Mi-Hyun Kim (; born 13 January 1977) is a professional golfer from South Korea. She turned professional in 1996 and won 11 events on the LPGA of Korea Tour (KLPGA) between 1996 and 2000. In 1999, she joined the LPGA Tour and was named was Rookie of the Year that year. She has won eight LPGA events with her best finish in a major championship second place at the 2001 Women's British Open.
Background Born in Incheon, Kim received the nicknamed "Peanut" because she stands only tall. LPGA golfers also refer to her as "Kimmy." She was inspired to move to the United States by Se Ri Pak, and they along with Grace Park and Hee-Won Han – the four nicknamed the "Seoul Sisters" – are considered pioneers in the surge of outstanding South Korean women's golfers on the LPGA Tour. Her swing is characterized by an unusually long backswing that has become shorter in recent years.
Charitable giving In May 2007, Kim donated $100,000 of her $210,000 prize money from winning the SemGroup Championship to victims of a recent tornado that severely damaged the town of Greensburg, Kansas. The tornado occurred during the SemGroup tournament.
Kim did not have any connection to Greensburg or any of its residents. Commenting on her donation, she said, "Honestly, I made a lot of money in the United States on the LPGA Tour. Most of time, I get the money here and donate to South Korea. But, I want to help people here, too. The win was a surprise for me and I think God gave it to me like a special present or he is using me like, 'okay, I give you this, but after that you give to help the people.'"
A year later on the eve on the 2008 SemGroup Championship, the president of the United Way of the Plains in Wichita, Kansas appeared with Kim at the pre-tournament press conference to publicly thank her and announce that the publicity surrounding Kim's donation had spurred further donations totaling $1.2 million and that money is being used to build 25 homes for low- and moderate-income individuals displaced by the tornado.
Personal Kim retired from the LPGA Tour after playing several tournaments during the 2011 season. In December 2008 she married Lee Won-hee, a former Olympic gold medalist in judo who now teaches judo at a university in South Korea. In 2009 they had a son, Ye Sung Lee, who was born in Orlando, Florida. The couple divorced in 2012.
She currently teaches golf in South Korea. A golf teaching/practice facility built by her father is named the Mi-Hyun Kim Golf World.
Professional wins (19) LPGA Tour (8) No. DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up16 Sep 1999State Farm Rail Classic-12 (66-68-70=204)1 stroke Janice Moodie Pearl Sinn210 Oct 1999First Union Betsy King Classic-8 (68-72-70-70=280)1 stroke Beth Daniel Helen Dobson Jenny Lidback324 Sep 2000Safeway LPGA Golf Championship-1 (70-73-72=215)Playoff Jeong Jang421 Jul 2002Giant Eagle LPGA Classic-14 (65-68-69=202)1 stroke Kelly Robbins54 Aug 2002Wendy's Championship for Children-8 (68-67-73=208)1 stroke Hee-Won Han630 Apr 2006Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open-12 (70-66-69-71=276)2 strokes Lorena Ochoa Karrie Webb716 Jul 2006Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic-18 (68-66-67-65=266)Playoff Natalie Gulbis86 May 2007SemGroup Championship-3 (71-68-71=210)Playoff Juli Inkster
LPGA Tour playoff record (3–3) No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result12000Safeway LPGA Golf Championship Jeong JangWon with par on second extra hole 22000New Albany Golf Classic Lorie Kane Lost to birdie on first extra hole32001The Office Depot Annika SörenstamLost to par on first extra hole42001 Kathy Ireland Championship Rosie JonesLost to birdie on first extra hole52006 Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Natalie GulbisWon with birdie on third extra hole62007 SemGroup Championship Juli InksterWon with par on first extra hole
LPGA of Korea Tour wins (13) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin ofvictoryRunner-up130 Apr 1994Tomboy Women's Open (as an amateur)72-74-72=218+22 strokes Kang Soo-yun (amateur)215 Jul 1995Fursys Cup Korea Women's Open (as an amateur)71-71-68=210−62 strokes Se Ri Pak (amateur)329 Jun 1996Midopa Women's Open69-69=138-62 strokes Song Chae-eun Ha Nan-kyung418 Aug 1996Korea Oil Corporation Invitational67-74-65=206−102 strokes Se Ri Pak525 Oct 1996LG Fashion Cup Korea Women's Open70-74-72=216E2 strokes Se Ri Pak631 Aug 1997Korea Oil Corporation Invitational71-74-68=213−31 stroke Il Mi Chung77 Sep 1997FILA Women's Open73-68-70=211−101 stroke Gloria Park (amateur)813 Sep 1997Lacoste SBS Champions73-75-74=222+63 strokes Han Ji-yeon Seo A-ram99 May 1998Carnation Women's Open70-73-67=210−67 strokes Jeong Jang (amateur)1011 Sep 1998SBS Champions72-74-74=220+4Playoff Il Mi Chung111 Nov 1998KLPGA Championship72-76-71=219+32 strokes Seo Ji-hyun1229 Oct 2000Sports Seoul Hyundai Securities Women's Open71-68-68=207−94 strokes Laura Davies133 Dec 2000Paradise Women's Open71-73-63=207−910 strokes Il Mi Chung
Tournaments in bold denotes major tournaments in KLPGA
Results in LPGA majors Tournament 1998 1999 2000 Kraft Nabisco ChampionshipT47LPGA ChampionshipT26T12U.S. Women's OpenCUTT4du Maurier ClassicT6T33 Tournament 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011Kraft Nabisco ChampionshipT15T21T577T5T42T30T6T48T56T33LPGA Championship8T33T30T30T7T3T15T10CUTT42T43U.S. Women's OpenT26T22T30T16T31T41T8T6CUTWomen's British Open ^2T61CUTCUTCUTCUTCUTT24T31CUT ^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001.
CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" tied Summary Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts madeKraft Nabisco Championship 0 0 0 1 3 5 12 12LPGA Championship 0 0 1 1 4 6 13 12U.S. Women's Open 0 0 0 1 3 5 11 9du Maurier Classic 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2Women's British Open 0 1 0 1 1 2 10 4Totals 0 1 1 4 12 19 48 39
Team appearances Amateur Espirito Santo Trophy (representing South Korea): 1994
References
External links
Biography on seoulsisters.com