challenge the US stage. I ask for lots of support."
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