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A great junior player in Korea, Ju Kim turned
pro in 2000. She joined the Futures Tour in 2001, and that
year finished fourth on their money list, just a couple hundred
dollars out of third. In those days only the top three got
exempt cards to the LPGA, so she was just beaten out for the
final card by fellow Korean Jung Yeon Lee.
In 2003, she again finished fourth on the
Futures Tour money list, but this time, the top five got cards,
so she got her exemption onto the LPGA tour for 2004.
2004 proved to be a less than great year for
Ju Kim, but things started to look up towards the end of the
year. At the suggestion of her coach, David Leadbetter, she
changed her name from 'Ju' to 'Birdie', a great name for a
golfer. And the birdies didn't let her down; she finished
tied for 12th at 2004 Q-School to retain her exempt status
for the 2005 season.
2005 proved to be a watershed year for Birdie.
Halfway into the season, she was already having her best ever
year when she scored her first ever top ten, a 7th place at
the Chick-Fil-A Championship. But nothing prepared the world
for how she played at the biggest event in women's golf, the
US Women's Open. Despite the grueling hard course, she kept
herself in contention over three days, while other top players
fell by the wayside. On Sunday, she surprisingly moved into
the lead, but still the commentators focused on the young
American players just a shot or two behind her. Reaching the
final hole with a one shot lead, she hit her approach into
the bunker. No one had made a birdie on this hole since Friday,
but Birdie stunned the world by hitting a miraculous bunker
shot that tracked perfectly into the hole for a birdie and
the win. Just like that, Birdie Kim became the third Korean
in history to win a Major, after Se Ri Pak and Grace Park,
and one of two to win one in 2005 (Jeong Jang would later
win the British Open). Her life changed forever.
Although she did not have another noteworthy
performance for the rest of 2005, she still finished 13th
on the money list with more than $700,000 earned.
Birdie struggled much of 2006. She did not
finish in the top 100 on the money list, but fortunately for
her, still has four more years of exemption thanks to her
Open win.
2007 was a much better year for her. She actually
contended in several Majors, even leading the LPGA Championship
late in the game. She capped her year with a second place
finish at the Tournament of Champions and the announcement
of her impending marriage to a fellow golf pro, whom she apparently
met through their mothers. She also beat Morgan Pressel at
the World Match Play, in a tantalizing rematch of their 2005
US Women's Open duel. She finished 43rd on the money list,
a much better overall season than 2006.
Birdie got married in December, 2007, to Bae
Gyu Lee, a fellow golf pro, and after a short honeymoon, was
back at work preparing for 2008.
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