HA NEUL KIM

The Facts

Capsule Bio

Ha Neul Kim joined the KLPGA in 2007, and immediately made an impact in multiple ways. First of all, she is an attractive woman who knows how to dress well (her trademark is to wear sky blue colors -- 'Ha Neul' means 'sky' in Korean). But secondly, she also was a great golfer. She notched 6 top tens in her rookie year, good enough to win her the Rookie of the Year award.

2008 was Kim's breakout season on the KLPGA tour. She started the season well with a third and a sixth, but it was at her third event of the year, the Phoenix Park Classic, that she finally broke through with her first win. In a pitched battle with superstar Ji Yai Shin, Kim seized control, making birdies on the final three holes to collect a four shot win. And her great year was just beginning.

Kim collected her second career win a few weeks later at the Hill State SeoKyung Open. She had seemingly established herself as the second best player on tour behind Shin, when... another golfer suddenly had a great run of her own. Hee Kyung Seo won three straight events on tour, and a new rivalry was born. Kim struck back: she won the SK Energy Invitational for her own third win of the year.

By now, the press was playing up the battle between the two attractive, stylish young golfers. They even matched up against each other in a Skins Game, partnered with PGA star Anthony Kim and a KPGA star. Ha Neul won that one, but that very week, Seo won her fourth KLPGA event to again take over second place on the money list.

Ha Neul finished the year with 15 top tens and was third on the tour money list with nearly 400 million won in earnings. She ended the year at the KLPGA Awards Show by being one of five top stars to perform a dance number (!) for the attendees.

2009 was not as good a season for Ha Neul. She struggled with her swing plane, and as a result was far more inconsistent off the tee. She did not win in 2009, but still collected 7 top tens and finished 7th on the money list. She also played a couple of LPGA events, but did not make the cut at the SBS Open or Kraft Nabisco, and finished in the top 30 at the Hana Bank Championship.

Ha Neul struggled far more in the 2010 season, although there was light towards the end. She only finished 21st on the money list, despite three top four finishes. But she played well in one of the latter events of the year, and at the first event of the 2011 season, she contended all week and finished second.

Signs were good that Ha Neul was about to have a comeback season, and in 2011, she more than delivered on that promise. At the next event in April, Kim finished 8th. One week later, she returned to the winner's circle for the first time in more than two years. Kim continued to play well by and large after that, notching a few top tens here and there, but also missing a few cuts. She also claimed a 13th place finish at the Hana Bank, her best ever LPGA result, in that stretch. Through it all, she stayed near the top of the KLPGA money list, and when she caught fire again towards the end of the year, it was with an inferno-like intensity.

Her first big salvo came at the Hite Cup, the year's third Major. So Yeon Ryu was the current money list leader, and also the US Women's Open winner from a few months earlier. She took a share of the lead for the first two days. But a rules infraction in round 3 knocked her down, and an unknown amateur rose up. By the middle of round four, the amateur, In Ji Jeon, climbed to a three shot lead and looked poised for the win. But then the wheels came off for her, and after a late triple bogey, Ha Neul Kim, who had lingered all day, suddenly found herself near the lead. Soon thereafter, Kim had her first Major victory!

From that point on, Kim went from triumph to triumph the rest of the season. She finished second at the year's final Major, the KB Financial Star Championship; then won her third title of the year at the EDaily KYJ Golf Women's Open; then lost a grueling 7 hole playoff to Young Ran Jo at the final event of the year. To cap everything off, she won an unofficial all-star event a few weeks after that.

Three wins, an unofficial win, over 500 million won earned: Kim's 2011 season had been a smashing success. She claimed her first money list title, won Player of the Year, and was even voted Most Popular player by the fans. She dominated the awards at the KLPGA Award Show, the KLPGA's new Queen. A superstar is reborn!!

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