Mi-Hyun Kim
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Family name hatnote Template:Infobox golfer Template:Infobox Korean name/auto Mi-Hyun Kim (Template:Korean; 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 Template:Convert 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"<ref name=seoul>Template:Cite web</ref> – are considered pioneers in the surge of outstanding South Korean women's golfers on the LPGA Tour.<ref name=retire>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.'"<ref name="greensburg1">Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref name="greensburg2">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="unitedwaythanks">Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal
Kim retired from the LPGA Tour after playing several tournaments during the 2011 season.<ref name=retire/> 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.<ref name=newborn>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2009 they had a son, Ye Sung Lee, who was born in Orlando, Florida.<ref name=newborn/> The couple divorced in 2012.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
She currently teaches golf in South Korea. A golf teaching/practice facility built by her father is named the Mi-Hyun Kim Golf World.<ref name="seoul" />
Professional wins (19)
LPGA Tour (8)
LPGA Tour playoff record (3–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000 | Safeway LPGA Golf Championship | Template:Flagicon Jeong Jang | Won with par on second extra hole |
| 2 | 2000 | New Albany Golf Classic | Template:Flagicon Lorie Kane | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 2001 | The Office Depot | Template:Flagicon Annika Sörenstam | Lost to par on first extra hole |
| 4 | 2001 | Kathy Ireland Championship | Template:Flagicon Rosie Jones | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 5 | 2006 | Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic | Template:Flagicon Natalie Gulbis | Won with birdie on third extra hole |
| 6 | 2007 | SemGroup Championship | Template:Flagicon Juli Inkster | Won with par on first extra hole |
LPGA of Korea Tour wins (13)
Tournaments in bold denotes major tournaments in KLPGA
Results in LPGA majors
| Tournament | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship | T47 | ||
| LPGA Championship | T26 | T12 | |
| U.S. Women's Open | CUT | T4 | |
| du Maurier Classic | T6 | T33 |
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship | T15 | T21 | T57 | 7 | T5 | T42 | T30 | T6 | T48 | T56 | T33 |
| LPGA Championship | 8 | T33 | T30 | T30 | T7 | T3 | T15 | T10 | CUT | T42 | T43 |
| U.S. Women's Open | T26 | T22 | T30 | T16 | T31 | T41 | T8 | T6 | CUT | ||
| Women's British Open ^ | 2 | T61 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | T24 | T31 | CUT |
^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001.
Template:Legend
Template:Legend
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" tied
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 12 |
| LPGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 12 |
| U.S. Women's Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 9 |
| du Maurier Classic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Women's British Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 4 |
| Totals | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 19 | 48 | 39 |
Team appearances
Amateur
- Espirito Santo Trophy (representing South Korea): 1994