After winning the season finale of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour on Wednesday, the SK Shielders-SK Telecom Championship, to become the most decorated player on the tour this season (four wins), Im Jin-hee was an unknown for four years on the KLPGA Tour.
She made her debut in 2018 after a two-year absence, but each year she fell outside the top 60 on the money list and had to reseed three times.
She won her first title at the BC Card-Korea Economy Ladies Cup in 2021, but no one recognized her.
When she won her second career title at the McCall-Monapark Open last year, she was overshadowed by the spectacular play of runner-up Inna Yoon.
But Im, who practices more than anyone else, has blossomed this year.
She won four titles, finished second in prize money and points, and was third in scoring average.
That puts her in the top tier of players.
“I’ve done something I couldn’t have imagined as a rookie,” Lim said at the SK Shields-SK Telecom Championship victory press conference, adding, “There’s nothing impossible in the world (if you work hard).”
“I want to challenge the American stage before it’s too late,” said Im, who will play in a qualifying tournament for the U.S. Women’s Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour in December.
“I am currently ranked 52nd in the world, which is a huge jump,” he said, adding, “It will be tough, but I don’t think it’s impossible.”
Lim is the type of person who will do whatever it takes to achieve her goals.
When she first started on the KLPGA Tour, she realized she needed to hit it longer, so she focused on improving her distance before winning her first title.
Her longest hit ranking, which was 55th in 2018 when she made her debut, rose to 13th last year.
With two career victories under his belt, he focused on his putting this time around. He switched his putter to a sharper blade.
He was 27th in putting last year and 11th this year.
He has invested in three coaches: one who looks at his swing mechanics and posture, another who specializes in short game and course management, and a third who works on his mindset, swing rhythm and tempo.
“I’ve been focusing on my putting, so I’ve lost some distance, but I’m trying to get it back this winter,” Lim said, adding that she plans to do more physical training when she goes to the U.S. Tour.
“My goals before the start of this year were to win more than 1 billion won in prize money and to win at least two tournaments, and I accomplished all of them,” said Lim. “Especially, I wanted to keep my performance consistent rather than my score, but my score was 100,” she said, expressing satisfaction with her performance this season.
“The course was difficult to set up, so I thought I would play it safe, but after losing the lead, I decided I shouldn’t play it safe,” said Lim, who was chased by Lee, who birdied the seventh and eighth holes in the final round to take a share of the lead. “Finally, a birdie on the ninth hole changed the tide.”
“My goal today was to play the same way I’ve been playing without worrying about my score or ranking,” said Lim, who had a streak of pars before her birdie on the ninth hole, “but it’s not easy. It’s not easy to do that,” she admitted.
“It’s not that I can’t do it, it’s just that she’s good at it, so I decided to focus as much as I could, and that’s what led to the win,” Lim said. 토토사이트