Kim set to make ‘quiet’ debut

By Kang Seung-woo

INCHEON ― Despite a much anticipated professional debut this week, Kim Hyo-joo is as composed as usual, set to carry on as she has all season. This year, Kim, a native of Wonju, Gangwon Province, has emerged as the most dominant presence in Korean golf.

The up-and-coming 17-year-old will make her pro debut today at the LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship in Incheon, the only LPGA Tour event to take place in Korea.

“I don’t feel anything different,” Kim said in a press conference.

She will tee off with compatriot Lee Mi-rim and Cheyenne Woods, better known for being Tiger Woods’ niece.

“I just plan to play comfortably.”

As an amateur, Kim claimed the Lotte Mart Ladies Open, the KLPGA Tour’s season opener in April, with a 9-shot victory over a pack of professional golfers. She followed this with ties for 12th and fifth at the LPGA Lotte Championship and Woori Investment and Securities Ladies Championship respectively.

In June, she rallied from five strokes down to top the Suntory Ladies Open on the Japanese Tour on the back of a birdie binge featuring 11 on the final day. With that victory, she became the youngest winner on the Japan LPGA Tour, while tying the record for the lowest score over 72 holes at 17 under.

She also competed at July’s Evian Masters, which will become a major in 2013, and sat atop the leaderboard for a while during the final round before ending tied for fourth.

On Monday, she signed a two-year, 1 billion won sponsorship deal with Lotte Group.

The deal is the most lucrative deal for a rookie in the Korean tour but Kim still does not realize that she is under the spotlight.

“There has been no big difference since I turned pro,” she said.

“Maybe, there will be after I play my first tournament as a pro.”

Kim is one of the players in the field that will draw many local fans to the galleries but she plans to play with the mindset to learn as much as possible from experienced golfers rather than trying to pick up the victory on her pro debut.

“As this is the first tournament I will play as a pro, I will not worry about the results too much and work hard to adapt to the tour,” said Kim, who wants to follow in the footsteps of her role model, World Golf Hall of Famer Pak Se-ri.