HEE KYUNG SEO

The Facts

Capsule Bio

Hee Kyung Seo joined the KLPGA in 2006. She had a solid rookie campaign, highlighted by a top 20 at the LPGA event in Korea, the Kolon-Hana Bank Championship, and a third place finish at the year's final event, the ADT-CAPS Championship.

2007 was an even better year, particularly the latter half, where she had a run of five straight top tens at one point. She wound up with 7 top tens in total and finished 9th on the money list.

During the off season, Seo practiced frequently with her good friend, KLPGA superstar Ji Yai Shin. She was so impressed by how hard Shin worked, particularly on her short game, that Seo raised her own work level to match her. It would pay massive dividends in 2008.

Seo had a slow start to her year, notching a few early top tens, but otherwise not contending. But when the second half of the KLPGA season started in late August, Seo became one of the hottest golfers on tour. In fact, she beat a well stocked field of stars at the first event back, the SBS Open, including Ji Yai Shin and Inbee Park, the winners of the last two LPGA Majors. Little did anyone realize that she was just getting started! She would lead the SBS Open wire to wire, and would do the same thing at the next event, the third KB Star Tour event, winning that tournament as well.

The next KLPGA event was in China: the Binhai Open. Seo started the week with her first round in three events where she was not in the lead at the end of the day. But she quickly righted the ship, moving into the lead in round two and cruising to her third straight win in round three. The final margin was five shots; she didn't even have to work up a sweat! With that win, she became one of the few golfers in history to win three straight events on the KLPGA tour. She played well at the next KLPGA event, the SK Energy Invitational, but only finished fourth. Still, it had been a great run that moved her into second on the KLPGA money list.

Seo displaced another young, attractive golfer as second best on tour, Ha Neul Kim. The press started a friendly rivalry between the two stylish young women that added a lot of fire to the KLPGA the rest of the season. Kim spiced things up by winning a third event in 2008 to retake the second place spot on the money list. The two were even involved in a charity Skins Game, where Kim was paired with PGA star Anthony Kim and Seo teamed with a top KPGA player. Kim won that Skins game, but Seo got revenge by winning the KLPGA event later that week, the Interburgos Masters, for her fourth win of 2008.

After finished tied for 17th at the Hana Bank Championship, the lone LPGA event she played in 2008, Seo notched a third place at the S-OIL, then won her amazing fifth KLPGA event of the year. The tournament was the Saint Four Ladies Masters, the first KLPGA event co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour. Seo was two shots down to KLPGA star Sun Ju Ahn with four holes to play, but finished her round with four straight birdies to win by two strokes. This victory gained her membership on the European tour, and entry into their elite field events like the Evian Masters. It also made her only the third golfer in KLPGA history to win five times in a single season on tour. And Seo still wasn't done: she finished the season by winning her sixth title of 2008 at the ADT-CAPS, the year's final tournament.

At the KLPGA Awards Show in December, she appeared on stage with four other young KLPGA stars in a dance number (!), proving she was indeed a multi-talented individual.

Seo started the 2009 season with a second place finish at the year's first event, the China Ladies Open.

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