KIM SEI-young: Making History in Women’s Golf

Kim Sei-young, Danielle Kang and Charley Hull were competing fiercely in the final round. Kim led the three in the final round and never gave any chance to Kang or Hull to overtake her lead. However, the two pushed Kim to increase the pressure. On the front nine, Kang made five birdies and went quiet to return strong on the 17^th with a 30-foot eagle putt. On the final hole, she hit 4-iron into 15 feet and fell short to tie for the lead with Kim. Kang closed with a 65.

Charley Hull was gaining ground with birdied five in her last seven. On the 15^th, she glanced at the leader board and realized her only chance to win the tournament was to birdie everything thereafter. Hull hit putter up the slope to tap-in range to get one shot within Kim on the 17^th. She walked in the birdie putt on the 18^th hole. All the while, Kim was concentrating on the upcoming threat from Nelly Korda, who started one shot behind her. On the 17^th, Korda lost her chance with hooked tee shots at a birdie on the 17^th.

Having won the title, Kim Sei-young confessed honestly, “I didn’t know Charley finished at 17 under. What if I couldn’t make it? I could go to a playoff. It’s not good for me. It was really nervous when walking through Hole 18. I was like – OK, not a big deal. Try to play like a practice round.’ Even then, I was really nervous.”

Korda finished third to tie with Kang behind Kim Sei-young and Charley Hull. Brooke Henderson finished fifth. The Top 5 finishers played some really great golf eyeing for the $1.5 million prize money at the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida. What is more fascinating is that the South Korean Kim Sei-young did not know that her 25-foot putt for birdie was for the biggest jackpot in women’s golf history.

When Kim Sei-young pumped her fist to win the tournament, fellow compatriots Jin Young Ko and Amy Yang came running to hug and congratulate her. The three South Koreans celebrated the joyous moment amidst cheer and applause from the crowd. Kim’s caddie Paul Fusco was confident about Kim’s cool and calm demeanour. After the win, he revealed, “I knew she had to make it. But, I was never going to tell her. It would have created too much pressure. I wanted her to relax. It was her best chance to make it.”

Third place finisher Nelly Korda had high praise for the South Korean Champion and enthused, “To win $1.5 million by making that putt is quite amazing. It was an amazing cap-off to the season.” In her victory speech, Kim Sei-young thanked Terence Duffy and CME’s efforts in increasing the stake in women’s golf. She said, “I am very thankful. I think women’s golf is on a good track.”

Kim Sei-young finished No. 2 on the LPGA money list behind fellow compatriot Jin Young Ko. Ko is tied for the 11^th spot and had won the LPGA Player of the Year, the Money Title and the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average. She won four titles this year, two of them majors. Charley Hull gave her best to win the runner-up spot winning $480,000. In the 2019 Season, she made $405,961 in her previous 21 events. At the CME Group Tour Championship, Hull earned more prize money than all the wins this year.

The South Korean believes in working hard to achieve success in tournaments. Kim is yet to win a major championship title, in spite of being the best women’s player. However, her caddie Fusco believes Kim is poised for something even bigger very soon in her career. He has confidence that Kim Sei-young will win all the five majors at least once in coming years. He reflected, “I think she’s just getting started. You are going to have seven-win seasons. She’s going to have those blow-away seasons.”

Kim is a bundle of talent and is capable to upset the top ranking players with her amazing skills and calm composure. At the 2018 Thornberry Classic tournament, Kim smashed the LPGA’s 72-hole scoring record. Kim’s 31-under total bettered the previous tour record by four shots. Kim shares the record with ‘Hall of Fame’ Annika Sorenstam.

MAKING HISTORY

Kim Sei-young displayed superb form and play winning the final putt to lift the richest prize money in women’s golf history. She pumped her fist with a smile in disbelief. The CME Group Tour Championship title was Kim Sei-young’s third LPGA Tour titles of this year. On the 5^th of May 2019, she won the LPGA Mediheal Championship title. On the 14^th of July, she repeated her winning form to lift the Marathon Classic title. And, on the 24^th of November 2019, Kim Sei-young lifted her third Championship titles to end her 2019 Season.

At the age of 22, Kim Sei-young won her first LPGA Tour title winning the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic on the 8^th of February 2015. With an impressive 10 LPGA Tour titles in a span of just four years, Kim Sei-young became the fourth South Korean woman golfer to enter the “Hall of Fame”. Pak Se-ri with 25 wins leads the South Korean women golfer, who played from 1998 to 2010. Inbee Park with 19 wins is second and was playing actively from 2008 to 2018. Jiyai Shin has 11 wins to her credit from 2008 to 2013.

Kim Sei-young have many more years ahead of her to surpass South Korean greats like Se Ri Pak, Inbee Park and Jiyai Shin to become the greatest South Korean woman golfer. The effervescent Kim Sei-young, a golf icon in South Korea has been instrumental in inspiring youngsters in her nation.

EARLY LIFE

Kim Sei-young was born in Seoul, South Korea on the 21^st of January 1993. She is also known as Sei Young Kim in the golf circuit. On the 14^th of April 2013, Kim won her first LPGA Korean Tour golf title at the Lotte Mart Women’s Open beating fellow compatriots Jang Su-yeon, Lee Jeong-eun and Jang Ha-na.

In the same year, Kim won the Hanwha Finance Classic and MetLife-Hankyung KLPGA Championship in the month of September 2013. In the year 2014, Kim won the Woori Investment & Securities Ladies Championship and the MBN Ladies Open with ONOFF titles.