Two golf rookies achieve great result after training with Lee Si-woo

The sound of golf swings broke the silence of early morning in February at a golf club in San Diego, the U.S. South Korean golfer Kim Joo-hyung trained so hard while other Korean golfers at the club were in a deep sleep in the early Sunday morning. After several months, the 18-year-old is taking the Korea Tour by storm, making a new history as the youngest professional golf champion who won a runner-up and a championship in two competitions after the season started.

Kim was at the training session with coach Lee Si-woo, who has been teaching Kim since October last year. “From the first time I saw him, Joo-hyung was so good even at a young age. His scores were good thanks to his ability to strike the ball really well. But his swings were far from perfect,” said Lee. The coach wanted to correct Kim’s swing posture. Even though there was a risk of falling into a slump, Kim was not afraid of taking risks. “I cannot tell you everything here but correcting his swing posture has proved to be very effective,” said Lee.

While Kim Joo-hyung has become the rising star of the KPGA this season, Park Hyun-kyung stole the spotlight in the KLPGA Tour. Park has become the first golfer to have won two KLPGA events this season by claiming a win at the Busan Open the day after Kim became a champion. Park is also being coached by Lee Si-woo since October last year. Kim and Park, who are currently the leaders of the KPGA and KLPGA money list, respectively, attended a training camp in the U.S. with Ko Jin-young, world No.1 in women’s golf.

Last year, the promising golfer in her teens failed to win a single event as a newcomer to the KLPGA Tour. Park tried to clear her mind when starting her second KLPGA season, and it has been leading to a good result.

“I kept telling her not to be obsessed with winning but to try her best to display her skills,” said coach Lee. “I could see her shaking off the burden and enjoying the game from the season’s first competition.”


hun@donga.com